Halloween Horror: UK's Pumpkin Supply Plummets, Prices Surge by 30%
At a glance: Helios helped customers spot the UK pumpkin shortage three weeks before the media, showing how it can predict supply chain problems before prices jump.
What happened?
The UK's 2024 pumpkin shortage has cast quite a shadow over Halloween festivities. Thanks to relentless rain and a pesky slug invasion, many pumpkins are still green, leaving businesses struggling to meet the spooky season’s demand. With a supply shortfall creeping in, prices have been spooked too, rising by about 30%. Where pumpkins used to cost £2 to £3, they now haunt us at £3 to £5 or more. Some have decided to carve out new traditions, swapping pumpkins for squash and turnips to avoid these wickedly high prices!
How Helios Helped
In the graph of precipitation levels in Derby below, you can see that it flags the beginning of a deviation of rainfall from historical levels, 17.6 inches higher than usual. Helios detected the abnormal precipitation patterns at the end of September 2024, flagging a major risk for crop disruption. By October, rainfall reached a staggering 37.8 inches, far beyond seasonal norms. This early detection allowed Helios users to anticipate significant flooding well before media outlets caught on. Armed with this foresight, users were able to take strategic action by securing alternative suppliers and locking in favorable contracts. When pumpkin prices surged by 30% later in the year, Helios clients had already safeguarded their supply chains and avoided the worst impacts.
