Iceland cancels 250 store deliveries each week due to driver shortage

Iceland has said it is cancelling 250 store deliveries each week as a result of the lorry driver shortage across the UK.

The frozen food retailer remains short of 100 HGV drivers as it heads into the busy festive season.

Iceland managing director Richard Walker first announced that the business was being forced to cancel 250 deliveries a week in September, when he warned of possible food shortages.

READ MORE: Iceland will give away free food to shoppers to cut food waste

Since then, Iceland has faced an early surge in Christmas demand – revealing frozen turkey sales were up 409 per cent year on year early in October.

The weekly cancellations are on top of a 15 per cent cutback to the usual schedule of store deliveries.

“Yes, we’re facing challenges in fresh and chilled but our teams are working round the clock to get stock into stores. Availability is good,” Walker said.

Iceland’s logistics partner GXO has temporarily increased the basic annual salary from £36,000 to over £41,000 to hire more drivers at its Swindon depot.

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