Weather news and archive

UK retailers at behest of unpredictable and extreme weather

One minute it snowed, the next it rained, in what was a week of extreme weather. As a result, shoppers were less keen to venture out, with week-on-week footfall on UK high streets dropping by 10.1 percent. Across all UK retail destinations the footfall gap to 2019 widened to -15.7 percent from -10.9 percent the week previous, according to data...

Retail

Amazon launches new local-weather personalised shopping service

Amazon has launched a new personalised shopping service which is set to offer products to shoppers based on their local weather conditions. The new service, which launched on Tuesday and is part of Amazon's #NowItsSummer campaign, focuses on offering useful and fun products depending on weather conditions - such as sun cream, sunglasses and...

Fashion

Late summer causes sharpest sales drop in 2.5 years

The longer the summer, the worse it is for fashion, or so it seems. New figures released on Monday show the retail sector suffered its greatest decline in sales in two and a half years. As stores were forced to endure a “perfect storm” of unseasonably warm weather and economic gloom, fashion shoppers were fickle, and steered clear of winter...

Fashion

Summer heatwave affects winter sales

The Brits are not likely to complain about the late summer weather, with more sunshine in September than in July. But for retailers it is a different story, and shifting winter clothing such as expensive outerwear, is proving less popular than the same time last year on the trading calendar. The UK heatwave, which is expected to continue into...

Fashion

Snow causes £15m losses for New Look

High street fashion chain New Look said the disruption of snow and weather in November and December accounted for a 9.1 per cent decline in UK like-for-like sales. In plain terms, the retailer estimated the cold front knocked £15m off its total sales. In spite of the opening of five new stores, total group sales fell 3.4 per cent in the 15-week...

Fashion

Bad weather affects Mothercare sales

Mothercare has issued a profit warning after the winter weather hit its business. Like-for-like sales in the last three months of 2010 fell 5.8% as the freezing conditions caused "widespread disruption". Mothercare said that the poor weather had reduced UK like-for-like sales in the third quarter by about 4%, and that its out-of-town shopping...

Fashion

Bad weather affects Christmas deliveries

The weather and and overwhelmed courier networks have cost some online retailers millions and pushed logistics departments to their limits as companies race to make sure Santa didn't get stuck in a delivery depot on Christmas day. According to the Financial Times, companies including John Lewis and Marks and Spencer stopped taking online...

Design

Cold weather impacts UK retail

Retailers have lost tens of millions of pounds after snow devastated what was supposed to be the busiest shopping day of the year a week before Christmas. Blizzards and icy conditions meant many shoppers abandoned their trips while some stores were forced to close. Brent Cross shopping centre in North London, one of Britain’s biggest, was forced...

Fashion

Shoppers brave cold and hit the high street

Shoppers braved the cold weather and snow, as bargain hunters hit the high street for Christmas bargain. Following dire warnings that families would be cutting spending ahead of a frugal Christmas, shops slashed prices by up to 65 per cent in the hope of getting the tills ringing,reported the Daily Mail. And it worked as a supposedly sedate...

Fashion

Big Freeze leaves shoppers at home

The recent 'Big Freeze' across the UK has had a significant impact on the shopping habits of the nation; with half of the adult population staying away from the shops, and more than one in four (27 per cent) switching an intended High Street purchase to online, according to new research carried out by GfK NOP. The research is mixed news for...

Fashion

Snow costs retailers millions

Disruption caused by the heavy snowfall could cost UK businesses about £1bn, business groups have estimated. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) estimated 20% of the UK's working population, or 6.4 million people, did not make it to work. Questions have been asked about whether authorities were sufficiently prepared for the snowfall, given...

Fashion

Tanked Up!

The weather is hot. A heatwave has swept over Europe and city dwellers are struggling to dress appropriately for high-fly meetings in non-air-conditioned offices. Unfortunately for us Brits, there is no such thing as a siesta to go home on hot day for a quick change of (dry) clothes. Just in case things got a little too hot under the collar. For...