Be Ready campaign boosts bottled water and tinned food sales

Sales of essential items surged in the ten days after the government launched its "Be Ready" emergency‑preparedness campaign on 22 October, research shows. Hand sanitiser sales were up 83%, bottled water 67% and tinned and jarred foods 37%, according to retail research firm Worldpanel by Numerator. The campaign urged people to keep three days’ worth of food and water, plus wet wipes, a torch and cash, in case severe weather or cyber attacks disrupted services. Worldpanel said the rise reflected stockpiling rather than panic buying.

Worldpanel said an extra 400,000 people per day bought tinned meat, though the typical amount stayed at 500 g, suggesting gradual stocking. Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Worldpanel by Numerator, said: "Shoppers clearly took notice of the 'Be Ready' campaign, but this wasn't panic buying, with less than a third of households buying bottled water in October." He added: "Growth came from more people adding the recommended items on the government's checklist to their weekly shop, not from shoppers piling their trolleys high, which is very much in line with what the government wanted households to do,". Princes reported higher demand for tinned tuna, meat and vegetables, and its interim chief executive Giuseppe Mastrolia said the jump "further reinforces the relevance of our core categories in providing affordable, nutritious and convenient food solutions".

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said everyone should have "those supplies in the house to get you through those moments".