Britons Stockpile Water and Food Tins Following Government Advice, Data Shows

British shoppers have taken the government’s Be Ready campaign seriously by stocking up on household essentials such as bottled water, tinned goods, and hand sanitiser without engaging in panic buying, according to recent retail data. The initiative encourages households to prepare provisions for up to three days to guard against potential disruptions to essential services, including extreme weather or cyber-attacks.

According to the monthly grocery report for Great Britain from Worldpanel by Numerator, sales of emergency essentials jumped significantly in the 10 days immediately following the campaign’s launch. Hand sanitiser sales surged by 83% compared to the same period in the previous year, bottled water rose by 67%, and tinned and jarred goods increased by 37%.

Impact of the Be Ready Campaign on Grocery Buying

Data indicates that the growth stemmed from households adding recommended checklist items to their routine weekly shops rather than stockpiling excessive quantities. For instance, daily purchases of tinned meat rose by 43%—representing an additional 400,000 shoppers daily—while the typical pack size bought remained steady at approximately 500 grams. Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Worldpanel by Numerator, noted that less than a third of households purchased bottled water in October.

Separate research released by Barclays revealed that 27% of people were stockpiling or considering the accumulation of food and drink. Generational divides in preparedness were also highlighted: 31% of adults aged 18 to 34 reported having sufficient food and drinking water for at least three days, compared to 53% of individuals aged 55 and older.

Supermarket Market Share and Grocery Inflation

Alongside emergency preparations, the grocery data tracked broader market trends. Grocery inflation ticked upward to 2.6% during the four weeks leading to November 1, rising from 2.5% the prior month. Retailers also saw shifting positions in market share, with Lidl overtaking Morrisons to become Britain’s fifth-biggest grocer following a 6.6% rise in sales that brought its market share to 8.6%, just ahead of Morrisons at 8.3%. Ocado posted a 12.3% sales increase, lifting its market share to a joint record high of 2.3%, while Marks & Spencer increased its grocery sales by 14.6%. Asda reported a 0.5% dip in sales, with its market share falling from 11.6% to 11.3%.

Source: Britons stockpiling water and food tins but not panic buying, figures show (source-feed timestamp 2026-11-10T08:53:30+00:00). AI-assisted report based on the cited linked article and its RSS feed; details were not independently verified.