Supermarkets look to claim for losses

The Commodore Goodwill, pictured, – which had been shouldering the burden of freight supplies to both Guernsey and Jersey – failed to dock until late Saturday, preventing stocks reaching supermarkets in time.

Frustrated managers have now said they want to recoup their losses.

Co-op chief operating officer Mark Cox said because it pushed stock into the smaller, Locale stores – which can open on Sundays – the impact was not as severe as it might have been. However, selling the remainder at discounted rates once its larger stores had reopened on Monday did cost the company.

'We will look to speak to Condor in the first instance about the knock-on effect to our business. We have been understanding in the past when it has been weather related, but these are exceptional circumstances.'

Condor Ferries freight director Steve Champion-Smith said the company had managed to meet most orders and prioritised food. The Clipper stand-in ship would bring deliveries back to normal, he added.

Tony Creasey, the managing director of Creasey's, which is responsible for the Marks and Spencer franchise, explained that the company had been unable to sell a lot of products at the weekend

'There were no deliveries to the island, which rather caught us by surprise and things were difficult. It was all the usual fresh-food goods, the sandwiches and chilled range, which we did not get. We thought we would have to throw a lot away, but it has not been as bad as we had thought, we have salvaged a lot, reduced a lot – it might have been worse. We will have the whole thing assessed for an insurance claim.'