The catalogue and digital retailer saw demand for fans surge due to hot weather last week and sales of outdoor items up by more than 100%

Argos said the past week has been one of its busiest weeks for fans, selling 92,000 units on Monday, June 19 alone. On the same day www.argos.co.uk had searches for fans every minute of the day.

The Sainsbury’s-owned retail chain said it has managed not to run out of stock and still had tens of thousands of units.

Sales of other outdoor items have also seen a boost from the heatwave, with garden furniture up almost 100%, barbecue sales up 135% and outdoor toy sales up almost 200% last week.

Argos said it has seen more than 150,000 searches for paddling pools and paddling pool-related terms on its website, adding that it sold enough paddling pools last week to hold over  70 million litres of water.

Argos revealed its best-selling line by value across the whole business was the 10ft Quick Up Pool and Cover Set, whilst the Chad Valley Family Paddling Pool also featured in the top five.