Bottled water ahead of cola

That’s the power of a heatwave. Britain had a miserable wet spring, but a sizzling July. And Nielsen figures for leading UK supermarkets in the four weeks to 20 July show how much difference the weather can make.

• Soft drinks up 27% in value over the same period in 2012.
• Beer, wine and spirits up 16%, driven mainly by cider and lager.
• Total sales up 6.4%, compared with 2.3% growth in June.

This is despite 2012 sales being boosted by the build up to the London Olympic Games.

“At the height of the heatwave, the week ending 13 July, an extra seven Olympic swimming pools of bottled water were sold compared to the first two weeks of 2012 … Consequently, bottled water overtook cola as the largest soft drink sector by volume,” commented Nielsen.

That must be a personal best.