Retailers and malls work out new sales plan amid delay in winter

Delay in the onset of winters, shorter duration of cold temperatures, and flattening seasonality are forcing makers of seasonality-centric product categories to rework their strategies.

Categories like soft drinks and ice-cream, which generally see a slump in demand during the winter season, have escalated production cycles, while retailers of winter apparel have cut down on inventory stocks and shopping malls plan to advance their winter end-of-season sales amid a significant fall in the number of peak winter days, industry insiders said.