Off-licences have warned that they are not able to replace supermarkets in the long term, as residents turn to local corner shops to find essential household goods.
Supermarkets across the borough have experienced widespread shortages of products including pasta, soap and toilet paper, leading many to switch their shopping to off licences.
“We are small structures, so we can’t propose a large offer as supermarkets do,” said the owner of Jubilee General Store on Goswell road.
The store has seen a 150 per cent increase in customers since the beginning of the month, as people stockpiled goods in case of a lockdown.
However, off-licence shops are also running out of supplies. “There is no stock available anymore. We won’t be able to hold on much longer,” says Mohamed, a shopkeeper at Lebara-Retail 24 on the other side of Goswell road.
At this stage, both shops are hoping that the government will announce a lockdown in the coming days.
“A lockdown would help us to refill our shelves, since less people will come to the shop,” says the owner of Jubilee General Store.
Some claim that small stores are also a reliable alternative to supermarkets.
“It’s the only place where I could find toilet paper,” said Jane, a customer heading out of Lodos on Old Street.
Sainsbury’s and Asda have recently introduced limits on how many goods each customer can purchase in an effort to get supplies back onto shelves.
