UAE supermarkets declared it was business as usual on Monday as shelves were restocked due to the robust supply chains in place across the country.
Queues built up at shops on Saturday evening, after an afternoon barrage of Iranian missiles and drones intercepted by UAE defences prompted many customers to stock up on essentials.
Higher demand for everyday goods continued into Sunday, but it was panic buying rather than a limit on goods that emptied shelves at many of the nation's big-brand retailers.
chief executive, Choithrams
Food security has become a key tenet of government planning across the region since the 1990 Gulf War.
With homegrown production of fresh commodities limited due to the harsh desert climate, the Gulf has become reliant on imported goods.
Global instability and supply-chain disruption exposes those vulnerabilities, but thanks to painstaking planning and preparation, the UAE has proved hugely resilient in its ability to feed a nation and keep businesses moving.
Choithrams chief executive Mark Mortimer-Davies manages stores in the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar – as well as an Oman distribution centre.
While the unprecedented attacks on the UAE triggered a brief period of turmoil, normality has already returned to supermarket operations, he said.
Pro-active steps
“We import from all over the world, so we're giving ourselves options – if one route closes, we have others,” Mr Mortimer-Davies told The National.
“We have been on the phone to our suppliers looking at different ports they could use, or coming across land borders. That work now goes into action to try to make everything as smooth as possible.
“Some of the premium daily air freighted lines will perhaps have out-of-stock issues, but nothing that is in the majority of people's daily needs. They're all very secure.”
Supermarkets rely on port entry at Jebel Ali, Ras Al Khaimah and Kizad near Abu Dhabi for imports that are shipped, while items are also flown into the UAE’s international airports.
The unpredictable nature of the current hostilities was the biggest cause of stocks seemingly running low. “When you see these pictures of certain shelves being empty, it is due to the supply-chain issue, rather than availability,” Mr Mortimer-Davies said.
“There was a slightly unusual pull over the weekend. It's not that we don't have stock, we just don't have it at that location because there is an abnormal rush when people do go out and overbuy. Panic buying is damaging. Every supermarket chain in the world relies on predictive sales.”
The Ministry of Economy and Tourism called for calm on Saturday, and said all major retailers had confirmed the stability of their supply operations.
Authorities confirmed strict price-control systems were in place, to prevent retailers overcharging their customers for goods in high demand.
'No need to stock up'
At Spinneys, customers were encouraged to buy only what they required, and refrain from stockpiling that can lead to temporary shortages.
“We have seen people with some very full trolleys over the past few days,” said Tom Harvey, general manager of commercial operations at Spinneys.
“When I was out in stores yesterday morning we had some issues in terms of lack of availability on the shelves. We will get those shelves refilled very quickly, so we are very much urging people there is no need to stock up.”
There were no signs of limited availability of any products in the Choithrams Dubai Investments Park store on Monday. Despite a run on bottled water, canned food and toilet roll at the weekend, shelves were full and the premises was relatively quiet.
Olga Goriunova, from Russia, was shopping for her husband and two children aged nine and 11.
“We spent the whole weekend out in Ras Al Khaimah, so I just today returned home and needed to buy fruit, vegetables and some meat,” she said. “I have enough food at home for two weeks, so I don't feel I need additional stock. Because kids are schooling online now and my husband is working from home, I need to cook more than usual.”
Anna Cruz, 27, from Spain, arrived in the UAE a few weeks ago and is looking to return to Europe at the first opportunity.
“We thought we would stay here for three or four months and then leave to Spain, but after what has happened we want to return as soon as possible,” she said, referring to the turmoil in the Gulf and wider region.
“We all love Dubai and we feel very comfortable here. There is so much security, so we will be back. But it has been worrying for our families. There are five of us living together, so we are buying only what we need.”
