Iceland expecting to sell 20,000 air fryers in days as shoppers look for cheaper ways to cook

Iceland was this week expecting to sell out of 20,000 air fryers within days as shoppers look for ways to save money on energy bills.

The kitchen appliance went on sale in stores and online on 8 October but the special offer was spotted in advance by MoneySavingExpert, which highlighted it to readers in a newsletter.

The air fryer, which was reduced from £59.99 to £35, was also subsequently featured in The Sun.

Tweeting The Sun’s story on Monday, Iceland MD Richard Walker wrote: “We had 20,000 & will have sold out within days. At £35 it’s a market-beating price (at which we don’t make a profit), AND saves money ongoing compared to cooking in a conventional oven. We better order more!”

We had 20,000 & will have sold out within days. At £35 it’s a market-beating price (at which we don’t make a profit), AND saves money ongoing compared to cooking in a conventional oven @MartinSLewis⁩ ⁦@MoneySavingExp⁩

We better order more! https://t.co/jG3NikBeNf

— Richard Walker (@icelandrichard) October 10, 2022

New data from Kantar this week suggested shoppers were looking to avoid using conventional ovens and find cheaper ways to cook as energy bills soar. Sales of cooking appliances including slow cookers, air fryers and sandwich makers, which generally use less energy, were up 53% in the 12 weeks to 2 October.

Sales of duvets and electric blankets were also up, by 8%, while candle sales rose 9%, suggesting people may be preparing for possible winter blackouts, according to Kantar.