Smart Garden Products
first lockdown started , we were forced to quickly delay a lot of our imports to avoid overwhelming our warehouses . However , as soon the news about restrictions easing was released in May , we had to do the complete opposite and restart shipping stock over from our manufacturing partners . We spent the rest of the year playing catch up and achieving an incredible stock turn , as everything that arrived pretty much went straight back out the doors .
“ We were very fortunate that we had a lot of open purchase orders and the amazing efforts from our own team in China working with our suppliers ensured that we were able to bring in a good flow of stock over the rest of the year . Strong sales continued into and throughout 2021 , while during the year the cost of shipping containers increased tenfold , moving from a price of $ 1800 to the eye-watering levels over $ 18,000 . Fortunately , our sales almost doubled to £ 125 million , which in turn enabled us to absorb most of this increase and help our
customers by not passing on price increases . Having our own office and team in China is invaluable , not just in terms of sourcing and procurement , but logistics , quality control , and administration . The advantage of having our own team was underlined even more sharply during the pandemic and enabled us to operate efficiently and effectively throughout a very challenging period .
“ Ultimately , it ’ s all about good customer service ,” he concludes . “ While we supply a great range of competitively priced products , our customers want to have the confidence that we will have appropriate levels of stock all year round and be able to deliver what they want , when they want it . Despite the various challenges posed by Brexit , coronavirus and now inflation , we have managed to consistently satisfy customer demand and look forward to a brighter and more predictable outlook over the next few years .” ■
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