Rising temperatures during the May Bank Holiday heatwave saw a surge in UK sales of summer essentials, with ice cubes, sun cream and BBQ fayre flying off the shelves.

As the mercury rose, retail sales across summer goods also soared as Brits embraced outdoor socialising. Ocado said sales of smash burgers and Pimm’s were up +63% over the last week, while Tesco said it sold three times as many ice cubes week-on-week.

As Brits sought respite from the heat, sales of electric fans at Tesco increased by x30 on the week prior, with sun cream revenues also jumping sixfold.

Data from MRI Software showed that the hot weather also delivered strong footfall performance across many parts of the UK over the Bank Holiday, with coastal towns seeing a +48.7% week-on-week rise in store traffic.

“As temperatures soared to 34^oC across many parts of the UK over the bank holiday weekend, Brits flocked to the coast,” said Jenni Matthews, Retail Analyst at MRI Software.

High Streets also recorded the strongest growth on Sunday, as consumers made the most of the weather, the longer weekend and the start of half term. “Overall, High Streets emerged as the clear winners over the weekend, with visits reaching double digit growth on Sunday (+21%),” Matthews added.