Be Ready Campaign: Sales of Two Products Soar in UK Stores
Bottled water sales rose 67% and tinned and jarred food 37% in the 10 days after the UK government launched its "Be Ready" emergency campaign, Worldpanel data shows. The research firm says shoppers were not panic buying.
Sales of two products soar in UK shops after the government launched its "Be Ready" emergency campaign on October 22, 2026. Bottled water sales rose 67% and tinned and jarred goods climbed 37% in the 10 days that followed, according to analysis by Worldpanel.
Hand sanitiser did even better. Worldpanel put its sales growth at 83% over the same period.
What the figures show
Tinned and jarred goods sales rose from £58.2 million in the 10 days to November 2, 2025, to £79.5 million over the same period in 2026. Bottled water jumped from £13.6 million to £22.8 million on the same year-earlier comparison.
Worldpanel said the equivalent of an extra 400,000 people a day bought tinned meat after the campaign began. The typical amount per purchase stayed at 500g. That points to gradual stocking up rather than shoppers emptying shelves.
Not panic buying, says Worldpanel
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Worldpanel by Numerator, said shoppers "clearly took notice" of the campaign. He added that it was not panic buying, with less than a third of households buying bottled water in October.
"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," McKevitt said. That, he said, is "very much in line with what the government wanted households to do".
Food makers see demand
Food company Princes reported a similar trend in a separate analysis. It said demand for tinned tuna, meat and vegetables had risen after the campaign.
Giuseppe Mastrolia, Princes interim chief executive, said the jump "further reinforces the relevance of our core categories in providing affordable, nutritious and convenient food solutions".
What the campaign asks of households
The campaign gives UK households advice on preparing for emergencies such as extreme weather or a cyberattack. It advises people to keep a supply of essentials, including bottled water and long-shelf-life food.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said everyone should have "those supplies in the house to get you through those moments". Other European nations, including Germany, France, Sweden and Ireland, have issued similar advice.
The government also wants residents to know where three shut-off points are in their homes: the water stop cock, the gas isolation valve and the electricity isolation switch. Its plan says people may need to turn off mains water, gas or electricity during an emergency if there is time and it is safe.
It carries a warning on restarting supplies. Residents can turn the water and electricity back on themselves, but gas must be restored by a qualified engineer.
