DISPOSABLE BBQ BANS – WHAT ARE OUR RETAILERS DOING?

It’s summer season, whilst the weather is meat-ing expectations of a hot summer, some would say it’s actually a bit too hot…

Due to a lack of rain, we are seeing hosepipe bans, plants dying, but more importantly, parks and recreational areas banning disposable barbecues. Several parks have implemented bans on cheapo disposable BBQ’s in response to wildfires, a rare thing in the UK, starting up in areas of the country. 

Due to the current greenery being so dry, and the disposable kits being both flimsy and used carelessly, many are seeing them as a danger in the current climate. This is a sentiment being carried across to the retail world too, with giants M&S pulling them from sale, as well as big players in the convenience channel following suit. Southern Co-op annonuced this week that they are banning the disposable BBQ’s from sale in every single one of their stores.

But this sentiment is not felt by C-Talk’s independent retailers. A poll in our exclusive group found that not only 1 retailer would be removing them from shelves, but through selling existing stock. This came as quite a surprise to us in the C-Talk office, however 18% of retailers found themselves unsure of what to do. Whilst we like to inform and inspire here at C-Talk, we must leave this one down to the personal choices of each retailer, the kits are not yet banned from sale, just banned for use in certain areas as deemed by the locations landlords.

So whatever you choose to do with these now seemingly troublesome items, there is no right or wrong answer.