Sunny weather boosts retail
Jul 15 2009
Warm weather gets people on the high street
While it’s true that everybody loves the sunshine, this year’s warm weather has given small business retailers added reason to smile.
According to the British Retail (BRC) consortium, retail sales values rose 1.4 per cent on a like-for-like basis from June 2008.
Frank O'Callaghan, owner of card and gift shop, Humbugs of Towcester, Northamptonshire, says June has been a really positive month for the shop.
‘For the high street, the weather always has a positive effect. Good weather means good trading. We’ve managed to make the most of it by bringing in ice creams, which has had the biggest effect on our sales. If the sunshine continues, it should be a good summer for us.’
Stephen Robertson, director general of the BRC, adds: ‘June's sunshine gave overall sales a much-needed boost. The heatwave helped food retailers and got customers buying outdoor goods, such as garden furniture, pools and picnicware.
‘Many clothing clearance sales coincided nicely with the upsurge in demand for summer wear that came from the good weather.’
However, big-ticket homewares and furniture sales remained difficult, says the BRC.
Recent research from Chartered Management Institute found that a quarter of managers have no plans to take a holiday this summer.
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