Painkillers and toilet roll snapped up at Morrisons in Brexit stockpile

Shoppers are snapping up painkillers and toilet roll in a sign of consumer stockpiling ahead of Brexit, supermarket Morrisons has revealed.

David Potts, chief executive of the retail giant, said the group had seen a spike in sales of the essential household items.

When asked if Morrisons shoppers had started stockpiling to prepare for possible no-deal Brexit chaos, Mr Potts said: “We’ve seen quite a tick up in painkillers and toilet rolls this financial year.

“Whether that’s got any bearing on how people are feeling 0 David Potts says his firm is stockpiling certain goods

about the Brexit process, I don’t know.”

Sales of these items have risen by high-single digits, the group said. Mr Potts said more generally the group had seen a “small amount of customers buy- ing in” ahead of 29 March. He said the supermarket was also stockpiling “cupboard fillers”.

The admission comes after a recent survey found one in ten shoppers claimed to have started stockpiling food to prepare for a no-deal Brexit.

The poll by industry share data firm Kantar Worldpanel also revealed a further 26 per cent reporting they are considering stocking up.

Mr Potts said Morrisons was preparing as best it could for any potential no-deal Brexit disruption, considering alternative routes into the country.

Morrisons has secured Authorised Economic Operator status to help speed up border checks.