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Inset: It’s been a Spring/summer of sunshine and showers.

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Come Rain, Come Shine

After one of the wettest May’s on record, flaming June saw soaring temperatures. However, heavy rain was back mid month putting a bit of a damper on things.

PG&H asked a selection of gift retailers how the weather’s highs and lows have been affecting business.

Café Culture

“Our business, in all our shops, has been very encouraging since we re-opened in April, and we have long since given up trying to draw any correlation between the weather and the strength of our business,” says Richard

Barker, owner of four Cilla and Camilla shops in Beaminster, Bridport and

Sherborne. “There is clearly some impact on the sales mix, but no measurable impact on the absolute volume of sales. Whatever the weather, we find the biggest influences over sales to be the traditional retail criteria of stock range, price and location. The only part of our business which is affected by the weather is our Beaminster cafe, where the recent spell of warm weather contributed to record sales in the cafe as customers took advantage of our newly refurbished courtyard.”

Above: Cilla and Camilla, Bridport.

Bring Me Sunshine

In Scotland, Janet Hartree, owner,

Ewe and Me and Ewe Too in

Grantown-on-Spey reports that since opening on April 26, the shops have been busy, with everyone happy to be able to be out and about and buying.

“There was also a desire to support small local shops who had been closed since December 26,” says Janet. “Unfortunately, after the lovely weather in April, May turned colder and endlessly wet. As the month went on, sales dipped a little which affected the day visitors who chose to stay at home, but happily the caravan site and holiday homes were full so we were kept on our toes. Fortunately, June sunshine and good temperatures had a positive effect on the high street with plenty of footfall, so we have been really busy and grateful for that, with smiling faces all round.”

Above: Ewe & Me in Grantown on Spey.

Busy Regardless

“We are a destination business with a cafe, so the weather has a big effect,” states Nic

Stone, owner of The Bottle Kiln in West

Hallam, which has gift and homewares shops as well as a café. “However, it has been different this year. In the past, a really sunny day out of the blue would be almost as bad as snow, as everyone stayed home to sit in their gardens or went to the park. With a long spell of sun, trade would eventually normalise. This year, because we can sit a lot of café customers outside, the good weather has made us busy, though we are busy even on the grey days. Sunny weather definitely affects our retail trade though - people just spend less here when the sun shines, and this hasn't changed.”

Above: The Café at The Bottle Kiln, West Hallam.

A Place To Chill

“Since reopening in April, overall, the weather hasn’t daunted our returning customers, and outside visitors to the town have been plentiful too,” confirms Liz Kemp, owner of Kemps

General Store and Kemps Bookshop in Malton and

Kemps on The Coast in Whitby.

“We’re lucky to have a terrace in the bookshop and good air conditioning, so in a heatwave we are a good refuge for customers who want to browse and chill,” explains Liz.

“However, our proximity to the coast means that on really hot days people opt for the seaside rather than a shopping outing. Overcast weather and even light rain is actually our friend and I think people have been so pleased to have the choice to go out and spend time with friends and shop that the weather - especially now that indoor dining is possible - is not as much of a factor as it might have been in other years.”

Above: Kemps Bookshop, Malton.

Off To The Beach

“When the doors re-opened in April, the majority of our loyal customer base were desperate to get back through the door for a good browse around, and the cold and wet start to Spring didn’t have too much of a negative effect on takings,” reports Olivia Reilly, owner of Little Boats Gifts, Brightlingsea.

“However, being a coastal town, when things did finally warm up in June, people were so pleased to see some sunshine that they tended to head to beach which meant the footfall on the high street dropped a little. We’ll see what the rest of summer brings, but with a lot more people holidaying in the UK we are expecting more visitors and a busy few months ahead.”

Above: Little Boat Gifts, Brightlingsea.

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Sunshine & Showers

“Sales of umbrellas from Soake were great in the soggy bounce back, then all of a sudden, as the sun came out, garden candles came into their own. The large garden incense sticks from Ashleigh and Burwood have been a very strong line,” says Bill Nettelfield, owner, Bill & Bert’s, Colchester. “But not having figures to compare with last year makes it tricky to really know where we’re at. Father’s Day week was the first week Bill and Bert’s could compare to last year, and we finished the week at 30% up year on year. A lot of UK holidaymakers have been visiting and this is really helping with sales. Last year, after the first lockdown, people were very nervous to travel far, although it doesn’t appear to be the case this year.”

Adds Bill: “It’s too easy to look at the weather and say it’s too wet or it’s too hot. I think the truth is that the independents are in a strong position with their customer service to pick up sales from the nationals who have closed or who don’t offer the same level of service. The garden centres had it all their own way for too long last year. This year the high street is bouncing back and bouncing back with a vengeance.”

Left: Bill & Bert’s, Colchester.

Adverse Effect

Below: Buy The Light, Bury St Edmunds.

"Unfortunately, both a wet Spring and the heatwave earlier in June had an adverse effect on our sales,” comments Lesley

Bancroft, owner of Buy The Light in Bury St

Edmunds. “A soggy Spring meant fewer people braved the rain, although we did a roaring trade and sold out of DCUK ducks with raincoats and wellies! While the heatwave brought people out, as it was so hot and muggy here, they seemed happy just sitting around eating ice creams, with shopping the last thing on their minds."

Hot, Hot, Hot

“Cornwall has had some absolutely wonderful weather recently, and it was so nice to see it shine on the world stage for the recent G7 conference,” highlights Keiron Cockley, co-owner of five Brocante gift stores in Cornwall. “Who couldn’t have been tempted to visit when they saw the white sand and crystal clear sea? However, we’ve since had a few days of rain and the famous Cornish ‘mizzle’. “The extremes at this time of year ultimately have little effect on our takings in a week. People are here on holiday in their droves, and they are absolutely determined to enjoy it. To visit the coastal towns is all part of the experience come rain or shine. A perfect week for us is four or five days of sun, so everyone is chilled and relaxed, and a couple of days overcast, so they are happy to shop. When it is too hot people hit the beach!”

Left: Broncante, Fowey.