25/08/2009 - Tesco plans to work around weather
A special team at supermarket giant Tesco are to embark on a new shelf-stocking initiative aimed at matching the right products with the weather.
Changeable British summers, with glorious sunshine one day and rain the next, have proved difficult for supermarkets who are struggling to meet consumer demands. Typically, barbecue foods have been 'must-have' items one day, with more wintry products like soup in demand as little as a day later.
The new system correlates shopping patterns to changing climates, showing how sales fluctuate for every degree of temperature and every hour of sunshine. Tesco expect the scheme to save thousands of pounds in food wastage by tailoring its shelves to be more in line with what people want, when they want it.
Data experts studied results from 12 different UK regions over 36 months to develop the system. Results showed that sales of barbecue meat increase by 300% for a 10C increase in temperature.
Tesco spokesman Jonathan Church said: "Getting this right means we do a good job for customers but it can also help avoid food waste which costs money and is bad for the environment. Rapidly changing weather can be a real challenge."
Copyright © Press Association 2009
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