Washed-out summer: which businesses have benefited

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"Weather is for wimps," former Marks & Spencer boss Sir Stuart Rose famously declared in 2007. He soon came to regret his words when the (then) wettest June on record hit sales. This June broke records again, with 145mm of rainfall, more than double what you'd expect at this time of year. July has also been quite wet.

While the torrential rain has wreaked havoc with barbecue plans and summer festivals, there is a silver lining for hard-pressed consumers: retailers have been forced to slash prices to lure shoppers back, driving inflation in June down to its lowest rate since November 2009. Many highstreet shops started the summer sales earlier than last year.