Cork supermarket chain owner considers shorter opening hours as staffing levels severely hit by Covid

A supermarket chain is considering shortening its opening hours in Cork due to extreme staff shortages, caused by Covid-19.

The SuperValu group which is owned by Liam Ryan had 102 employees absent from their duties, due to illness or isolation, on Tuesday.

The Ryan SuperValu Group operates four SuperValu stores with three in Cork, Togher, Glanmire, Grange with another in Kilmallock. Limerick.

Speaking to The Echo, Mr Ryan said he cannot get enough staff to run his stores and is having to make tough decisions in terms of opening hours and services provided.

“The next three weeks are going to be a huge challenge,” Mr Ryan said.

“If the Government doesn’t change the isolation period, we are in big trouble.”

The supermarket director said the next week would present serious challenges and he was having an internal management meeting on Wednesday to discuss the next steps to take as a chain.

He said employees who are students have been taking on extra hours to help ease the staffing crisis but he knows this is not a solution that is sustainable with colleges set to reopen as planned despite rising case numbers.

“The students, fair play to them, are picking up the slack. They have been doing a lot of hours, but if they go back to college in two weeks, we could be in big trouble.”

Mr Ryan said they were taking the situation day by day.