Toy shops warn buy now for Christmas amid supply problems
Toy retailers are warning of Christmas shortages and higher prices as the boss representing UK ports played down concerns about supply chains, saying there is "no need to panic".
Asked about suggestions that people should be buying their Christmas presents now to avoid disappointment, UK Major ports group chief executive Tim Morris said :" Our view would be that there' s no need to panic. the global supply chains are very busy, but they're pretty robust.
"There'll be short term some fluctuations, but retailers, their suppliers, all the logistics companiesthat work in between the manufacturing and the sales side will be working really, really hard to keep supplies moving.
"We managed it successfully last Christmas and we're confident that it will happen again this Christmas, and that's what I've told my kids."
But Robert Gliddon, owner of Gliddons Toy Shop in Sid mouth, Devon, urged consumers to" buy now" to avoid christmas disappointment amid fears that ongoing supply chain problems will result in higher prices and empty shelves.
He said :" it' s not just short ages - you've got to face the reality of price rises, anything from 10 per cent to 15 per cent on anything from across the seas."
He advised consumers :" if you see it, buy it, and be prepared to pay more before Christmas."
Mr Gliddon said his shop is currently well stocked as a result of heavy ordering over the past two months in anticipation of supply issues in the run up to christmas, when demand is heaviest.
A spokesman for the British Toy & Hobby Association said: "There are plenty of toys to choose from presently but, in common with other sectors' advice, buying early - especially if buying for a Christmas or a birthday present - is prudent."
The boss of the UK'S biggest poultry firm has warned that prices will jump by more than 10 per cent as he said the days of a £3 chicken are "coming to an end".
Ranjit Boparan, founder of 2 Sisters Food Group, said British shoppers are facing a "great food reset" on the back of soaring inflation across the sector, hitting costs including wages, energy and CO2.
Mr Boparan, who is widely known as the chicken king, said the industry needs customers to recognise "transparent, honest pricing".