Coronavirus in Scarborough: Proudfoot reassures customers over stock levels and asks them to consider the vulnerable

Stores across the country have seen unprecedented levels of demand in the past few weeks in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in the UK.

Indeed anyone entering the supermarkets in Scarborough recently will have probably been confronted with empty shelves.

Like many national chains, Proudfoot have introduced purchasing limits with customers being told not to buy more then four of any one type of product at one time to try and ensure everyone has access to the things they need.

A spokeswoman for the store said: ""We at Proudfoot would like to reassure you that we are working tirelessly to keep our stores and warehouse fully stocked. We have increased orders from our suppliers and our warehouse has sufficient stock to replenish all stores.

"All colleagues have been working hard to restock our stores. However, unprecedented demand for certain products has made it difficult for us to ensure that there are no gaps on shelves.

"All of our stores receive daily deliveries. So if a certain product is not available when a customer visits, it will be replenished in the overwhelming majority of cases by the following day.

"We have taken action to discourage people buying more than they need. Customers should be limited to buying no more than four items of any one product during each visit.

"This is still significantly more than most customers would buy in a normal shopping trip and we hope this temporary restriction will give as many customers as possible the opportunity to get what they need, every time they visit."

Proudfoot also asked people to think of those who are vulnerable at this time, pointing out that 'not everyone has the financial or practical resources to buy in bulk, including our elderly customers.'

The spokeswoman continued: "We all have a responsibility to ensure customers only buy what they and their families need. If customers shop as they normally do, our stores would quickly return to normal.

"Finally, our sincere thanks to you for your continued support and to every single one of our colleagues. It’s the people at Proudfoot that make our business special and they have come together like never before to serve our customers, during this extremely busy time."