THE UK high street could be hit with shortages of stock due to deadly coronavirus, retail experts are warning.
Stores including Asos, B&M and Primark rely heavily on supply from China, where large numbers of factories have been shut down amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
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Meanwhile, Jaguar Land Rover has started flying parts out of China in suitcases, the BBC reports, as digger manufacturer JCB has confirmed a cut in production due to a shortage of components.
On its website, B&M confirms the “vast majority of products” which are imported into the UK are sourced from China.
Just under a third of Asos’ factories are based in China, accommodating 24,864 workers, while half of Primark’s textile plants, totalling 525 factories, are in China.
Halfords also imports “most of its products” from Asia, according to This is Money.
What is coronavirus?
CORONAVIRUSES are a large family of viruses that can cause infections ranging from the common cold to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars).
The virus attacks the respiratory system, causing pneumonia-like lung lesions.
Symptoms are similar to a common cold.
They include:
- Runny nose
- Headache
- Cough
- Fever
- Shortness of breath
- Chills
- Body aches
In most cases, you won’t know whether you have a coronavirus or a different cold-causing virus, such as rhinovirus.
But if a coronavirus infection spreads to the lower respiratory tract, it can cause pneumonia – especially in older people, people with heart disease or those with weakened immune systems.
There is currently no vaccine for coronavirus.
It’s not clear exactly how many Chinese factories have temporarily closed due to the outbreak, or how many have since reopened.
Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, told The Sun: “Retailers are carefully monitoring the impact of coronavirus on their supply chains.
“The industry is adept at coping with disruption and is taking action, including securing alternative suppliers in order to avoid impact for their customers.”
Halfords told us it is “monitoring the Coronavirus situation carefully”.
A spokesperson said: “To date, the virus has not had a material impact on stock availability but we are continuing to work closely with our partners across the Far East.”
We’ve contacted Asos, B&M and Primark to see if they’re expecting any impact on their supplies and we’ll update this article when we know more.
No stock is in short supply at the moment from any of these retailers, and it’s believed they have contingency plans in stop their supply chain being affected.
It comes after Apple warned it’s expecting a sales hit after its supply chain, which predominately comes out of China, was affected by coronavirus.
In an investor update, Apple said: “Work is starting to resume around the country, but we are experiencing a slower return to normal conditions than we had anticipated.”
So far, around 2,129 people have died from coronavirus, while 75,000 cases have been confirmed in 31 different countries around the world.
In England, a total of nine people have tested positive for the virus.
The NHS confirmed on Thursday that all but one of them have been discharged from hospital.
