Warburtons struggle to stock supermarkets as 160 HGV driver vacancies remain unfilled

Warburtons has said it is struggling to recruit the lorry drivers it needs to keep shops and supermarkets supplied with bakery products. The UK's biggest baking firm delivers to 18,500 sites across the UK, including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons and a large network of smaller, independent convenience stores. Warburtons has vacancies for around 160 HGV drivers that it cannot fill and has been having problems keeping its customers stocked since July.

The company, which makes two million bakery products every day, is worried that it won’t be able to cope with the surge in demand in the run-up to Christmas and has asked the government to accelerate driver testing and allow them to bring in drivers from abroad. On Friday, a spokesperson for the bakery company told ITV News: “The national driver shortage continues to place a strain on the Warburtons distribution network, but we are working incredibly hard to maintain a good level of service for customers nationwide”.

ITV News Business and Economics Editor Joel Hills says the HGV driver shortage affects the entire supply chain