Ice cream sales rise as the sun shines on Chichester

Some people may be drawn in by the luxury of sitting on the beach, but for some the weather brings people in to come and ‘enjoy the sights of Chichester’, according to Simon Bailey, joint business owner of Baileys Artisan Gelato, West Street.

He said: “The good news is that the good weather has brought more people into Chichester and I think the shops benefit from that.

“Our business is slightly more sensitive to good weather so it’s been good.

“We have regular customers coming in each day and we don’t have any flavours that are not popular, which is good.

“Everyone has got their own particular likes, dislikes and therefore we’ve got a complete range to cater for most people’s wishes.

“You give out (the ice cream) to follow the weather, the seasons and deal with production accordingly.

“When it’s sunny, we’re busy and therefore it’s a case of being organised with the planning.

“We’re seeing with the lovely weather, people love to take stuff out far more and enjoy the sights of Chichester.

“They can sit on the green, go into the forum, the benches, the parks which is good.”

Amber Westron, staff member at Bearded Bob’s, North Street, believes the heatwave has been ‘brilliant’ for their business and has not affected the stock available.

She said: “It has been brilliant actually.

“We have had loads of people come in and buy ice creams which we did not have in the winter.

“As we are right next to the car park, people walk past back to their cars and they grab and ice cream.

“We’ve organised (the stock) well. We thought having chocolate would be an issue but its been fine with all our fridges. It’s all kept cold.”

However, Phil Trow, owner of Shake-A-Delic Dessert Bar, Southgate, admits the heatwave has brought some disadvantages.

“It’s really hot and I can’t cool the place down,” he said.

“We’ve got about eight fans in here so it’s frustrating that the customers can’t sit down in a cool environment but it’s only a heatwave and we don’t get it all year.”

However, Shake-A-Delic’s sales have not been affected by the heat thanks to their regular, ‘brilliant customer base’.

Mr Trow added: “Yeah there has (been more sales).

“The town looks a bit quieter, as people might be going to the beach, but we’re busier which is understandable. If we weren’t busy then I’d be worried.

“It’s good for us and let’s hope it stays like this.

“(But) luckily for us, even when the weather is bad, we’ve got a brilliant customer base here. It doesn’t seem to affect us that much when the weather is not as good.

“We haven’t struggled with the stock because I am organised and whatever time of year it is, I’m always looking at the weather.

“I could see this (heatwave) coming so I ordered a lot more things in that we needed. Everyday we’re getting different stock so it’s fine.”