Fans, hoses and air con – heatwave-hit Britons seek relief

A man cools off in a fountain during hot weather in London.

LONDON: Sales of electric fans, hoses, air conditioners and sprinklers are soaring as Britons fumble amid record temperatures, retailers say.
England took place on Monday’s hottest day on record with temperatures forecast to hit 40 degrees Celsius for the first time, forcing train companies to cancel service, schools to close early and ministers urging the public at home.
Sainsbury’s (SBRY.L), Britain’s No. 2 supermarket group, which also owns Argos’ general merchandise business, said fan sales last week increased by 1,876% from the previous week, while sales increased Air conditioners increased by 2,420% and underwear sales. swimming pool has increased by 814%.
Home improvement retailer B&Q, owned by Kingfisher (KGF.L), said sales of faucets and sprinklers more than doubled this week from a typical week, while hot tub sales nearly tripled.
Workstation business Travis Perkins’ (TPK.L) said fan sales were up 641% in the past week from the previous week as merchants struggled to stay calm.
It says smart technology that controls temperature has increased 95 percent, while faucet sales are up 56 percent and water cans sales 21 percent.
A Toolstation spokesperson said: “With the entire country facing a burning fire, it is not surprising that they are looking for ways to stay calm.
Supermarkets have also reported soaring sales of ice cream and beverages. BBQ charcoals and facial care products.
On balance, however, the heatwave is generally bad news for physical retailers because it’s too hot to shop, putting more pressure on an already struggling sector, analysts say. grappling with the cost of living crisis.
Market Researcher Springboard said the number of shoppers, or the number of pedestrians, on all UK high streets fell by 7.3% up to 10 GMT on Monday than last week.