Supermarkets in southeast Queensland and northeast NSW will close early as Cyclone Alfred bears down on millions of residents.
Coles, Woolworths and Aldi all said they are closing stores in affected areas early on Friday and would reassess opening hours depending on conditions throughout the weekend.
Queensland premier David Crisafulli says the government has been working with the supermarket giants to ensure they could ‘stay open as long as possible’ but that outlets are beginning to close ‘on a case by case basis’ in affected regions.
ALDI said it would ‘continue to assess the situation as it unfolds and will keep our stores open for as long as possible, while ensuring that our people and customers are safe’.
Aldi stores on the Sunshine Coast will close at 2pm Friday, as will some Aldi stores in low-lying areas in Brisbane, including at Indooroopilly, Lutwyche and Sandgate.
On the Gold Coast some stores will also close early at 2pm including Hope Island and Helensvale while other stores will remain open until 8pm.
Woolworths will shut its stores across Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast from 3pm on Friday.
Coles shut its stores on the Gold Coast on Friday morning as well as at eight key locations across northern NSW, including Tweed City, Lismore, Ballina and Murwillumbah.
Woolworths will shut its stores in Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast from 3pm Friday (pictured: a Gold Coast Woolworths cleared out of fruit on Wednesday)
Cyclone Alfred is expected to make landfall on Saturday morning and supermarkets said they would assess opening hours based on conditions
More stores are scheduled to shut throughout the afternoon, with Coles’ Brisbane supermarkets all set to close between 2pm and 4pm and its Sunshine Coast and Grafton outlets at 4pm.
The Coles stores at Alstonville, Banora Point, Casuarina, the Gold Coast, Lismore, Murwillumbah, Ocean Shores, Tweed City and Tweed Heads have already closed.
‘As Cyclone Alfred gets closer, we have made the decision to begin closing our stores in highly impacted areas,’ a Coles spokesperson said.
‘This will ensure our team have time to get home while it is still safe
‘We will keep a close eye on the impacts from Cyclone Alfred, and make a decision on reopening our stores as soon as it is safe to do so.’
The chains have done their best to keep shelves stocked with essentials in the lead up to the cyclone despite widespread panic buying that has sent residents driving hours inland to snap up supplies.
Premier Crisafulli says 1,049 schools have also been shut, along with 2,081 childcare centres, while all public transport from Noosa to northern NSW will be suspended from tomorrow.
A video shared on Wednesday night showed dozens of eager customers storming an Aldi store in Brisbane to get last-minute supplies.
As soon as the rollerdoor opened, customers sprinted in to get much-needed goods, knowing they may have to go 48 hours before shops open again.
Desperate shoppers wait for an Aldi store to open in Brisbane to get last minute supplies earlier this week
Bunnings will continue to operate, allowing people to stock up on items to protect their homes from wind and rain damage.
However, a spokesperson said some stores may need to close temporarily if it became unsafe to operate, with updates posted to the company’s website.
Bottle shops like Liquorland, Vintage Cellars, Dan Murphy’s and BWS are open in southeast Queensland including Brisbane, but Dan Murphy’s and BWS stores are closed on the Gold Coast.
Chemists will continue to be open while it is safe.
Residents have been told to fill their fuel tanks immediately, with service stations to close from Thursday afternoon.
The Australasian Convenience and Petroleum Marketers Association said fuel deliveries to service stations would stop from 4pm on Thursday until the cyclone eases.
