The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a backlog at ports around the world, with importers and exporters having to deal with congested shipping.
Dunedin’s Maher Shoes has been no stranger to the impacts of freight delays, with its owner, Glen Maher, saying they had ‘‘hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stock sitting in containers on wharves’’ waiting for ships.
Mr Maher started the shoe brand 14 years ago with a pop-up shop in Christchurch. It now had seven stores throughout the country, including one in Dunedin’s Wall Street mall.
The brand’s summer range was due to arrive at the start of October, with some arriving last week and the rest probably not arriving for another two weeks.
No time of the year was ideal to be held up by freight delays, but just before the Christmas shopping rush was the worst time, Mr Maher said
‘‘We’ve got customers gagging to give us their money, we just can’t give them our product.’’
Although the delay was only a month, it was very costly for the business — ‘‘it is pretty hard, it is quite a lot.’’
After the first lockdown last year, there was much uncertainty, but Maher Shoes opened to record trading.
In the past 12 months two new stores were opened, with one at Auckland’s Sylvia Park Shopping Centre and another in Palmerston North, .
The bounce back from the most recent lockdown had not be as strong, with trading still quieter across most of its stores as people did not want to return to town with restrictions.
The Auckland stores had also been closed.
Despite tough conditions, Mr Maher believed the key was being positive.
‘‘We just have to get up every morning and move and shack our way through,’’ he said.
Dunedin retailer Void Clothing, which also sells shoes, was having problems getting its Birkenstock shoes into the country because of the freight delays.
The store’s owner, Neil Gaudin, thought the delay was because the shoes were coming on a ship.
The rest of the store’s stock, which predominantly came by air freight, was not affected, he said.
