Barbecue season can be a lucrative time for independent retailers – if the weather obliges. After last year’s washout, some store managers admit to approaching this summer with trepidation and, with the weather once again inconsistent, issues with oversupply and wastage continue to cause a headache.
“If the weather’s poor over the weekend we find ourselves keeping our fingers crossed for a sunny start to the week, otherwise we end up with wasted stock,” says one store manager.
Chilled meats in particular, can be difficult to order in the right quantity when faced with vague forecasts and unpredictable weather.
Most of the stores we surveyed stock a selection of barbecue products all year round with many holding charcoal and disposable barbecues in storage in the event of an unseasonably hot spell of weather.
A handful of stores admit they make few changes to their product lines when the summer rolls around, mainly due to space restrictions.
Several managers have noted an upturn in sales of marinades and barbecue sauces this year as more products come on to the market. Staples such as charcoal, instant grills, sausages and marshmallows, meanwhile, continue to perform well in patches.
Sales across the whole store are often boosted when barbecue products are selling well with demand for complementary items such as crisps and soft drinks rising sharply during hot spells.
Prominent displays including banners and point-of-sale promotions are a popular means of drawing attention to barbecue sections, particularly for those store managers who depend on seasonal trade.
“We rely heavily on summer trade so make a real effort to make the seasonal section as attractive as possible,” says one store owner from Norfolk.
Another store manager from East Sussex says he brings in additional chillers for the summer months to satisfy the extra demand from holidaymakers at local campsites.
Most interviewees say they have sufficient chiller space to cope with the added demand for barbecue meats and soft drinks, although one manager says he has to replenish stocks of these products regularly to ensure demand is met.
Supply challenges
Norwich retailer
We stock barbecue products all year round but because we’re quite a seasonal store, we give special attention to the barbecue range during the summer, meaning lots of promotions and prominent displays. Sausages are a great seller and we stock a wide range of meats from value through to premium ranges. Managing supply is one of the biggest challenges during the barbecue season. This month especially we’ve been caught out a couple of times by the weather. One weekend it was sunny and we sold out of most stock. The following weekend we ordered in the same level of stock, but the weather was bad and we couldn’t shift it all.
Risk of wasted meat
Hampshire retailer
During the summer, we use shelf displays to draw attention to our barbecue range. This includes big sellers such as briquettes, twin disposable barbecue packs and lighter fluid, plus we’re doing very well on plastic partyware. Up until now, sales have been consistent rather than spectacular, but that’s the nature of the category, you’re at the mercy of the weather. We do our best to order the right amount of stock but it can be a bit of a lottery, especially with fresh meat where there’s the risk of waste if the weather is rough. If it’s good, on the other hand, we have to replenish stocks of soft drinks and meats quite regularly due to space restrictions.
Watch the weather
Somerset retailer
We have a five-metre-wide section devoted to seasonal goods. So for example it will carry Easter and Christmas goods and barbecue products during the summer. The section speaks for itself so we don’t carry a huge amount of banners or bunting.
Chilled meats have been doing especially well this summer, especially coated meats such as ribs and chicken.
It’s our responsibility to ensure we have sufficient stock for the sunny weekends. As long as you watch the weather reports there’s not usually a problem with oversupply but we do get caught out from time to time.
“If the weather’s poor over the weekend we find ourselves keeping our fingers crossed for a sunny start to the week, otherwise we end up with wasted stock,” says one store manager.
Chilled meats in particular, can be difficult to order in the right quantity when faced with vague forecasts and unpredictable weather.
Most of the stores we surveyed stock a selection of barbecue products all year round with many holding charcoal and disposable barbecues in storage in the event of an unseasonably hot spell of weather.
A handful of stores admit they make few changes to their product lines when the summer rolls around, mainly due to space restrictions.
Several managers have noted an upturn in sales of marinades and barbecue sauces this year as more products come on to the market. Staples such as charcoal, instant grills, sausages and marshmallows, meanwhile, continue to perform well in patches.
Sales across the whole store are often boosted when barbecue products are selling well with demand for complementary items such as crisps and soft drinks rising sharply during hot spells.
Prominent displays including banners and point-of-sale promotions are a popular means of drawing attention to barbecue sections, particularly for those store managers who depend on seasonal trade.
“We rely heavily on summer trade so make a real effort to make the seasonal section as attractive as possible,” says one store owner from Norfolk.
Another store manager from East Sussex says he brings in additional chillers for the summer months to satisfy the extra demand from holidaymakers at local campsites.
Most interviewees say they have sufficient chiller space to cope with the added demand for barbecue meats and soft drinks, although one manager says he has to replenish stocks of these products regularly to ensure demand is met.
Supply challenges
Norwich retailer
We stock barbecue products all year round but because we’re quite a seasonal store, we give special attention to the barbecue range during the summer, meaning lots of promotions and prominent displays. Sausages are a great seller and we stock a wide range of meats from value through to premium ranges. Managing supply is one of the biggest challenges during the barbecue season. This month especially we’ve been caught out a couple of times by the weather. One weekend it was sunny and we sold out of most stock. The following weekend we ordered in the same level of stock, but the weather was bad and we couldn’t shift it all.
Risk of wasted meat
Hampshire retailer
During the summer, we use shelf displays to draw attention to our barbecue range. This includes big sellers such as briquettes, twin disposable barbecue packs and lighter fluid, plus we’re doing very well on plastic partyware. Up until now, sales have been consistent rather than spectacular, but that’s the nature of the category, you’re at the mercy of the weather. We do our best to order the right amount of stock but it can be a bit of a lottery, especially with fresh meat where there’s the risk of waste if the weather is rough. If it’s good, on the other hand, we have to replenish stocks of soft drinks and meats quite regularly due to space restrictions.
Watch the weather
Somerset retailer
We have a five-metre-wide section devoted to seasonal goods. So for example it will carry Easter and Christmas goods and barbecue products during the summer. The section speaks for itself so we don’t carry a huge amount of banners or bunting.
Chilled meats have been doing especially well this summer, especially coated meats such as ribs and chicken.
It’s our responsibility to ensure we have sufficient stock for the sunny weekends. As long as you watch the weather reports there’s not usually a problem with oversupply but we do get caught out from time to time.
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