Many industry suppliers are reported to be seeing increased demand for products during the coronavirus lockdown, including Zoro, the Grainger-owned online retailer.
Zoro supplies businesses across all industries with the tools and equipment, including over 310,000 products.
The firm said it was working at full capacity to fulfill orders and customers are being advised to expect a slightly longer delivery time due to the unprecedented demand with more than double the demand for some product categories.
The buying team is focused on finding replacements for out of stock items and working with suppliers to identify new products, such as signs for social distancing.
Zoro MD Marcus Nelson said: “We are monitoring the situation daily, listening to government advice. The safety of our workforce is of paramount importance and I’m extremely proud of their dedication and hard work every day during this difficult time.
“I want to reassure our customers that we are doing everything we can to keep the stock that is in high demand coming into our warehouse, then getting it out of the door as quickly as possible.”
Zoro Marketing Director Chris Matenaers added: “Compared to the same period last year, we have seen demand across some products more than double. Our office staff are working from home and staff in our warehouse are using appropriate PPE with strict social distancing rules in operation. Our teams are working longer than usual hours to get the much-needed supplies out of the door, to keep UK industry workforces safe.”
“Delivery times are a little longer than usual as the pandemic takes its toll on both supply chain and demand on courier companies. We appreciate the patience of our customers while we work to get products out of the door.”
Last year, Zoro introduced an automatic replenishment service while over the course of the year it saw a 75% increase in revenue.
