VOW Wholesale are issuing an important update regarding factors impacting the supply of a limited number of products and the actions being taken to counteract the supply delays currently being experienced.
The challenges surrounding import of products into the UK have been well documented in recent weeks and are primarily being driven by two factors.
Firstly, the unexpected partial or full closure of overseas manufacturing facilities as a result of localised Covid outbreaks and lockdown measures. As many countries face the brunt of a third wave of Covid infections, we have seen delays first to raw material production times and then to end-product manufacturing schedules. A relevant example at present is in Malaysia, where production facilities are now closed to accommodate the latest local lockdown regulations.
Secondly, there are currently significant delays to freight arriving into the UK from Asia. These are a continuation of the delays experienced earlier in the year, though now exacerbated by the Suez Canal blockage and subsequent lack of freight and container space availability.
The current delays are limited to a very small list of common stationery items, which equate to less than 1% of the product lines that VOW hold in stock. However, in order to improve customer experience, VOW have taken steps to automatically swap certain out of stocks with an available product of equal or superior quality. This action is being taken to support the smooth running of dealer’s businesses and to provide continuity of supply as smoothly and as quickly as possible.
The actions taken by VOW will not affect the invoice price for goods purchased from dealers, as VOW have chosen to subsidise the increased cost of all the product substitutions in order to improve and protect the procurement experience for its customers.
For more information on how your orders may be affected and what steps we are taking, please contact your VOW Wholesale account contact.