Progressive Distributors Ltd. Would like to take this opportunity to update our community and customers on the supply chain status from our perspective.

Firstly, we would like to frame the context of the supply challenges PDL is currently facing on our beloved Cayman Islands, as we supply our customers in many different types of products across all three islands. These products range in broad categories such as Fresh Produce, Fresh and Frozen Seafood, Beef, Frozen Poultry, Pharmaceuticals, Grocery, Institutional chemicals and equipment and non-food related items such as health and beauty care items and tourist related items.  As you can see, this is a wide range of products that sum up to thousands of items that we currently stock locally.

The current Coronavirus Pandemic potentially reaching Cayman has an immediate effect on approximately 30 individual PDL stocked items out of several thousand items that we stock here on island. This represents less than 1% of our item portfolio. In other words, the challenges we are currently facing is strictly related to hand sanitizer, bleach and antibacterial related items and paper products such as toilet paper which are the hardest hit as a result of local and global panic buying.. These products combined represent less than 1% of PDL stock holdings and most importantly has zero effect on food supplies.   

Food supplies on all other categories such as Fresh Produce, Fresh and Frozen Seafood, Beef, Frozen Poultry and grocery are all normal.

To date, air cargo and ocean freight operations are normal.

What we highly recommend at this stage is for consumers to stop “panic buying” supplies. This is causing major challenges for us here in Cayman and around the world in our industry. For example, we are seeing people buying more than what any individual household could consume in a month out of fear and panic. This is causing unwanted and unnecessary panic and stress on the supply chain which has resulted in the stock shortages (in isolated areas) that we are seeing now here in Cayman and globally. Currently this trend is mostly hitting the antibacterial and paper product segments.

In closing, we have no indication that there will be any food shortage from the USA or other countries that we source food related items from.. If this was the case, we would declare this danger openly! However, that does not mean that we will not see interruptions largely caused by panic buying here and globally. Rest assured that PDL is working day and night and very closely with our suppliers overseas and our government agencies here in Cayman to ensure our supply lines and shipping lanes remain open and functional. We are very happy to report so far so good! We encourage everyone to continue to prepare themselves and their households, however, we need your help!  Please slow down. Allow the local supply chain time to recover as we receive new cargo week to week especially on areas most hard hit like the ones mentioned above. Please be kind to one another and stay calm.  There is more than enough for everyone.