Consumer choice: As shoppers face empty shelves in the UK, could Ireland follow suit?

A customer looks at empty shelves in a Marks & Spencer food store in Paris on Friday. The British chain announced on September 16 the upcoming closure of 11 stores in France following supply problems linked to the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union. Picture: Chesnot/Getty Images

A perfect storm has hit British retail, resulting in empty shelves, lengthy waiting times and grim warnings from some of the industry’s heavy hitters.

Marks & Spencer last week joined the growing list of retailers to announce it has been forced to shut stores and scale back plans after struggling to keep the shelves filled with fresh food after Brexit.