Jeet Bansi, one of our seven expert retailer columnists, discusses what the opportunities are this summer and beyond.

We’ve now passed most of the seasonal events for this part of the year, apart from Father’s Day, which for us is not as big as Mother’s Day, although still an opportunity for increasing sales.

We are well into the barbecue season so this is a real opportunity to branch out and try to push meat sales and all-important associated purchases. Availability is key and it’s vital to follow what the weather is doing to reduce wastage.

The weather is another fantastic footfall driver for us all and it certainly helps with impulse sales.

We have recently topped up our health and beauty range and ensured that we are fully stocked up on sun lotion, after sun and anti-septic spray. By keeping our prices reasonable while maintaining margin it’s amazing how our consumers are picking these products up just because they see them.

Ice cream and soft drinks is another category that should work well for all of us. Availability is key, especially in these areas where there is no wastage. Get it right and the returns are fruitful.

Work with your symbol group to see what offers are available and keep up to date with what the weather is doing.

There are opportunities on the horizon coming from the world of Booker and its merger with Tesco. We are very excited about what this opportunity will bring. I am sure this will lead to increased support for those retailers who are on the journey with Booker.

We are always looking to seize these opportunities and see how they will enhance our business. We are certain that this merger will lead to a better pricing structure to further drive down our prices for our customers and enable us to give a better choice to the consumer.

By looking at the bigger picture with what opportunities are upon us we can certainly drive footfall and help with those all-important sales during the summer.