‘There’s no shortage’: Independent grocers a winner in supply chain debacle

Small, independent grocery stores have emerged as a winner from the current supply chain crisis plaguing the nation, with farmers selling their goods directly to smaller stores as major supermarkets Coles and Woolworths are forced to cancel customer and supplier orders.

Bare shelves have become a common sight in the fruit and vegetable section at Australia’s big two supermarkets in recent weeks, as rising COVID case numbers have forced truck drivers and staff working in distribution centres into isolation, leaving no one available to unload or deliver the much-needed cargo.

On Thursday, Woolworths joined Coles in imposing a selection of two-pack per-customer limits on toilet paper, painkillers, and various meat products due to the ongoing issues in the companies’ warehouses.

However, shortages and product limits have been rare in smaller stores, which often purchase their fruit and vegetables directly from suppliers or from major markets, such as the Sydney Markets in Flemington or Melbourne Markets in Epping.

Guy Gaeta, a cherry farmer from Orange, NSW, told The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald the markets were well-stocked with produce, questioning why the major supermarkets didn’t purchase more goods from its sellers.

“At Flemington markets, there’s plenty of stock. The only thing that’s short is watermelons, and if you pay $3.50 a kilo, you can have all the watermelons you want,” he said. “There’s no food shortage.”

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Anthony Patti, store manager at Brunswick-based grocer La Manna Fresh said Melbourne’s markets were also fairly well-stocked, though he noted it was “a bit more difficult” than usual. His store has seen a 15 per cent uptick in trade over the past few weeks, which he attributes to shoppers hunting for in-stock fruit and veg.

“Our businesses are a lot simpler. The farm sends it to the market, we buy it from the market and take it back to the store,” he said. “Supermarkets take it to their warehouses, which is an additional link in the chain where something can go wrong.”