‘We’ve not had a summer’: retailers battle unpredictable British weather

A shopper on Oxford Street in London. The wet summer has been a washout for fashion retailers. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

When the season switched from summer to autumn, like clockwork clothing stores would swap out the racks of floaty frocks and fill them with heavy coats and jumpers.

Now, as the nights draw in, retailers are having to rejig seasonal ranges as the UK’s unpredictable weather calls for summer jackets and lighter knits.