Aug 2007
Weather everywhere and not a drop of
respite
Mike Knowles
We Brits have something of a reputation for always talking about the weather, but when you’ve got as much of the stuff as we’ve had over the past few weeks, you would probably be tempted to shout it from the rooftops. With flooding levels predicted to rise over the next couple of decades, that might be the only place to continue this conversation before long.
The majority of people you speak to about the weather this month will agree that it’s been what meteorologists refer to in the trade as “a stinker”, although for differing reasons, depending on whether you’re currently more likely to be (a) losing your cool struggling to keep an umbrella the right way up or (b) desperately trying to apply the factor 50 cream before your skin is fried to a crisp.
In northern Europe, downpours have lashed production of topfruit, vegetables and potatoes, while, at the same time, driving consumers away from supermarket shelves crammed with summer fruit and back to their homes to turn up the heating and settle in for the duration; in the centre and south, meanwhile, Europeans have been introduced to the kind of heat more commonly found in the Sahara. “Uncomfortable” doesn’t tell half the story.
With crops in shorter supply due to damage caused by the rain and heat, it might be argued that prices ought to rise in line with the classic supply and demand equation. But with consumption also falling in many European markets during the past few months as a result of the weather – particularly in the north – this might not be so feasible. When it comes to stonefruit, suppliers based in this month’s featured country, Greece, should have plenty to offer clients after earlier concerns over production volumes were allayed. But not every supplier country will be so lucky.
Demand is going to be much harder to predict. Many of the continent’s leading retailers have also decided this summer’s frighteningly wet, or indeed hot, weather simply isn’t providing enough excitement, so they’ve embarked on major price offensives (see News, p5). Whether or not this brings customers back into their stores remains to be seen. For suppliers who have already had a tough summer, though, the promise of further price cuts is worrying news.
We Brits have something of a reputation for always talking about the weather, but when you’ve got as much of the stuff as we’ve had over the past few weeks, you would probably be tempted to shout it from the rooftops. With flooding levels predicted to rise over the next couple of decades, that might be the only place to continue this conversation before long.
The majority of people you speak to about the weather this month will agree that it’s been what meteorologists refer to in the trade as “a stinker”, although for differing reasons, depending on whether you’re currently more likely to be (a) losing your cool struggling to keep an umbrella the right way up or (b) desperately trying to apply the factor 50 cream before your skin is fried to a crisp.
In northern Europe, downpours have lashed production of topfruit, vegetables and potatoes, while, at the same time, driving consumers away from supermarket shelves crammed with summer fruit and back to their homes to turn up the heating and settle in for the duration; in the centre and south, meanwhile, Europeans have been introduced to the kind of heat more commonly found in the Sahara. “Uncomfortable” doesn’t tell half the story.
With crops in shorter supply due to damage caused by the rain and heat, it might be argued that prices ought to rise in line with the classic supply and demand equation. But with consumption also falling in many European markets during the past few months as a result of the weather – particularly in the north – this might not be so feasible. When it comes to stonefruit, suppliers based in this month’s featured country, Greece, should have plenty to offer clients after earlier concerns over production volumes were allayed. But not every supplier country will be so lucky.
Demand is going to be much harder to predict. Many of the continent’s leading retailers have also decided this summer’s frighteningly wet, or indeed hot, weather simply isn’t providing enough excitement, so they’ve embarked on major price offensives (see News, p5). Whether or not this brings customers back into their stores remains to be seen. For suppliers who have already had a tough summer, though, the promise of further price cuts is worrying news.
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