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Business
May 27, 2026
Analyzed by Llama- 4 Scout 17B 16E Instruct

UK Heatwave Drives Surge in Sales of Cooling Products and Summer Essentials

AI Summary
The UK's record-breaking heatwave in May has led to a significant surge in sales of cooling products, summer essentials, and outdoor living items, with retailers reporting substantial increases in demand for items such as fans, ice cubes, sunscreen, and barbecue equipment.

The UK Heatwave Effect

The UK experienced a 'tropical night' on Monday after temperatures earlier in the day had hit a provisional all-time meteorological spring record of 34.8C (94.6F) at Kew Gardens in south-west London. The record was broken again on Tuesday when temperatures provisionally reached 35C (95F) at Heathrow and Kew Gardens.

Surge in Sales of Cooling Products

Retailers have reported a significant surge in sales of cooling products and summer essentials. Tesco said that, compared with the previous week, sales of ice cubes had tripled during the heatwave, while sunscreen sales rose almost sixfold. A spokesperson said: 'We sold more than 30 times as many electric fans.'

  • Sales of fans are selling at a rate of three a minute.
  • Ice cube sales have tripled compared to the previous week.
  • Sunscreen sales have risen almost sixfold.

The Rise of Air Conditioning in UK Homes

An estimated 4m homes in the UK now have air conditioning, double the figure from three years ago, as Britons complain of 'unliveable' conditions during high temperatures.

Impact on Retail and Consumer Behavior

Households are also swapping heavy bedding for low-tog summer duvets and installing blackout blinds to block out the sun. Ufurnish, a platform that helps users find furniture, said searches for blackout blinds last week rose by 118%, parasol searches increased by 384% and outdoor rug searches climbed 158%.

Future Outlook

Experts suggest the increase in ownership of cooling products and air conditioning is the result of more people working from home and rising summer temperatures. The climate crisis is making every heatwave more intense and more likely to happen.