Weather Trends International Easter Outlook – a GOLDEN Egg for March Retail Sales!

After three very disappointing Easter periods the past few years with record cold and snow, retailers are about to lay a golden egg this holiday weekend (the most important period in Q1). 

The weather will be nothing short of exceptional with the NORTHEAST having the most ideal conditions – warmest and driest in 20+ years for the Easter weekend.  The last time Easter weather was this ideal was in middle April 2006 when 1,543 record high temperatures were set across the country – this year is even better in the Northeast!  In 2006, Easter weekend temperatures in the Northeast averaged 73°F, 2007 38°F, 2008 46°F, last year 57°F and this year near 80°F!  This will result in strong double and even triple digit sales gains over last year for Spring seasonal items like Easter seasonal categories/candy, fans, garden items, grills, deck stains, car wash/wax, bug sprays, allergy medications, suncare, apparel, sandals, cold beer and beverages, outdoor BBQ grilling food categories, ice cream snacks and more.

Across the rest of the country the holiday weekend (Friday – Sunday) conditions are still favorable for the Eastern half of the U.S., but a bit colder/wetter in the West.  Here’s the regional summary:

SOUTHEAST:  Warmest in 4 years (average high temperatures 81°F) and 57% drier than last year.

SOUTH CENTRAL:  Warmest in 4 years (average high temperatures 75°F) but on the damp side with the threat for widespread thunderstorms.

NORTH CENTRAL:  Warmest in 4 years (average high temperatures 62F) with some rain South.

NORTH ROCKY MOUNTAINS:  11 degrees colder than last year but a little drier than last year – Sunday is the nicest day.

SOUTH ROCKY MOUNTAINS:  Cold start but warmer finish by Sunday.

SOUTHWEST:  Coldest in several years but a warm up by Sunday.

NORTHWEST:  6 degrees colder than last year and the wettest in 5 years so this is the least favorable region this weekend.

Nationally, the 5-week retail calendar March is on pace to be the warmest and driest in 3 years with the least snowfall in 20+ years (snowfall down 61% vs last year).  Retailers are coming off the worst March ever last year when retail same-store-sales (SSS) were down 5.1% according to ICSC’s tally of retailers, so the combination of easy sales comparisons and exceptional Easter weather will bring a lot of golden eggs when retail sales are announced April 8^th!  Expectations on Wall Street are +3.0% to +3.5% while WTI expects retail industry SSS gains to be much stronger at +4.5% to +6%.  The 4^th straight better than expected month for retailers!

PRESS CONTACTS:

Bill Kirk, CEO & Co-Founder Weather Trends International

(O) 610-807-3585 (C) 484-903-6887

bkirk@wxtrends.com

About Weather Trends International:  The global leader of actionable year-ahead business weather guidance for retailers, manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, agricultural firms, financial equity and commodity analysts.  Clients include some of the world’s most respected and successful companies like Wal-Mart, ASDA, Target, Kohl’s, AutoZone, Sherwin-Williams, Anheuser-Busch, Johnson & Johnson, 3M, SC Johnson, JP Morgan, Agway, Hershey’s and over a hundred fifty others.  Its business centric weather solutions and understanding of how consumers respond to the weather is used throughout organizations to help "manage the weather risk”.  Utilizing technology first developed in the early 1990s, Weather Trends International’s unique statistical math based trade secret formula forecasting methodology projects temperature, precipitation and snowfall trends by day and week a year-ahead for 720,000 locations across the globe (all 195 countries) with an industry leading 75% to 95% accuracy.  WTI is recipient of 6 business/technology awards this year:  2009 winner of the Red Herring North America technology award, 2009 winner of the American Business Award for Most Innovative Company of the Year, International Business Award for Most Innovative Company of the Year in North America and Forbes #5 Most Promising Company of the year.  Offices in Bethlehem, PA, and Bentonville, AR.  Visit http://www.wxtrends.com/ or http://www.myskeye.com/ for more information.