THE WINE MERCHANT. An independent magazine for independent retailers
Issue 159, July 2026
Dog of the month: Allbarone Brigitte Bordeaux, Nottingham
Independents don’t like it hot as weather dents sales Soaring temperatures affect retail and wholesale business, with one merchant describing “ghost town” conditions
W
arm weather normally means
has affected us in a bad way, certainly in
to manage. Heat like this is pretty unusual.”
June heatwave saw many indies report a
– others didn’t open at all. Our opening
negatively impacted by hot weather. We
booming business for wine
merchants – but the extreme
decrease in trade.
With businesses closing early and
events being cancelled due to soaring temperatures, independents didn’t
experience the sales uplift they were hoping for.
James Richards, owner of Vin Neuf in
Stratford-upon-Avon, said: “Footfall for the
the short term. Several other businesses
in our towns closed at 1pm on some days
hours remained unchanged but it was like a ghost town out there.”
He added: “Sometimes the extreme heat
actually reduces sales, as everyone just slows down and stays at home.
“Overall it’s just been another little thing
Sarah Truman, who owns Sarah’s Cellar
in Battle, East Sussex, said: “I am always
are close to the coast so when the mercury rises people drive 20 minutes down the road.
“This is not helped by the super-heated
High Street, which has no shade and a genius painted it all white so the sun
shop was down considerably as customers have taken the advice of the government
and avoided travelling. But thankfully the till is ringing from the orders from last
weekend’s summer wine tasting event we hosted.”
It was a “poor week” for wholesale trade
during the heatwave, he added, with the
World Cup contributing to the downturn. “Also, we have had several large events
cancelled at the last minute, where we have also had to turn glasses around and had to buy in extra stocks,” he said.
Simon Thomson, of Talking Wines in
Cirencester, said: “Good weather is usually
very good for business. However the recent extreme heatwave has seen our hospitality
customers experiencing some cancellations as people stay at home.”
Simon Evans, whose Naked Grape
business has shops in Hampshire and
Berkshire, said: “I’d have to say the heat
Jonathan Cocker of Martinez Wines in West Yorkshire gets good value out his vans: a Mercedes Sprinter clocked up 400,000 miles before he replaced it with a newer model. Read more indie van tales on pages 50-52.