Red health warning: Britons stock up on fans, ice cream and silk scarves as intense heat grips country
British shoppers are stocking up on fans, ice cubes and silk scarves as extreme heat causes a significant surge in retail sales.
Electronics retailer Currys said searches for fans were up almost 1,500 per cent compared to last weekend, while searches for air conditioning products were up 3,500 per cent.
“We saw huge demand for fans and air conditioning units ahead of this week’s heatwave, with fan sales up nearly 3,000 per cent on last week, while air conditioner sales were up 330 per cent,” a spokesman said.
“The good news is we have a range of brands including Dyson, Shark and many more.”
Home goods specialist Lakeland said sales of electric fans were up more than 100 percent, cooling bags were up 262 percent and some ice cream maker lines were up more than 500 percent.
John Lewis has seen a 557 per cent increase in pizza oven sales; Searches for “silk scarf” on the website increased by 200 percent.
Supermarket giant Tesco is forecasting a 60 percent increase in ice sales, a 48 percent increase in ice cream and confectionery sales and a 44 percent increase in barbecue meat sales as consumers prepare to dine outdoors.
The widespread buying frenzy underlines how Britons are adapting to intense summer temperatures.
A Tesco spokesman said: “With temperatures rising and people watching football across the country this week, we’re forecasting a huge increase in sales of ice cream and confectionery, ice and barbecue meat.
“As Brits look to protect their skin from the sun, we expect an increase of over 72 per cent in sunscreen sales this week compared to last week.”
Aldi, which has restocked its shelves with previously sold out foldable pet pools and freezable chew toys, predicts that it will sell one million burgers this week, an increase of 50 percent compared to last week.
The company is also poised for a 30 percent increase in beer sales and sales of more than 500,000 bottles of Lacura Sunscreen, an 80 percent increase on the week.
