Brits flocked to stock up on hot weather essentials as second heatwave bites

Posted by james brindle | Published: 17/08/2022

Sun cream sales increased by over seven times and multipack ice cream and lolly sales almost quadrupled last week during the heatwave as shoppers flocked to Central England Co-op (CEC) stores to stock up on essentials.

Sales data from the retailer’s 260 plus stores revealed that customers have been rushing to buy items to battle against soaring temperatures, which peaked at 40 degrees for the first time on record in some parts of the country.

Compared with the same week in 2021, sun cream sales were 733% higher, with 2,200 units of lotions and sprays sold as Brits looked to keeping themselves safe in the blazing sun. This comes after last month saw 4,800 bottles of lotions and sprays sold over the heatwave period in July, 13 times higher (1,215%) than the following week when temperatures dropped again.

Over 79,000 multipack ice creams were sold across stores, a figure 282% above the same week last year, and individual ice creams almost tripled (up 191%) to 38,000 units.

Brits also looked to cool off with drinks as Tango Ice Blast sales almost tripled (up 195%) on 2021, sports drinks soared by 94% to sell 173,000 units, cider sales were up almost two-thirds (64%) and lager increased by 40% compared with the same week in 2021.

With heatwaves reported to be an increasingly common phenomenon for the UK, food retailers will likely see soaring demand like this in the future as Head of Trading Operations for Central England Co-op, Claire Koziol explains.

She said: “It is no secret that supply chain issues have affected the UK food retail industry for the past few years, and the hot weather poses its own challenges - not least with significant spikes in demand like these. We have been working tirelessly to support our customers across the UK with their heatwave essentials to help keep them safe and comfortable during this recent spell, and in July.

“We as food retailers must ensure we are equipped to continue to meet demand when shoppers need these items the most and will continue to ensure all plans are in place each year to achieve this. In addition to this, we have made sure our teams were safe, hydrated and well while working during some of the hottest days of the year. As we see more hot weather in the future, this will remain our priority in all our stores.”

Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK, with 8,000 colleagues serving customers across over 400 trading sites in the East and West Midlands, Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.

For more information, please visit www.centralengland.coop

ENDS

Notes to editors

About Central England Co-operative

Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK with interests in food, funeral, floral and property investment.

Owned by hundreds of thousands of members, its over 8,000 colleagues serve customers across 400 plus trading sites in 20 counties in the East and West Midlands, Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.

Its purpose is to inspire communities to create a sustainable Society for all.

It actively campaigns for the Government to increase sentencing for violent attacks on retail workers and works with FareShare Midlands and hundreds of food banks, generating enough food donations to create over 2.1 million meals for people in need.

The Society embraces inclusivity and equality and is a signed-up member to the Business in the Community (BITC) Race at Work Charter, while it is also fully committed to addressing the impact of climate change and is on track to be Carbon Neutral by 2030. 

It invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities through its Community Dividend Fund scheme which has seen over £175,000 shared out between 116 good causes over the past 12 months.

Central England Co-op was named Leading Co-op of the Year by Co-operatives UK in 2021.

Press office contact: James Brindle, Public Relations Lead

Contact details: email james.brindle@centralengland.coop and telephone 07392 080028.

Jade Mansell / Gideon Casey

Contact details: cecoop@wpragency.co.uk, +44 (0)121 456 3004