Winchester supermarkets lose chilled food aisles as heatwave persists

Winchester city centre shoppers faced another day without chilled groceries on Saturday as Tesco Extra, Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer remained unable to restock fridges on their High Street premises. The prolonged shutdown began after refrigeration systems collapsed under sustained temperatures above 30°C during the Bank Holiday weekend, forcing all three stores to shut entire chilled food aisles. By Friday evening, only a handful of units had been partially restored, leaving most refrigerated sections dark and empty.

The Met Office confirmed the heatwave peaked on Bank Holiday Monday, May 25, when Winchester recorded 31.2°C—the highest since 2018. Despite a slight drop to 27°C on Saturday, engineers warned that continued exposure risked further system failures, leaving store managers with no immediate solution beyond temporary fixes. A Tesco spokesperson confirmed its Winchester High Street Express branch—separate from the Extra store—remained fully operational but conceded that the main store’s chilled and frozen sections remained closed, blaming “refrigeration system overload.”

Sainsbury’s issued a statement acknowledging that chillers would only return to normal once temperatures stabilised, adding that staff were redirecting customers to ambient alternatives and prioritising restocking of non-perishables. Marks & Spencer confirmed that while the store remained open, “some fridges are temporarily out of use,” urging shoppers to seek assistance from staff to locate specific items. Customers described chaotic scenes, with long queues forming at checkouts and complaints mounting over the lack of fresh produce.

Engineers from major refrigeration contractors, including Emerson Climate Technologies and Daikin, were deployed across the city on Friday, but high ambient temperatures slowed repair progress. One technician, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that outdoor units—critical for heat dissipation—were struggling to shed excess heat, forcing technicians to prioritise night-time repairs when temperatures dipped below 25°C. He added that “every extra degree delays recovery by hours.”

Local traders reported a sharp decline in footfall on the High Street, with some attributing the drop to the absence of chilled grocery options. One café owner, who declined to be named, said: “People come for milk, cheese, yoghurts—they don’t just wander around. When those sections are empty, they leave.” Hampshire County Council confirmed it had received multiple complaints but stated that responsibility for refrigeration lay solely with the retailers, not local authorities.

As temperatures are forecast to remain above 25°C until at least Tuesday, industry analysts predict further disruptions across southern England. The National Grid has already issued a warning for potential power surges as demand for air conditioning and refrigeration soars. Retail analysts at Kantar Worldpanel noted that chilled food sales typically account for 25% of weekly grocery spending, a figure that could take weeks to recover if closures persist. With no immediate end to the heatwave in sight, Winchester residents may need to adjust their shopping habits—or risk warm milk and wilted salads.