Shelves fully stocked for Christmas rush

Some of the country’s biggest retailers have stocked up on products to avoid supply chain issues this silly season.

Supply chain issues have plagued retailers every Christmas since the Covid-19 pandemic caused significant delays for importers.

But Briscoe Group managing director Rod Duke said its Briscoes and Rebel Sport chains had arranged for more stock than usual in the months leading up to Christmas.

‘‘We pre-empted a lot of this and bought in a lot of stock rather early,’’ he said. ‘‘Inventory at both Briscoes and Rebel Sport are strong. All the seasonal products such as outdoor furniture is in Briscoes and selling well.’’

Rebel Sport’s global brands such as Nike and adidas were ‘‘well stocked’’ and summer categories, such as tennis, cricket and water sports equipment, were also well stocked.

Two years ago Briscoe Group started building its inventory to be larger than needed to avoid the constant extended shipping times and delays that were causing havoc in the retail industry.

For the first Christmas following Covid19 lockdowns, Covid restrictions and border closures reduced the number of ships and aircraft carrying cargo into New Zealand, and many consumers opted to buy local.

And last year toys were in short supply because of container ship congestion.

A spokesperson for The Warehouse said it also had plenty of stock available in stores across all of its brands, but still encouraged shoppers to get in early.

A Countdown spokesperson said the supermarket had been working with its farmers, growers and producers for months to get ready for the holiday season. ‘‘We’re not expecting any major disruptions.’’

The recent weather had caused some challenges for growers, which meant the start of the stonefruit season may be a little delayed, but once the Central Otago fruit ripened it was expected supply would be available in time for Christmas.

‘‘We’re also expecting that cherries may be a little later than usual due to the weather, but it’s looking like we will still be in full supply by Christmas,’’ she said.

In furniture retail, Big Save managing director Tim McKimm said that leading up to its biggest trading period of the year, starting with Black Friday and ending on Boxing Day, it had received the most stock in its history.

‘‘Supply chain planning differs for every country. New Zealand is particularly tricky being so far from large manufacturing markets,’’ McKimm said.

That could be offset with planning and monitoring customer trends, he said.

But some furniture buyers looking to get a deal on Black Friday could also be waiting up to five months for their purchases to be delivered. Freedom Furniture and Farmers said they were dealing with supply chain issues.