Staff shortage leads to backlog of orders for online DIY firm

Online
home improvement business Screwfix.com has had to refuse customer orders
because of a shortage of warehouse staff.

A
backlog of orders has become unmanageable after the firm opened a new warehouse
in Stoke-on-Trent, reports BBC
News Online.

The
firm, a specialist division of DIY chain B&Q, will not be taking any new
orders until the backlog is cleared, which is expected to be some time next
week.

The
problems follow the closure of Screwfix’s previous
Yeovil warehouse this summer, with the loss of 520 jobs.

When
it opened its Stoke warehouse in June, Screwfix said
a single centre for fulfilling and dispatching orders would help it cope with a
"rapid growth in business".

However,
it has struggled to recruit the 550 staff it needs in its new location, despite
advertising the vacancies.

The
problem could last for up to a week, the company told the BBC.

By Daniel Thomas

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