Brits stock up on winter favourites ahead of cold snap

Sainsbury’s is stocking its shelves with everything to help stave off the cold snap as the weather is set to take a turn for the worse this weekend. Sales of cold and flu medicines have risen over 30% compared to last year while soup sales are set to be up 25% this weekend. Even salt is set to be 30% more popular as a popular DIY grit.

Other chilling forecasts include

• Knitwear: +40% week on week expected this weekend

Sainsbury’s buyer Jon Biddle commented: "If the big freeze of 2011 is anything to go by, we could see an uplift of 4,000% on products such as snow shovels and de-icer in the coming days."

Nicky Millington, Sainsbury's Healthcare Buyer said: "During the peak of cold and flu this year almost 14% of the UK population was suffering from a cold of some sort, and despite giving a record breaking 54,000 flue vaccinations, sales of cold and flu remedies were up 33% more than the year before." 

• Flu jab requests: +27% year on year
• Vitamins: +19% year on year
• Fresh Soups: +25% week on week and canned soup +15%
• Meat joints and whole chicken: +20% week on week
• Cat litter: +15% week on week
• Hot cereals: +20% week on week

Notes to editors

The picture was taken at the Crosby store in December 2010 as Sainsbury’s colleagues battled their way to work, despite the heavy snow