By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Super Value’s stores were “bombed out” last week by shoppers stocking up on last-minute storm supplies, its owner telling Tribune Business that it brought weekend orders forward to cope with Hurricane Sandy’s demands.

Rupert Roberts, who is also Super Value’s president, told Tribune Business that the supermarket chain’s $7 million worth of inventory, coupled with the product orders pulled forward, had enabled it to succcessfully ride out both the storm and weekend demands.

Acknowledging that there had been some “panic shopping” as Sandy became worse than initially forecast, Mr Roberts said past experience had shown it was “a miracle” for any food retail business to stock enough bread and water pre-storm.

Speaking to Tribune Business from Florida, where he had been on business prior to Sandy’s arrival, Mr Roberts said: “I understand that all morning [on Thursday] we bombed out, and if the stores hadn’t closed by midday we were trying to get them closed and trying to get the customers out.

“I’m sure it was bad enough with 75 mile per hour breeze and a lot of rain. There was panic shopping. The timeframe, the window of opportunity once we realised what was happening on Wednesday and Thursday, there was not enough time for people to shop.

“We were trying to get everybody out by noon on Thursday. We had to serve the public as long as we could, and consider that the staff had to get home to their families. That’s a fine line to walk - to accommodate the public and your staff.”

Given the normal pre-hurricane demand for staples, such as bread and water, it was impossible for Bahamas-based wholesalers and distributors to keep food stores supplied fast enough.

“We have had it every hurricane,” Mr Roberts explained. “If you have enough bread and water it’s a miracle.

“But we probably carry $7 million in inventory, and once we knew what the needs were going to be we pulled some of the orders up and brought them in early. We brought in the weekend orders early, and that gave us enough.”

The Super Value owner said the orders brought forward were mainly perishable products. “From the warehouse we can supply the stores night and day; we don’t have to worry about that,” Mr Roberts added.

“It’s the foreign orders that are difficult to do. We have three-four days lead time, but I don’t see any problem with supplies.”

Gavin Watchorn, chief executive of BISX-listed AML Foods, the Solomon’s SuperCentre and Cost Right operator, said of pre-Sandy sales: “We were definitely busier; there’s no doubt about that. There was definitely more traffic in our stores.”

He, too, dismissed any concerns about post-Sandy inventory shortages. “I’m sure that local wholesalers have product on hand,” Mr Watchorn said. “We’re only a day or two from Miami, so we’re not worried about that.”

As at April 30, 2012, AML Foods had $12.992 million worth of inventories on its balance sheet, and Mr Watchorn said: “System-wide we have about $14 million worth of product.

“To be honest we would have to be cut off for quite a period of time from Florida before we have serious stock shortages.”