MADRID – The shortage of products has reached the market of game consoles and toys in Spain. The sector warns of a shortage on the eve of the Christmas season, while the pending strike in the transport sector poses another threat.
Products are either not available or have a much longer delivery time than is normally the case. However, Spain is not the only country experiencing the crisis of lack of stocks and shortages of many different products. A situation that is especially dire with Christmas just around the corner. December is the month that many shops have to make the most of. Especially after almost two years of the corona pandemic, many companies had hoped to make up for a little loss of turnover with the gift sales for Christmas and Epiphany.
According to Antena3 Noticias, one of the sectors most plagued by this lack of supplies is toys and video games consoles. Most of the documents, in this case, come from abroad. Furthermore, several brands are no longer available in Spanish stores.
Strike transport sector
Another problem looming is the Spanish truck drivers’ strike that is still ongoing. Initially, the intention is to go on strike between 20 and 22 December. The latest consultations between the unions (including CNTC) and the Ministry of Transport government came to nothing. Therefore, the sector is now threatening indefinite strikes if the government continues to refuse to accommodate them.
The industry is in a very delicate situation due to a petrol price boom that is pushing margins and threatening many companies because of the difficulties in passing on the increase to customers. That is why they are asking for measures to absorb this impact, although they know that the margin is very narrow.
Faced with this situation, the sector is demanding that other problems be addressed to compensate for this. For example, long waiting times for loading and unloading, more facilities to renew fleets, and the non-application of the Eurovignette. This is a toll system introduced in other European countries that taxes road transport.
If the most conflicting points are not addressed in the coming weeks, there is a risk that the strike will break the supply chain before Christmas. This is due to the supply problems that are already causing a lot of inconvenience to the population.
Ministry continues to negotiate
Transport Secretary María José Rallo says she will continue to negotiate to avoid the strike on dates with high logistics demand. “We are confident there is room for negotiation and we have transferred our maximum availability to allow for a recall.”
