(Nov 10): Sales of hand sanitiser, bottled water and canned food soared after the UK government urged households to stockpile for potential disruptions.

Shoppers responded quickly to the “Be Ready” campaign last month, according to data from retail tracker Worldpanel by Numerator published Tuesday (Nov 10). In the 10 days after the advice was posted Oct 22, sales of hand sanitiser jumped 83% from a year earlier, with bottled water up 67% and canned goods 37%.

The UK government wants households to keep enough supplies to be self-sufficient for three days in the event of a national emergency, including non-perishable food, water, flashlights and batteries.

“Shoppers clearly took notice of the ‘Be Ready’ campaign, but this wasn’t panic buying,” said Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Worldpanel, adding that shoppers were adding items from the government advice to their weekly shop rather than “piling their trolleys high".

The number of people buying tinned meat each day after the campaign launch rose 43%, Worldpanel said, equivalent to an extra 400,000 shoppers a day.

Food and drink manufacturer Princes Group plc, whose products include Branston baked beans and Napolina canned tomatoes, reported Tuesday an increase in demand following the government’s campaign launch.

Overall grocery inflation ticked higher to 2.6% in the four weeks ending Nov 1, though that was still slower than the UK’s overall inflation rate.

Uploaded by Arion Yeow