British households add emergency supplies without panic buying, grocery data shows

British households bought more emergency supplies after the government launched its Be Ready campaign, but shopping figures suggest the response stopped short of panic buying. The campaign asks people to prepare for as much as three days of disruption to essential services, including interruptions caused by cyber-attacks or extreme weather.

Worldpanel by Numerator’s monthly grocery report for Great Britain recorded sharp increases in purchases during the 10 days following the launch. Hand sanitiser sales were 83% higher than in the equivalent period a year earlier, bottled water sales increased 67%, and sales of tinned and jarred products climbed 37%.

The daily number of shoppers purchasing tinned meat rose 43%, representing another 400,000 buyers a day. However, the typical quantity purchased stayed around 500g. Fraser McKevitt, Worldpanel by Numerator’s head of retail and consumer insight, said the growth reflected more households including recommended supplies in their usual shopping, rather than individuals buying unusually large quantities. Fewer than a third of households purchased bottled water in October.

Canned tuna producer Princes reported on Tuesday that demand for canned fish, meat and vegetables had increased since the campaign began. Separately, price rises helped lift its comparable sales by 3.3% during the July to September quarter. The company plans further price increases to cover rising costs.

Barclays research released last week found that 27% of people were either building up food and drink supplies or considering doing so. Preparedness varied by age: 31% of adults aged 18 to 34 said they had sufficient food and drinking water for at least three days, compared with 53% of those aged 55 and over. Purchases of batteries, torches, toiletries and medicines also increased.

The grocery figures showed inflation edging up after easing during the summer. Prices in Great Britain rose at an annual rate of 2.6% over the four weeks ending 1 November, compared with 2.5% the previous month. McKevitt said household finances had also come under pressure from October’s increase in the energy price cap as colder weather arrived, leaving shoppers attentive to checkout prices this winter.

Halloween brought some cheaper purchases. Pumpkins cost about £1.20, a decline of 12% from a year earlier, and roughly 3.3 million households bought one. The number sold increased 10%, while sales of sweet tubs rose 28%. Retailers are now in their peak spending quarter, encompassing Christmas, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. McKevitt said careful Christmas budgeting could make Black Friday particularly significant for shoppers seeking savings on expensive purchases.

Overall sales at Britain’s grocers increased 2.2% year on year in October. Ocado recorded growth of 12.3% over the 12 weeks ending 1 November, taking its market share to 2.3%, matching its previous record. Marks & Spencer, a part-owner of Ocado’s retail business, grew its own grocery sales by 14.6%.

Lidl moved ahead of Morrisons to become Britain’s fifth-largest grocer. Its sales increased 6.6%, bringing its share of the market to 8.6%, against Morrisons’ 8.3%.

Asda alone among the major grocers recorded falling sales, with a decline of 0.5%. Its market share slipped from 11.6% to 11.3%, although it retained third place. The figures highlight the challenge facing its new chief executive, former Morrisons boss David Potts.