What’s in store for 2015?
In addition to the current economic conditions and the characteristics of different demographics, when looking at the decrease in registered pool building permits in 2014 one cannot forget to factor in the extreme winter conditions and the duration of the cold temperatures experienced across the country in 2014. Keep in mind, between 2008 and 2010, pool permit registrations failed to break more than 10,000.
A warm spring will also help increase pool sales and the forecast for April and May remains positive. In Toronto, after the city was placed under an extreme cold weather alert 37 times in 2014-15, the cold snap has finally broken and temperatures have fluctuated between 4 C and 9 C (39.2 F and 48.2 F) during the second week of March, which is several degrees above the seasonal norm. Now all the industry needs is for this weather to continue.
“Typically, it is not a good year following a summer like we just had,” said Marvin Betz of Betz Pools Ltd., in Stouffville, Ont. “The only thing to fix this is a hot dry summer. I always say, give me a recession and a hot dry summer over a great economy and a wet cold summer.
“A lot of people will wait and see before spending money on a pool; however, staying positive is important in selling, like telling new leads they are putting in a pool for many years of enjoyment, not just one summer, convincing them the investment is a good one for the future.”
References
With files from Statistics Canada (Investment and Capital Stock Division), and Environment Canada weather and Meteorology. For more information, visit www.statcan.gc.ca, www.ec.gc.ca/meteo-weather, and www.conferenceboard.ca.
This report and all of the figures contained herein are copyright to Kenilworth Media Inc. No use may be made of this or any part of the data or reproduction of charts or graphs without the express written permission of Kenilworth Media Inc. © 2015
