US retailers prepare for rush on generator sales
Blackout prompts consumers to stock up
August 15 2003
US DIY giants Home Depot and Lowe’s are preparing for a big increase in sales of home generators following the world’s biggest blackout.
More than 50m people were affected by the power cuts which bough a large area of the Northeastern US and Canada to a halt.
Cities including New York and Detriot were without power. The blackout has highlighted the fragility of the North American power grid, and US retailers are expecting many customers to buy home generators to be ready if more power cuts come.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Lowe’s was moving truckloads of generators, flashlights and batteries from a south eastern distribution centre to stores in Ohio and Michigan. The company was ready to change routes to take the supplies to the areas worst affected.
Home Depot is also restocking its stores in the Northeast, with generators, flashlights and batteries.
Although many US retailers closed stores in areas affetded, a spokesman for the National Retail Federation told the Washington post that the affects of the blackout will not be as damaging to businesses as the snowstorms that disrupted commerce in the Northeast over the winter.
However, there were reports of stores being looted in some cities, including Ottawa in Canada, during the blackout.
