With temperatures soaring to 36 degrees in some parts of the UK, and people heading for parks, beaches and tourist hot spots to soak up the scorching summer sun, has footfall been hotting up for gift indies or cooling down?
“Fortunately, the heatwave hasn’t impacted on us adversely in Bath,” confirms Anne Anderson, owner of Paprika, who also owns a store in Chippenham. “The shop serves a very local clientele and it seems that no one has the energy to go into town, so we have benefitted from that. The other noticeable effect is that most people come out in the morning when it’s cooler with trade much slower in the afternoon.”
Anne continues: “Another interesting point is that at the beginning of the week there was a positive impact from the Eat Out To Help Out scheme. People have been meeting up for coffee or lunch – we have two cafes and a deli in the street, so there’s lots of choice – and then coming to us, which is good for business.”
(According to retail analysts Springboard, last week, footfall rose by almost 20% after 6pm on UK high streets between Monday and Wednesday).
Aside from one quiet day, Bill & Bert’s in Colchester has also been trading positively, with Rishi Sunak’s Eat Out To Help Out initiative boosting footfall. “The sizzling heatwave had a negative effect on sales last Saturday (August 8), otherwise, trading has been good with a positive bounce back,” comments owner Bill Nettelton. “The more shops that are open the better as it’s getting people onto the high street and out shopping. In fact, the biggest boosthas been the Eat Out To Help Out scheme which has definitely boosted footfall from Monday to Wednesday.”
In Cornwall, David Lorimer, co-owner of four Brocante stores in Fowey, Mevagissey and St Ives, has also seen plenty of shoppers, thanks to both locals and staycationers. “July was really positive and, so far, August hasn’t been too bad at all. When it’s really hot it can have a negative effect on the business, as people are on the water or at the beach, so it tends to pick up later in the afternoon once they have got tired of the beach or had too much sun! In addition to selling lots of face masks and hand sanitiser, we have seen an increase in larger purchases of prints, furniture, cushions and throws. People have spent months living in their houses full time and are seeing things that they want to change.”
Meanwhile, at garden centre Garsons, which has outlets in Esher in Surrey, and Titchfield in Hampshire, head buyer Sarah Crees says, “we’re fortunate that when the sun comes out and the temperature rises, people gravitate towards garden centres resulting in an increase in footfall across all our departments. During this tremendous heatwave we have seen an increase in our gift sales by a staggering 34%.
Reveals Sarah: “The main highlight is across our candle and fragrance category, which continues to do well since we re-opened in May after lockdown. As people have spent a lot more time in their homes, candles and fragrances are an easy way to embellish home décor and complement recent DIY projects and home improvements. Citronella candles are also doing particularly well due to the warm evenings. Greeting cards too, have seen an increase in sales along with steady sales in kitchenware.”
Top: Despite meltingly hot temperatures, gift retailers have seen plenty of shoppers.
