Brits rush to stockpile four household essentials following government warning

In case of emergency, Britons look well-prepared

Amid preparation for emergencies like cyber-attacks and extreme weather, retailers have also reported a jump in sales, The Guardian reported.

The items include essentials for households in the UK, such as: tinned foods, bottled water, wind-up radios and torches.

Last week, the UK government launched the Be Ready campaign, and the goal is to persuade homes to lay in supplies which should last three days.

What the companies have said about the surge in sales

According to Maplin, the online retailer of electronic goods, sales of torches had almost quadrupled and sales of power banks and radios had doubled.

Last Friday, one brand of emergency wind-up radio sold out, the company said.

The retailer also added that sales would have been higher but it was low on stock, particularly for power banks after a summer of heatwaves and the fallout from the Iran war.

In the meantime, it said that home security camera sales were up 130%.

“Within hours of the Be Ready announcement we saw people reach for the basics – a torch, a wind-up radio, a power bank”, Ollie Marshall, the managing director of Maplin, said.

“These are simple, affordable products that keep a household connected and informed when the power goes out, and it’s encouraging to see people taking the advice seriously”, he added.

On the other hand, Iceland, the grocery chain, revealed that sales of tinned products were up 40% over the weekend and it had also seen strong sales of bottled water.
“It’s clear consumers have listened to the government’s message. Our supplies of these products remain healthy”, a spokesperson of Iceland said.

Demand for some products was up, the online grocer Ocado also said, adding that it would “continue to work with suppliers to ensure there is stock for customers to gradually add items to their shops”.

When it comes to supermarkets, several major chains said that they noticed no material change in demand in tinned goods.

They said that the cooler, stormy weather was more likely to influence demand for soups and beans.

“While some retailers have seen a small uptick in sales for some products, food availability remains strong and retailers remain well stocked with all essential products”, Jim Bligh, food policy director at the British Retail Consortium, said.

'Prepper' sites also noticed a change in interest for specific gadgets

Specialist outdoor and “prepper” sites were also helped by the boom in interest for relatively unusual gadgets.

Founder of survival kit seller EvaQ8, Zaid Al-Mufti, said over the weekend it had sold out of items including a make of wind-up radio and water purification tablets.

The company had sold about 300 radios compared with the usual 15, he added.

Meanwhile, co-founder of the online store Sgt Prepper, Josh Pringle, said business had been 10 to 15 times busier than usual last weekend.

In particular, there was a focus on wind-up radios and long-life food including tins that last for 25 years, he said.

“I have never seen it like this before.” he said, saying the site’s larger wind-up radio had sold out and he was having to hunt for different brands because his supplier did not have enough stock.

Many more British households have been adding tins of food to their weekly shop, even if the number of people buying radios and water purification tablets remains relatively low.

Following recommendation by the UK government, retail industry insiders said supermarkets had been well prepared for a surge in food and drink sales and had good supplies of the long-life groceries.