Grocers are struggling to keep up with demand

Across the country, lines to get into stores snaked around corners, checkout times stretched as long as an hour and whole aisles were rendered bare this week as companies told more workers to stay home and schools began to cancel classes, Jaewon Kang and Annie Gasparro write in the WSJ.

“We don’t know how to anticipate for that,” said Susan Morris, COO at Albertsons Cos. “You get to a point in time where products are simply not available.”

On Friday, Target (NYSE:TGT) paused next-day delivery of online orders amid high demand, while some supermarkets run by Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize (OTCQX:ADRNY), owner of the Stop & Shop and Food Lion chains, were running low on bottled water, cheese and other items.

Steven Spinner, CEO of distributor United Natural Foods (NYSE:UNFI), further said during an earnings call this week that it has been challenging to meet the rise in demand over the past two weeks.

“We have plants running at near capacity,” added John Church, chief supply chain officer at General Mills (NYSE:GIS).

Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG) is devoting more of its factory lines to top-selling items, while Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB) is lining up multiple suppliers for important ingredients.

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