Mystery Shoppers

Featured Article August '09

The Heat is On!

I can think of few negatives associated with a welcome spell of good weather in the country of perpetual rain. However, heatwaves bring with them more hidden dangers than just a red face.

BDO Stoy Howard has revealed in their ‘High Street Sales Tracker’ that like-for-like growth fell by 7.8% in the last week of June as the temperatures soared. Homewear and fashion retailers fared the worst, with growth falling by 8.3% and 9.3% respectively.

These figures are being blamed upon the intense heat that we experienced during the same week. Consumers chose to take advantage of the favourable weather rather than hit the shops.

However, heatwaves do not bring bad news for all.

Supermarkets and those in the leisure industry can benefit from increased custom as a consequence of good weather and as we all well know, providers of beer too revel in such good fortune.

It is still debated whether or not the net effect of heatwaves benefits the economy as a whole. Some remain convinced that it results in a positive effect. However, the Centre for Economics and Business Research is more pessimistic, estimating that a heatwave can cost up to £280m a day.

Nevertheless, whatever the deliberators decide, we believe that you can turn the weather to your advantage with a bit of anticipation, planning and innovation. It is fair to say that there is no product which is free from correlation with the climate. Concentrate your efforts on promoting the product most pertinent to the current conditions. Use your ingenuity to attract customers when the temperatures soar, something as simple as an ice cold cup of water would certainly get me through the door.

It seems that suncream is not the only necessary tool in a heatwave, but forethought and initiative are essential too.

 

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