Speaking after the grocer reported an increase in profits in its half-year results, Sainsbury’s chief executive Roberts said delays in international shipping times from Asia to the UK were responsible for the retailer delaying its annual Christmas toy promotion by a week. 

“On the general merchandise side, there are challenges there,” he said. “Specifically, I would call out clearly the delays in shipping times. Normally it takes 24 or 25 days shipping from Asia to the UK. We’ve seen that be north of 40 days. 

“We forward-brought a lot of container capacity, so we’re confident we will get everything through that we’ve planned for. But there are some challenges. Specifically, I would call out that we would normally run a toy promotion, which we have to delay this year.”