As the snow keeps mounting up, so do the costs to industry

Cancelled deliveries. Closed stores. frozen crops. The industry is counting the cost of up to three weeks of disrupted trading as Britain remains gripped by Arctic weather conditions.

As temperatures plummeted to as low as -18.4c this week, analysts estimated that costs from closed stores and staff absences could run into millions of pounds.

“I don’t think a few days of disruption means a financial burden but the multitude of days and weeks clearly add up to an abnormal trading period,” said Shore Capital analyst Dr Clive Black. “That’s manageable for a few days but not in the long-term.”

Although the supermarkets claimed deliveries were getting through, Sainsbury’s staff said its depot in Haydock was forced to close early on Tuesday, with Hams Hall sending its deliveries instead. It was also forced to cancel 1% of home deliveries before Christmas. Ocado, meanwhile, cancelled 5% of deliveries this week.

M&S chairman Sir Stuart Rose said the retailer had lost “millions” after it was forced to close 56 stores.

Wholesalers have also struggled. Musgrave Retail Partners GB, which owns the Budgens and Londis fascias, said 11 of its store deliveries were returned to depots this week, while DBC Foodservice’s depot in Petersfield was snowed in on Wednesday. Up to 50 staff slept there overnight.

Growers admitted supplies were “getting tighter” as staff struggled to make it to work and land remained frozen, but said a long-term impact was unlikely.

“Generally it’s a crop harvesting situation,” said Phillip Effingham, chairman of the Brassica Growers Association. “It’s difficult to harvest with snow cover, and product that has been frozen doesn’t have as long a shelf life. Crops are not being lost, but the harvesting of them is being postponed.”

C-stores, on the other hand, were expected to benefit as people left their cars at home. But Nigel Mills, MD of c-store chain Mills Group, warned the benefits were negligible. “C-stores have a bigger share of elderly shoppers, and the elderly are not coming out because it’s not safe to walk,” he said.