Agriculture is not the only economic activity affected by high temperatures. The unusual heat of the last month and a half – this September has been the warmest in the world since records began – has brought the sales of clothing for the new autumn-winter season to a screeching halt, the most profitable for retailers given the higher price of the products.
“The summer worked more or less well, but September has been a drama due to the high temperatures and October is not going much better; sales are not starting,” summarizes David García, general director of Modacc, the association that integrates 150 companies in the fashion sector in Catalonia. Companies of different sizes and segments consulted share the diagnosis: transition seasons no longer work as before.
With the thermometer at 27 degrees on Friday at noon in Barcelona, no customer approached the turtlenecks or wool coats displayed in the numerous stores on Rambla Catalunya or Diagonal Avenue. “We have hidden the jackets and taken out thinner clothes, but not even like that; “People try to hold on until the real cold comes,” says a shop assistant.
Merchants have tried to boost sales with discounts, ahead of the big Black Friday promotion period. So much so that in September the only price decrease in women's clothing so far this year was recorded, with a drop of 0.5% year-on-year, according to INE data. And children's clothing has barely risen 0.8% at the beginning of the school year, below the general inflation of the last month (3.5%).
Now, these advanced discounts have not helped to boost commerce either, highlights Laura García, from the Comertia merchants association and head of Benitosports. “Consumers have not had the need to buy new outerwear, and you cannot change this no matter how many discounts you make,” she says. Stocks of lighter and short-sleeved clothing are also at their lowest levels after the summer season and the economic context is not helping to sell items that are not essential. “Customers think a lot before purchasing something,” adds García.
Comertia estimates the decrease in sales in September at 1.1% and a quarter of its associates attribute it to the high temperatures, a situation that the Madrid-based Acotex also warns about in its latest barometer.
Textile companies now hope to recover ground with the change in temperatures expected from next week. The retained spending on fashion could finally begin to be released if the cold weather arrives and pick up speed ahead of the crucial Christmas campaign, highlights David García.
But beyond the current changes in weather, the sector is debating how to act in the face of a trend that seems to be consolidating. Summer temperatures lengthen in Spain about ten days per decade and a summer now lasts 40 days longer than it did 40 years ago, according to research by the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet). “Maybe we have to start rethinking the collections and adapting them to the new climate,” says Laura García, from Comertia.
Also when they are put on the market. Luis Sans, owner of the historic Santa Eulàlia and president of the Paseo de Gràcia merchants association, draws attention to the length of time that winter clothing remains in the shop windows. “In June, when summer has just begun, the pre-collection is already in stores; “Only the biggest followers of fashion buy so far in advance,” he points out. Sources from the sector consulted indicate that some brands are reacting and this year they have launched autumn and winter collections with lighter garments, more similar to those of spring, although adapting the colors.
The climate is thus impacting the textile business, a change in which the industry's major players are ahead thanks to their greater control of stocks and a very high assortment rotation, which allows rapid adaptation to circumstances. Independent businesses and small chains now fear that the climate challenge could contribute to a greater concentration of sales.
A process that has been accentuated in recent years, according to data from the Anged consumer association. Independent and multi-brand stores have lost market share, going from 40.5% in 2008 to 20.3% last year, while chains stood at 41.5% in 2022. The end of the seasons intermediates adds new pressure.
