Too Hot To Work?

The other day, Sales and Marketing Director at Ultraframe @JoeMartoccia asked me if I thought it was too hot for business, as some of his retailers were suggesting. At first I didn’t know if I was being asked if it was too hot to work, or if the hot weather was putting people off…so I gave two answers!

My first answer was that no, it wasn’t too hot to work. Yes it’s pretty steamy out there. Most places in England are hovering near that 30 degree mark and have been for quite a while now. In fact I think this is our third straight week of sun and heat. But lets get things right, it’s NOT too hot to work. Yes it may seem unfair that we all have to be stuck inside when we’d rather be at the pub or eating – I too would like be at a pub and stuffing my face, but our heat isn’t on the scale as in other parts of the world. For example, in Cyprus, a very large swathe of the country, including their schools, shut down for a few months during the height of summer as temperatures there regularly soar above 40 degrees. Arizona recently has baked in 52 degree heat which has seen various sectors shut down. It’s only 30 degrees here. All we can do is just get on with our working day and make the most of it on an evening and the weekends.

As for the other point I made, I was saying that this prolonged dry and hot spell is probably quite likely to draw focus away from windows and doors. When the weather is this good, and when the kids are off school, people are more likely to go on days out, rather than trudge through hot and sticky showrooms. Putting myself in the consumer’s shoes, I know that is what I would be doing.

Whilst leads have remained pretty healthy for us here throughout these hot weeks, footfall is down a bit I would say. I’m putting this down to the weather.

However, if you are in the business of summer products, you’ll be having an absolute stonking month! Amazon have recently reported that sales of BBQ’s, coal, paddling pools and everything else outdoors related have rocketed up hundreds of % compared to previous months.

For those in the window game, I think we might see a steady influx of people in the showrooms again once this hot spell finally dissipates. However, on a personal level, I want it to stay a little bit longer yet! I’m not a fan of winter and after such a long winter this year, I’m enjoying waking up to blue sky and heat every morning!

So, no, it’s not too hot for work, and yes, it’s probably forcing people to the coasts rather than the showrooms.