SAINSBURY’S have put the brakes on their home deliveries in Edinburgh – because they don’t want to get stuck in traffic jams during the city’s Festival.
The supermarket giants claim summer-long road closures and diversions will spoil their “high standards” and result in a bad service, although rivals Asda and Tesco will drive on as normal.
The decision has left city some residents baffled, who claimed the areas Sainsbury’s are refusing to deliver to are not affected by the Festival or any annual knock-on congestion.
One Tory councillor even called on locals to ditch Sainsbury’s and shop elsewhere.
The firm’s home delivery service handles over 100,000 orders a week and is available to nearly 90 per-cent of UK households.
They reported today that they would not be delivering to homes in Murrayfield, Gorgie and Broomhouse between August 13 and September 5.
The area’s Conservative councillor Jeremy Balfour said the decision was “ludicrous”.
“Last resort”
He said: “It seems to be a very strange decision.
“The reasoning doesn’t hold water.
“I think the Festival could be being used as some sort of excuse.
“Obviously the elderly and disabled are going to miss out following the decision, and I wouldn’t blame them if they decided to take their custom elsewhere.
“I’d like Sainsbury’s to explain why they can deliver to some places, but not Murrayfield and surrounding areas.
“It’s ludicrous.”
A Sainsbury’s spokesman said: “Due to the huge volume of traffic and the disruption caused by road closures and diversions during the Festival we have reluctantly suspended home deliveries to customers in certain areas between August 13 and September 5.
“The widespread diversions mean we are not able to deliver to our customers with the high standards of service they have come to expect from us.
“The decision to cease deliveries really was a last resort.
“We would like to apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and deliveries will resume from 6 September.”
