Retailers and garden centres have enjoyed a much-needed boost from what is set to be the hottest early May bank holiday on record. Asda said sales of paddling pools were up by almost 50% as customers sought ways to keep cool. Waitrose said it has stocked stores for a 200% increase in bank holiday Monday barbecue meat sales. Sainsbury’s was predicting a 600% increase in ice-cream sales compared with the previous weekend and a 280% increase in potato salad sales. DIY retailer B&Q said that each of its flagship stores is likely to sell well over 100 barbecues, 3,000 bags of compost, 6,000 bedding plants, 150 mowers and 125 fence panels over the weekend. Springboard, which measures customer visits across the UK high streets, shopping centres and retail parks, forecast a 3%-4% increase in footfall this bank holiday compared with the same one last year.
