Ron Patel, Ron’s News, Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire

“Our demographic is 60% pensioners, but when the summer comes, we’ll be putting more emphasis on ice creams and soft drinks just the same. We’ll be sure to put more soft drinks in the fridge.

The biggest growth we’ve seen at the moment and in the summer is energy drinks. That’s a huge market and we’ve seen a massive increase in sales. Light snacks – like crisps – get more popular in summer, but chocolate sales dip. As a newsagent, we generally sell everyday luxuries. These are the first things people stop buying when they’re struggling with expenditure in a cost-of-living crisis, so we look for new products in the trade magazines to keep things interesting.

Warmer weather lifts people’s spirits and brings them outside, which takes them to us. Anything we can offer for on-the-go snacks or picnics in the park is good for sales.”

Kuldeep Singh, Carl’s Convenience Store, Oldbury, West Midlands

“The main thing we do is get more ice cream in and increase our soft drinks range. We’re next door to a primary school, so we get strong ice cream sales, and whether it’s carbonated drinks or bottled water, people will pick something up as long as it’s cold.

We’ll increase the variety in our soft drinks as well – it’s usually pretty condensed in winter, but in summer, our customers are more interested in trying new things. “We have five facings of Coca-Cola, three of Diet Coke and two of Coca-Cola Cherry at the moment, but by summer, we’ll have cut some back to make room for lines like Coca-Cola Lemon.

It’s important to focus on impulse lines because people are out and about more and if parents take their kids out, they’ll always want something. “I wouldn’t start putting stock outside, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t work for a different store.”

How to build a beer and cider point of difference this summer

Gail Watling, Tidings Newsagents, Norfolk

“We have quite an elderly population, but in summer, we get the tourists coming to the coast, so we put in lots of gifts. We have clotted cream, fudge and shortbread. I don’t tend to go for ‘tat’ like magnets. I’d rather offer things people can eat, which tend to sell better.

Aside from that, we don’t change the store too much. We definitely see an increase in sales in the summer across all categories. Right now, we’ve got elderly couples coming here on holiday. In July and August, it will be children and families there for their summer holidays, and it will be younger adults coming here in September.

The increased demand certainly means more cash-and-carry trips for us. We don’t have much room at the back of the shop, so we’ve now got an off-site space for summer storage. It’s not a shipping container, but it’s very similar.”

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