In a letter written to all suppliers and signed by chief executive Giles Hurley, Aldi said that “demand in certain categories remains very high” and added it is “currently limiting customers to four items of each SKU per visit”.

The letter, which was dated March 16, said that Hurley had also written to customers to “reassure them that Aldi has good availability of products, but that we face challenges in restocking shelves quickly due to such high levels of demand”.

Aldi also followed the lead of a number of other supermarket chains, calling on customers to “consider those who are vulnerable at this time” and reminding them that “not everyone has the financial or practical resources to buy in bulk” at the minute.