Home appliances manufacturer, Swan, said it has delivered an “outstanding” sales performance this year, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
This was in Swan’s latest trading statement, for the period July to September 2020. It added that it has seen growth through all retail channels.
“All five of our key categories are seeing growth,” the company said. “SDA being our largest, driven by our core range of Retro, but also through our Nordic and Symphony ranges. The period has also seen us take a market leading position in garment steamers.
“Our Homewares category, which closely reflects those ranges seen in SDA, has seen sales more than double over the period with Retro and Nordic driving performance. It has been a challenging year for the MDA category, however with a greatly improved stock position we are now seeing a significant recovery in sales.”
In relation to Floorcare, which is still a relatively new range for Swan, the manufacturer said it has now entered its second year with this range with sales up more than 150 per cent; the recent quarter saw the launch of its first carpet washing ranges.
When it comes to marketing and reaching out to its customer base, Swan doesn’t shy away from any social platform in order to reach out. With thousands of followers across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, the company is now branching into Tik Tok (the Chinese video-sharing social networking platform) “in a big way”, it said, “actively targeting Gen Z”.
Looking at the impact this year has had on businesses, Swan said it expects the impact of COVID-19 to continue “well into next year”.
It added: “Our third-party fulfilment sites have remained open and operational to ensure fulfilment needs are met, with all sites having strict safety measures and procedures in place.
“Despite a gloomy economic outlook we are confident that we will see another year of strong growth. We have invested heavily in our infrastructure, added quality to our team and have backed this with substantial commitments in stock to try to anticipate spikes in demand.”
The Swan team added that it also has new product launches planned for early next year which will see the new Gatsby, Stealth and Tribeca ranges hit the market.
Swan teams up with local food charity to help those in need
During lockdown earlier this year, Swan provided over 20 kitchen appliances – including its Swan branded microwaves, toasters and tea urns – to 90 different NHS staffrooms across the country to show its support and appreciation for all NHS workers.
Building on this, Swan is also giving back to its local community in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle Under-Lyme by teaming up with Alice Charity, which supports disadvantaged, vulnerable, local families and ensures that every child is fed in the local community.
Alice Charity was founded in 2011 by a mother-daughter duo, who aim to shower families with unconditional love and support. According to the charity, 73 per cent of families earn less than £15,000 and can’t afford to purchase food in school holidays, whilst 33 per cent of parents experience food poverty – missing meals in order to feed their children.
Swan is providing the charity with the essential kitchen appliances and housewares including Swan toasters, kettles and microwaves to help provide for these families in need. Swan’s very own local team will be giving up their own time to get involved in supporting the charity by taking part with offering food deliveries, ensuring that Swan can give back to the community as much as possible during these trying times.
