Nelson businesses appear to have weathered the storm that saw supply chain issues and hoarding of goods following floods, slides, and highway closures in the Lower Mainland, according to the manager of the chamber of commerce.
“We had some constraints for the first couple of days when the floods were impacting traffic, but we are fortunate to be in an area where we have other access from Alberta and other parts of the province,” Tom Thomson says.
“There were some supply chain issues but nothing really significant. If you look at stores now, there are still some issues with large transport trucks trying to bring product from the Lower Mainland. Things are probably backed up a little bit. There are some issues, but not nearly as bad as we expected and not as bad as the first few days.”
Thomson chalked that up to roads reopening and Nelson’s location. But he added that some issues might persist for a while yet.
“If things get backed up too much and cargo containers haven’t been unloaded and the Port of Vancouver is having some problems, I think there’s going to be some supply chain issues. Maybe not affecting every store, but I’m sure there are going to be some challenges even with the highways reopened.”
Thomson says hardest hit were the produce sections of grocery stores as well as building supply stores whose products are special ordered. He says even prior to the flooding, some retailers were concerned about their supply chains and ordering in advance to ensure they had product for the tail end of the year.
Thomson says the hoarding of goods seen in the first few days following the road closures has calmed down for the most part, and wasn’t as severe as anticipated.
“I’m happy things are back on track. The last couple of weeks of November and all of December are key times for small retail businesses.”