End of the world is good for business

Sales of food supplies, survival gear shoot up after rise in US-N Korea tensions

Shoppers are buying six-month food supplies wrapped in military-grade Mylar pouches, and kits filled with duct tape, food bars and an air-filtration mask.

Some companies that specialise in selling items to people planning for the worst — so-called doomsday preppers — say they have had a bump in sales this week, after tensions rose between the United States and North Korea. Online searches for prepping and survival gear have also jumped.

The increase in sales is a turnaround from recent months. Revenue fell after US President Donald Trump’s election, according to three of the country’s larger retailers that specialise in selling emergency