Retailers have a reputation for blaming the weather when trade turns down. Yesterday Blacks Leisure, which operates 400 high street stores , reported a huge drop in profits and said it was being forced to make big changes in its goods as a result of global warming.
Sales of winter and wet weather gear have fallen off a cliff and Blacks - which includes Millets and has always been a destination store for waterproofs and cold weather clothing - has felt the chill. Chief executive Russell Hardy said the group now had to make wholesale, and continuing, changes to its ranges to deal with "the new weather realities".
Over recent months numerous organisations have woken up to climate change and consumers' increasing concerns about global warming but few of them have so far felt the direct impact of changing temperatures - and buying patterns - on their bottom line.
Big companies from BSkyB to the banks and the oil majors have been vying to underline their green credentials and portray themselves as caring, sharing protectors of the planet.
The retailers have been particularly active. Tesco published a 10-point community plan and committed £100m to an environmental fund to try out powering stores with wind turbines, solar panels, geothermal power and gasification, which produces power from waste food. More recently, Britain's biggest retailer has pledged to publish a "carbon count" on its packaging. Sainsbury's, Wal-Mart-owned Asda and Marks & Spencer have made similar environmentally friendly pledges.
There are now signs that climate change is affecting the way businesses are being run day to day. The Blacks and Millets chains have been particularly hard hit. Blacks' profits plunged from £22m to £100,000 last year. Mr Hardy admitted some of the damage was due to management mistakes and some the result of tough competition and price pressure. But Blacks' biggest problem was the warmer British weather.
"I am not from the Met Office but month after month we are breaking climate records. The scale of the increase in temperatures is quite alarming.
"We, historically, have done well from the old British climate of somewhat wet summers and cold, frosty winters with snow at some point. Last year was the warmest on record and last winter was the warmest and driest. The speed of the change in climate is the biggest issue we face."
The lack of wet weather had left a big hole to fill. "We have 10 percentage points of sales to make up just as a result of lost jacket sales."
Mr Hardy has started "to weatherproof the business with new and rebalanced ranges and this process will continue. "Both Blacks and Millets thrive in a traditional British climate. The challenge is ensuring these businesses also thrive when the weather is dry and warm, particularly in winter." As a result there are new breathable fabrics, lighter-weight summer fabrics and winter clothes deigned to be "layerable".
This week Boots also acknowledged that warmer weather was having an impact on its ranges. Chief executive Richard Baker, one of 1,000 business leaders to attend Monday's climate change conference hosted by the Prince of Wales in London, said: "Nine out of the last 10 summers have set new records" and he expected that trend to continue. "We are expecting to sell a lot of Soltan [suncream] and hayfever tablets."
The John Lewis stores group is also altering ranges and order sizes to accommodate changing demand. Paul Martin, the chain's buyer responsible for small electricals, said: "People are buying fans and air conditioning units much earlier on. Over the past week sales of air conditioning units have increased by 1,100% compared with the same period last year. For the year to date we've seen a 60% increase in sales of all fans and air conditioning units compared with last year.
"Partly in response we have introduced own-brand fans for the first time this year which are selling exceptionally well."
Fashion buyer Nick Chalkey said he has also made changes: "We are using lighter-weight fabrics particularly for coats. We're also stocking more pashminas and wraps rather than heavier knits."
It is not just the retail sector that is affected. Peter Rogers, chief executive of property development group Stanhope, says that increasingly buildings will require additional insulation in their roofs to keep summer heat out rather than just keep winter heat in.
The growing impact of warmer weather has already affected the energy companies and made them plan for a different kind of world where some areas might need less power and all will benefit from low-carbon alternatives to oil and gas.
Shell yesterday blamed weaker demand from gas customers due to warmer weather over the winter for a fall in gas production and has been talking up its plans for its solar and wind businesses which are being developed to provide a greener energy supply.
British Gas recently announced plans to launch a new "green" services arm which would sell home energy surveys, the installation of solar panels and more efficient boilers, to make up for an anticipated fall in demand for its main gas and electricity supply operation.
The move could benefit the Centrica subsidiary because it is aiming for profit margins of up to 9% compared with the "lower single digit" figure it says it achieves from its traditional operation.
BP has created an alternative energy arm and committed itself to spending $8bn over the next 10 years on solar and other forms of renewable power. Its solar business increased capacity from 20 megawatts in 1997 to 200 megawatts in 2006 and is now on track to reach 700 megawatts "in the next few years", according to a spokesman.
More fuel-efficient engines are being developed by car manufacturers which could reduce demand for petrol but industry experts generally assume that growing western economies and booming Asian ones will increase, rather than decrease, future fuel needs.
Power supply firms are being encouraged by the government to help with an energy efficiency drive to reduce carbon emissions in line with its Kyoto protocol commitments, a move which will also reduce demand for traditional energy.
Green screens
The rise of green branding reflects widespread public support for many environmentally friendly ideas but UK consumers' understanding of what it actually means to be green is "shallow, confused and easily swayed by company messages", says a new report.
Some 80% of people believe it is important that companies are environmentally friendly but 23% cannot identify any steps a company should take to make itself green, according to the survey of 1,525 British adults by researchers at marketing company WPP.
The study also reveals that many of the brands perceived by the public as green simply include the colour green in their logo or use more natural packaging for their products. In the report's top 20 UK green brands list, overall winner the Body Shop has long used both the colour green and "alternative" packaging. The top 20 includes supermarkets, petrol firms and an airline.
There are big rewards for companies that promote themselves as green, the report says. Green brands are perceived as having higher quality and consumers say they are prepared to pay a "green premium" for them. "Being seen to be ethically concerned is important but just being modern and likeable - like Virgin or Google - can be enough to bestow a powerful green halo effect," says Phil Gandy, of Landor Associates, which compiled the research.
Green brand survey's top 20
Body Shop, Smart, Waitrose, Co-operative Bank, Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Dyson, Sainsury's, BP, Aveda, Asda, Toyota, Virgin Atlantic, Nivea, Shell, Indesit, Npower, Bosch, Google, Eurostar.
