While the rest of the country have their fingers crossed the good weather from earlier in the summer makes a comeback in September, retailers are hoping we’re plunged into an early chill.
The reason? An Indian summer is not what you want when you have autumn fashions to sell.
Fashion stores filled their racks with jumpers last month but nobody was interested in them back then . . . but now it’s a different story, when falling temperatures send shoppers into stores for cold weather clothes.
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There’s almost no retail sector that isn’t affected by seasonal highs and lows. By Easter this year, garden centres were hit hard when the usual spring rush was crushed by snow but then sizzling temperatures sent purchases soaring and sales assistants were hard-pressed to keep on top of the numbers of customers who came rushing through their doors.
Sales of barbecues doubled and food retailers sold out of everything that could be cooked over coals. Meanwhile, corks were popping at A G Barr’s as Irn-Bru consumption went through the roof.
From tents for camping holidays to bikinis for the beach, there were lots of winners during the hottest summer since 1976.
Now, in this second half of the year, animal prints, gloss finishes, tweed and leather are going to be the big fashion trends, transferred from the catwalks into the stores.
And it’s the retailers with the right products, the most agile supply chains and the friendliest customer service who will be the biggest winners.
There are retail vacancies across the sector on s1jobs but if you’re looking for your next move in fashion, you’ve got to know what’s what – the cut, the cloth and the colours that are set to be ‘the next big thing.’
So here’s a top tip: from logos on everything to flowing silk dresses, the emphasis is on covering up in flamboyant style. Oh, and when it comes to coats the new trend is to layer, wearing two or three at a time to create volume.
Any trend that encourages customers to buy more than one of anything has to be good and all it needs to start the ball rolling is a spot of cold weather.
Once the morning commute starts to get a bit nippy all those coats in the stockroom will soon be on their way to new homes.
If you’d like to join them, check out the latest Retail opportunities on the UK’s most fashionable site, s1jobs.