Covid has been reasonably kind to the gift and homewares industry, and many businesses came through 2020 mainly unscathed.
In fact, many saw their sales increase including Alcoholder. “We saw an uplift in the sale of our products due to many people being stuck at home during the Covid lockdowns,” says founder, James Boardman.
The brand’s Stub Zero beer can and bottle cooler proofed to be one of the most popular products during the pandemic, but it hasn’t stopped there as they were also the most sought after items at the recent Reed Gift Fair.
“The Stub Zero beer can and bottle cooler did extremely well. People are (still) spending more time at home and they want to drink their own drink in a ‘fun’ environment in their own backyard.”
Boardman adds it was a very positive experience to be back again and the general consensus seems to be that buyers have an appetite to kick-start retail and are collectively supporting the industry.
“I think people are surprised that the impact [of Covid] on the economy was a bit softer than anticipated. We saw many online retailers coming through, ones that had been established during or post-Covid.
“We didn’t see too many chain store buyers such as Myer and the Iconic, however, we saw a more varied mix of retailers willing to branch out into different products that don’t necessarily fit the actual theme of their store. People are just trying to have a go as more stores have become part of the greater market.”
