Although the overriding tone has been one of consumer caution, lockdown has produced a hefty increase in sales of goods to improve home life and help pass the time: retailers of books, bikes, outdoor plants, video games, gin, baking ingredients, wine and children’s toys have all reported a surge in demand.
This combined with the timing of the pandemic over the spring and summer months has also boosted the need for outdoor storage, according to a Glasgow firm that has expanded its facilities as a result. Capacity at the Shedman factory in the city’s East End has been doubled, with new jobs created as well.
“For the past three months, people have been using their unexpected free time to do jobs around the house and garden and a shed is a great boon for securely storing all kinds of DIY equipment,” owner Bill Roddie said.
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“Many furloughed workers have also found themselves with extra money since their daily expenses were reduced, and we have seen a big increase in sales of dog kennels for people who have bought a new pet. Play hut sales are also up as parents try to keep their children occupied while they are off school.”
Though the factory was shut for a period during lockdown, online sales continued apace. Workers have since returned following completion in May of a £450,000 extension to increase the size of Shedman’s production space from 7,000 to 12,000sq ft.
New equipment was also brought in, along with the addition of eight new full-time and two part-time jobs, taking the company’s workforce to 25.
The expansion was completed in time to keep up with a spike in demand as sales during June nearly tripled on the same period a year earlier. The previous year’s production levels of 65 to 70 units per week peaked at 197 last month, and is currently hovering around the 140 mark.
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“This new investment, which is bringing more high-quality employment to the East End, (has allowed) us to increase capacity at the factory by 100 per cent,” Mr Roddie said.
“While we have also invested heavily in marketing and smart use of social media, the increase in demand has been quite dramatic and it is hard not to believe that it is directly related to the pandemic quarantine.”
Although Shedman was forced to furlough the majority of its staff during April, the business delivered more than 100 “shopping sheds” to vulnerable local residents during the height of lockdown. Provided free of charge, the sheds offer a secure way to leave essential items at the doorstep, protected from the elements.
Mr Roddie, the founder of family-owned Spectrum Properties, bought the 32-year-old Shedman business last year from its retiring founder.
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Established in 1988, Spectrum employs 75 people and has an annual turnover of more than £5 million. It has more than 700 office, industrial and workshop units to let throughout Glasgow, with a portfolio valuation of £60m.
“We see (Shedman) as a good marriage,” Mr Roddie said. “We also operate a business selling firewood, and that is busy during the winter, so we saw this as a gap-filler, and wow, it has been more than a gap-filler – it has been that busy.”
Although the winter months will bring a seasonal drop in demand, Shedman’s extended capacity will not be left fallow. That part of the year will be used to build stock sheds for the following spring, with last year’s run of approximately 300 units expected to rise to between 600 and 700.
In addition to an indoor showroom at its factory in Dalmarnock, the business also has an outdoor showroom in Glasgow’s West End.
Mr Roddie said trading at Spectrum Properties remains on form even though the Covid-19 pandemic has led many workplaces to be vacated. The letting firm has overhauled buildings in formerly municipally-owned properties such as Hillhead High School in the West End, Shakespeare Street School in North Kelvinside and Sir William Burrell’s former home in Great Western Road.
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