Lead demand may get boost from battery sales

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LONDON (Reuters) - A recent cold snap has triggered a sharp jump during battery sales at Euro car parts retailer Kwik-Fit and may boost demand for battery material lead.
"Last week's battery profits were 70 percent in the same week last year or so, " Patrick Evans, a spokesman to the company told Reuters for Monday.
"Clearly the early freezing snap and snow has taken its toll on battery pack, " he added.
Lead-acid batteries employed in cars and other vehicles are much more prone to failing in extreme weather just like hard winters and scorching summers.
Batteries account for around 80 percent of global consumption of the metal.
Last Comes to an end, car breakdown company RAC reported it fitted 40 per-cent more batteries in The united kingdom in November (Berlin: NBXB. BE - news) than inside same month last calendar year.
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The idea expected the increased flops, along with fitting with larger, higher output batteries, to lead to a significant increase in lead requirement.
While stocks of head held in London Material Exchange (LME) warehouses are all-around 10-1/2 year highs, shipments recently are actually leaving a diverse selection of warehouse locations, suggesting a widespread receive in industrial demand.
LME inventories rose by the net 275 tonnes for Monday, but while 1, 000 tonnes were delivered straight into warehouses, 725 tonnes were also taken out of various sites, including inside Europe (news).
But, until the wintry conditions persisted unabated, Kwik-Fit expected battery sales this coming year to be broadly similar to 2009, citing last year's tough winter.
Sales might just be phased differently, Evans (EVAN. PK -- news), of public interaction agency Citigate Dewe Rogerson, explained.
AA patrols in Great britain, meanwhile, are changing between 700 and 1, 000 battery power daily, according to Vanessa Guyll, a new technical specialist for AA Consumer Affairs.
The AA gives various services to staff, including vehicle breakdown insure.
"We always change far more batteries right now of year. The cold weather slows down the chemical reaction in the battery and there are several additional loads on it again - heaters, heated back screens, lights etc, inch Guyll said.
The AA did have no year-on-year figures with which will to draw comparisons.
"Battery failure is our biggest basis for call outs - and has been for countless years, " she said. <! --INFOLINKS_OFF-->.