Author: Nico

Sportsmans Warehouse has seen an increase in online sales during the lockdown period.

An anticipated spike after the first phase of lockdown was lifted has ushered in a sustained period of increased sales. In the words of one of the team’s courier partners: “The increase in online traffic has surprised on the upside.” While software systems proved robust, the challenge was to rapidly increase real-world logistics and operational capacity while ensuring safe working practices for staff and dealing with lockdown restrictions.

“It took two weeks to build a sense of normality,” says Johan Strydom, e-Commerce Executive. “Apart from dealing with couriers stretched to capacity, we had to double the size of our customer care department in order to accommodate additional queries that couldn’t be handled by store staff. We love customers coming into our stores, but we’ve learnt a tremendous amount from this accelerated push to online. We have, in the last few months, reached the point in our online growth which we expected to reach in two to three years’ time.” While demand for team-sports equipment has predictably waned, sales of running, cycling and home-exercise equipment have increased significantly.

Fitch & Leedes, the premium range of authentic mixers from Chill Beverages, has gone big with new 1-litre PET bottles for the popular Pink and Indian Tonics in regular and sugar free.

“We have listened to the needs of our loyal devotees by ensuring they may continue to enjoy the premium quality of our products at a value offering they can trust and appreciate in the comfort of their homes,” says James Shaw, Fitch & Leedes marketing manager.

Embossed with the Fitch & Leedes ship, the signature mark of quality, these value-friendly 1-litre tonics in recyclable PET are on trend, reinforcing the brand promise of pushing boundaries in the pursuit of excellence in terms of product innovation, quality and taste. PET products are 100% recyclable, and Fitch & Leedes is a committed member of PETCO, the post-consumer PET plastic recycling company. Fitch & Leedes Pink and Indian Tonics are available in 1-litre PET bottles at leading retailers at a Retail Selling Price of R19.99 per bottle for the regular variants or R17.99 for sugar-free.

After it was announced that hairdressers and salons could resume trading on 23 June 2020, Linda Sinclair, Sorbet CEO, said: “We have missed the interaction with our guests and the value we add to their lives and sense of wellbeing, and we really look forward to welcoming them back. We are also delighted that the thousands of South African women and men, who make their living in the industry, will be able to get back to work.”

Building on the brand’s already-stringent hygiene processes and protocols, and in compliance with the government’s efforts to avoid the spread of the coronavirus, Sorbet has implemented comprehensive additional precautionary hygiene protocols and safety measures across all stores on opening. These include, but are not limited to: regular deep cleaning and sanitising; additional staff training on hygiene and the coronavirus; limitations on proximity and the number of staff and customers allowed in stores; strict PPE requirements for staff; protective Perspex dividers; touchless hand sanitisers throughout stores; risk-assessment questionnaires to be completed by staff and customers before arriving in stores; and clear protocols on how to manage employees or guests at increased risk of COVID-19 infection.