Grocers Are Stocking For Christmas Break

Press, Volume C, Issue 29679, 24 November 1961, Page 17

Grocers Are Stocking For Christmas Break

(From Our Grocery Correspondent)

Merchants have been busy this week stocking up for Christmas and the holiday afterwards: stockpiling locally-made goods from factories that will be closed for the annual vacation.

Often after the holiday deliveries take a few days to catch up so grocers have to plan ahead to make sure they are not caught short. Tobacco and cigarettes, particularly the more popular brands, are sometimes in short supply after the holidays so there must be careful ordering to make sure there are no gaps on the shelves.

The New Zealand Sugar Company has asked distributors to make their orders big enough to carry across the holidays. The company points out the difficulties in booking shipping space.

Icing Sugar.—Recent euts in the price of sugar have brought about a reduction in the price of icing sugar. The 21b pack now retails lid cheaper at 2s B}d.

Dried Fruits.—Agents for Australian dried apricots, peaches, and pears are already calling for tentative orders for next year’s pack. There has been no information about crops, so no

prices can be forecast. Australian apricots are still the most popular on the New Zealand market. This is mainly because the price is more competitive than that for Californian apricots.

Cigarettes.—Christmas packs of cigarettes are now coming on the market. This year there is a smaller range to choose from and there are no very unusual packs. There are plastic caskets and round boxes, as well as cardboard sleeves, carrying several packs of 20 cigarettes. Ceylon Coconut.—Quotations for dessicated coconut from Ceylon have been finning recently. The increases add up to about 2s per cwt . -V"