{
  "id": 16721542,
  "title": "Rise in sales of radios and tinned foods, say retailers, after call to stock up",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/rise-in-sales-of-radios-and-tinned-foods-say-retailers-after-call-to",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-27T06:33:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC Business",
    "slug": "bbc-business",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5rmy84np001o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Retailers have reported significant sales increases for essential goods following the government's call for people to stockpile supplies in case of a crisis. Iceland supermarket chain experienced a 40% surge in tinned product sales over the weekend, while Defence Secretary Wes Streeting urged citizens to stockpile items like tinned goods, radios, torches, and power banks for potential emergencies such as cyber attacks or extreme weather events. Robert Dyas and Maplin saw a staggering 160% and 284% increase in radios and power banks sales, respectively, compared to the same period last month. Maplin's managing director, Ollie Marshall, stated that torch sales nearly quadrupled and radio sales almost doubled in just three days after the government's announcement on 22 October. The defence secretary emphasized that people should ensure they have three litres of water per person daily, tinned goods, baby food, battery-powered torches, and mobile phone charging packs. The increase in retail sales of certain items has been attributed to consumers taking the government's advice seriously, aiming to stay connected and informed during power outages or other disruptions.",
  "summary": "Figures obtained by BBC Newsnight show large spikes in sales of torches, radios and power banks.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}