Britons bought more essentials after 'Be Ready' campaign launch, says Worldpanel

J Sainsbury

Tue 08:00

LONDON, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Britons bought more essential items after the government's "Be Ready" public awareness campaign launched last month, but there was no panic buying, market researcher Worldpanel by Numerator said on Tuesday.
On October 22, the British government advised the public to keep a three-day supply of bottled water and non-perishable food in the house so they are prepared for emergencies such as climate and cyber events
In the ten days after the campaign launch sales of bottled water jumped 67% compared to the same period last year, hand sanitiser sales increased 83%, while sales of tinned and jarred goods rose 37%, said Worldpanel
"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," Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Worldpanel, said
Worldpanel said supermarket prices were 2.6% higher than last year in the four weeks to November 1, adding to pressure on households already facing higher mortgage, motor fuel and energy costs
That compared with 2.5% in last month's report, with prices rising fastest in products such as fresh fish, batteries and skin cleansing and falling fastest in products such as butter, cheese, smoothies and juices 
The Worldpanel data is the most up-to-date snapshot of UK consumer behaviour, providing an early indication of food pricing pressures in October. Official UK inflation data for October will be published on November 18     
UK food inflation has not hit the levels that were forecast earlier in the year. But industry groups predict it will hit nearly 7% in 2027, driven by Middle East disruption, rising input costs and extreme weather linked to El Nino
The Worldpanel data showed UK grocery sales increased 2.2% over the four weeks year-on-year, indicating lower sales on a volume basis once inflation is taken into account
Over the 12 weeks to November 1, industry leader Tesco's TSCO.L sales rose 1.2% year-on-year, but its market share was slightly lower for the sixth report in a row
While Marks & Spencer MKS.L isn't fully included in the Worldpanel data set, it remained the UK's fastest-growing food retailer with a 14.6% rise in sales of groceries
UK supermarkets' market share and sales growth (%)

Market share 12 weeks to Nov 1 2026  
Market share 12 weeks to Nov 2 2025        
% change in sales year-on-year
Tesco
27.8
27.9
1.2
Sainsbury's
15.5
15.6
0.8
Asda
11.3
11.6
-0.5
Aldi
10.4
10.5
0.4
Lidl
8.6
8.2
6.6
Morrisons
8.3
8.3
2.0
Co-operative
5.3
5.4
0.7
Waitrose
4.5
4.4
2.2
Iceland
2.2
2.3
0.0
Ocado
2.3
2.1
12.3
 Source: Worldpanel by Numerator

 (Reporting by James Davey, editing by Sam Tabahriti)
 ((james.davey@thomsonreuters.com))