Etailers and disties shrug off UK petrol ‘crisis’

Excepting some small delays for Amazon, Etailers and distributors have shrugged off the UK’s fuel shortage threats, claiming it’s business as usual.

Avnet has said it’s “well equipped” to deal with any fuel shortages if it arises, while Yodel has called the threat “loads of panic buying.”

Motorists have been queueing at petrol stations to fill up their tanks after Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude advised people to stockpile on fuel following a the possibility of a strike by Unite. Unite has now called off any strike action for the Easter period.

This has led to fuel shortages, which could have a knock on the business and distribution sectors.

However, many Etailers and distributors are nonplussed, claiming it’s business as usual.

John Toal, vice president and country manager, Avnet Technology Solutions UK & Ireland, told ChannelBiz UK: “Avnet Technology Solutions’ priority is to provide our business partners with a continued level of service.

” We are in regular dialogue with our delivery agents who are continuously reviewing the position and should the need arise, are well equipped to cope with any short term strike action.

“In the event that employees are unable to get to the office we also have contingencies in place to ensure our response times to partners are unaffected.”
Argos also claimed it wouldn’t have any problems as it had its own fleet of vehicles and its own fuel.

Play.com, Zavvi and Yodel also promised their customers that there would be no delays with none of these companies been told of any issues.
Yodel also told Channelbiz UK: “We’ve not been made aware of any problems. Everything is working fine. It’s just a load of panic buying at the moment.”

Amazon, however, said it wasn’t just a challenge for the company and is a national issue. “As a result,” Amazon said, “We’ve had to combine our carriers and put two vans into one. If your delivery is affected then you can expect to see delays of 12 to 24 hours.”