The Japan Times - Hat sales spike at sunny Wimbledon

The grass-court Grand Slam, often known for its soggy conditions, began in roasting weather and the sun has mostly shone ever since.

Dan Ashmore, head of retail, merchandise and licensing, said baseball caps were flying off the shelves, with more than 45,000 sold so far compared with 75,000 over the whole two weeks of the championships last year.

Baseball caps are priced at £35 ($48), with Panama hats (£120) and raffia hats (£70) also selling well.

"Days one and two this year were a scorcher," said Ashmore. "Baseball caps were selling very, very quickly.

"We're about 25 percent further ahead on baseball cap volume than we were at this time last year."

Ashmore said it was a different story at the 2024 tournament.

"It was cold and it was wet," he said. "Last year's story was all about the sweatshirts and the warmer garments."

Wimbledon buys its stock about eight to 10 months in advance so cannot predict the weather.

"With that in mind, we need to plan for a very wet Wimbledon, as we've seen in the last couple of years, or a very dry Wimbledon," said Ashmore.

"So we have enough umbrellas in our buy to see us through 14 days of rain. Clearly we're not going to need them. Umbrellas are about 25 percent down versus last year.

"But we also have enough baseball caps for 14 days of sunshine, and we might not get a full 14 days of sunshine."

Players are also keen to stock up on Wimbledon merchandise and towels are top of their list.

"We had 175 players come through the Number One Court shop across the pre-championships weekend, and they are buying a cross-section of products," said Ashmore.

"The towels are our number-one bestseller, and they are with the players as well.

"They clearly take the towels, and we like that, that's a good story for us. They take the towels from the courts.

"I think they often end up in the hands of their entourage, in the hands of their guests perhaps. But we see them buying more in the store.

"They were particularly fond this year of our friendship bracelets, which have been selling very well."

The Wimbledon weather this weekend is forecast to be overcast but the sun is expected to return early next week, with temperatures expected to climb again.

The singles finals take place on July 12 and 13.

K.Abe--JT