The reduced service provided by Nisaway’s new warehouse in Scunthorpe is expected to continue well into December.

A new allocation system has been introduced to restrict the number of cases that can be ordered, but availability problems meant that most retailers received only 85-90% of goods last week. Nisa-Today’s group commercial director Neil Turton told C-Store that disruption in the warehouse had led to a discrepancy between actual stock and what was recorded on the depot’s computer system.

A complete stock check has now been completed, and Turton maintained that allocations would gradually increase and availability would improve, although it may be some time before the three-day delivery cycle was restored. He said: “We have learned we need to do things slowly but surely. It has been a difficult time, but we think that within two weeks we will be able to supply the natural level of demand at a high service level.”

However, the ongoing difficulties have angered retailers. One told C-Store: “We keep on being told that things are improving, but they are not.” Another said: “This whole thing has damaged my trade.”