Hand Sanitiser Sales Jump 83% After UK 'Be Ready' Campaign Launch

Hand sanitiser sales rose 83% in the 10 days after the government launched its "Be Ready" emergency preparedness campaign on 22 October. Bottled water sales climbed 67%, and tinned and jarred goods grew 37%, according to data from retail research firm Worldpanel by Numerator.

The figures cover the first ten days of the public awareness campaign, which urges households to prepare for disruption to essential services caused by severe weather or cyberattacks. The campaign recommends keeping three days' worth of food and water at home. Its checklist also includes wet wipes, a torch and cash.

Was this panic buying?

Worldpanel says no. The firm found households were stockpiling essentials, but doing so gradually rather than clearing shelves.

After the launch, the equivalent of an extra 400,000 people per day bought tinned meat, Worldpanel said. The typical amount purchased per household remained at 500g — roughly a standard can — which points to steady accumulation rather than bulk hoarding.

"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," said Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Worldpanel by Numerator.

"Growth came from more people adding the recommended items on the government's checklist to their weekly shop, not from shoppers piling their trolleys high, which is very much in line with what the government wanted households to do," he said.

The takeaway: consumers responded to official advice, but they spread purchases across routine shopping trips instead of making emergency runs.

What did food producers see?

Food firm Princes reported on Tuesday that demand for tinned tuna, meat and vegetables had risen following the campaign. The company, which makes long-life pantry staples, is a direct beneficiary of a government checklist that favours shelf-stable foods.

Princes interim chief executive Giuseppe Mastrolia said the jump in demand "further reinforces the relevance of our core categories in providing affordable, nutritious and convenient food solutions".

The comment is a commercial framing as much as an operational one — a canned-food maker has clear reasons to welcome state advice to buy canned food.

What does the campaign actually ask for?

The "Be Ready" campaign warns that severe weather and cyberattacks could disrupt essential services, and that British households need to make sure they have what they need. Recommended items include bottled water and long-life food that does not need refrigeration, such as dried fruit and nuts.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said everyone should have "those supplies in the house to get you through those moments".

Put plainly, the government is asking every household to hold a three-day buffer of food, water, light and cash — a modest ask per family, but one that shifts meaningful volume across the grocery sector when millions act on it.

The early sales data suggests the message landed faster than typical public-information campaigns. Whether the uplift sustains beyond the first fortnight, or fades once households complete their three-day kits, will show whether "Be Ready" changed behaviour permanently or produced a one-off bump for sanitiser, water and canners like Princes.