Tesco rations all product lines amid coronavirus crisis

The supermarket giant said the measures would come into force from tomorrow in a bid to “ensure more people have access to everyday essentials”.

Tesco said it is also closing all its deli, meat and fish counters, as well as its salad bars, to avoid waste and free up more staff to stock shelves.

Following similar moves from grocery rivals including Iceland and Sainsbury’s, Tesco has set aside the first hour of trading – 9am to 10am – on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for older and vulnerable shoppers.

It has also asked customers who shop online or use click and collect to prioritise shopping in-store if possible to free up more home delivery slots for older and vulnerable people.

The moves come hours after Tesco revealed that its 24-hour Extra stores would close at 10pm to allow staff more time to clean stores and replenish stock.

In a letter to customers, Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis said: “It is fair to say that we find ourselves in unchartered waters. Covid-19 is bringing a change to the UK and it’s clear that lots of things are going to have to shift around in order to help us cope.

“At Tesco, we have been doing everything we can to keep business as usual, but we now have to accept it is not business as usual. In the last two weeks, we have seen significant and prolonged increases in demand across all of our stores and this is leading to shortages in some products for some customers.

“Reacting to the latest government announcements, we have to plan on this situation being the new normal and we will do all that we can to make the food you want available, but we need your help.

“So, if you can help us by limiting the demand of essential items and allowing us to focus on the core needs of our customers, we are confident that we can continue to feed the nation.

“We are delivering food daily to our stores, but this is a very challenging time and we will only get through this if we work together.”