Woolies has grip on Christmas stock

WOOLWORTHS chief executive Brad Banducci says he is “relatively comfortable” with the ability for the supermarket giant to have enough stock on the shelves for Christmas, despite restrictions on its operations in Victoria caused by coronavirus lockdowns.

Previously Woolworths, as well as other supermarkets, warned there could be some food shortages because of the workplace restrictions placed on their distribution centres and warehouses that limited the number of workers on site and threatened a bottleneck in supply chains.

Speaking on ABC Radio on Friday, Mr Banducci (pictured) said the recent easing of those workplace restrictions should help beef up the supply chain and ensure enough stock was available at Christmas where consumer demand is expected to be highly elevated. “Look, it has been a very productive couple of months working with industry and the Victorian government to ensure we can get the product right for Christmas and so that side of things from where we stand at the moment we feel very, relatively comfortable.”

Mr Banducci also confirmed Woolworths would not take advantage of the wage subsidy being offered to employers taking on younger workers under the JobMaker program, saying that Woolworths supported the spirit of the program but that it “would look inappropriate, opportunistic” if Woolworths chose to participate. Woolworths is planning to hire 15,000 team members to help with the Christmas rush, he said.