“Customers will be dressing for the weather, and they’ll expect staff to do the same.” Asked about the dress code at Nisa HQ, Towle joked “anything goes.”

When asked about air-conditioning in stores by presenter Naga Munchetty, Ken Towle explained that it was up to each store to make their own decisions.

One Stop Mount Nod advised on Twitter: “Air Con is a must in weather like this, not only for customers but your own staff and to keep the in-store refrigeration running at its best.”

The CEO appeared on the show to promote the merits of viewer’s independent shops, claiming that local stores were the ‘sensible choice’ on convenience, time, quality and price.

Leading on to the topic of weather, he pledged that decisions were being taken ‘hourly’ to keep shelves full, with historic hot weather data being used to match demand.

On the day the statement was made, just 48 lines were officially listed by Nisa as out of stock, nearly all were due to ‘supplier failure’. A further 11 were de-listed with no replacement.

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