6 minute read
Year in Review
Beatriz Ball, founder, Beatriz Ball
“My thoughts on 2021? To quote Charles Dickens, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. In the “best” category, the year was one of great growth and expansion for us. We introduced over 200 new products and added new categories. We have outgrown our three current warehouses and are moving to a new larger facility at the top of the year. We are excited about the strengthening of our branding and introducing more fabulous designs in 2022. In the “worst” category, the ongoing supply chain issues and the rising cost of materials are definite challenges. Added to these, New Orleans was struck by a devastating Category 5 hurricane in late August, which of course interrupted our business flow for many weeks. Happily, our distribution is primarily concentrated in the US and Canada, so the international shipping crisis has not been an issue for us in the export category. Furthermore, our Mexico-based foundry still manufactures the bulk of our merchandise, so we are not negatively impacted there, as our transborder supply chain continues uninterrupted.”
The year in review
As 2021 draws to a close, we asked the industry to sum the year up, from challenges such as supply chain issues through to successes in increased sales, here is what they told us…
“As we come through the pandemic, pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels have been looking for ways to upgrade consumer experience. The hospitality industry has been stop-start for the last year. As restaurants, hotels, bars and pubs establish themselves as back in action, diners are looking forward more than ever to the experience hospitality can offer. With that in mind, Bolsius Professional has created a report which highlights the importance of ambiance within hospitality venues and explains, via research, that creating the right ambiance in a venue is a paramount. The guide highlights just how important ambiance is to the hospitality venues. In fact, over 90 per cent of people surveyed for the report felt that ambiance is an important factor when deciding to visit a restaurant.”
Paul Christodoulou, national account manager UK & Ireland, Bolsius Professional
Dr Simon Attila, chief executive officer, Herend
“We see the challenges as opportunities for the Herend Porcelain Manufactory to reach an even higher level. They help us to be successful and for Herend to remain a world-leading porcelain manufactory. We face the challenges of increasing sales, sustainability, market acquisition, flexibility, foresight, product development creativity, increasing efficiency, innovation, increasing employee wages, social and customer utility, professional prestige, meeting customer needs, digital intelligence, and the global health and economic crisis caused by Covid. Herend stood its ground in 2021 as well; other porcelain companies envy us and recognise our achievements. We adhere to our principles of corporate governance, not to complain, to find joy in everything, to show in trouble what we are capable of, and to have reserves that we can rely on. At the Herend porcelain manufactory, we are working hard on our novelties for 2022, which we will soon be showcasing in our sales network of about 60 countries. If you want to buy high-quality, handmade and handpainted porcelain, Herend is still an option not to be overlooked.”
Anand Baldawa, CEO, Seeba Group and thinKitchen
“2021 has been a hopeful and positive year on many fronts. Globally citizens across nations have had access to the vaccine against Covid -19. While the virus has not left us and restrictions have had to continue, economies, societies and nations have been a bit better prepared to deal with it.
At Seeba thinKitchen, our business verticals service the global manufacturing export market as well as the domestic consumer and hospitality markets. Our manufacturing and export vertical has seen robust demand through 2021. Like many others we have also had to deal with shipping and logistic challenges in the latter half of the year. Nevertheless we have continued to see sustained growth in business.
On the consumer front, the pandemic induced inflection in retail that India saw in the previous year has continued to stay strong. A Bain report estimated that the Indian e-commerce market saw a 25 per cent growth in FY 21. Growth has been continuing in FY 22. Consumer demand for our offerings have been growing month on month from the start of the year. To date we have seen an over three times the growth in business since the initial days of our launch. Similarly our presence and visibility across online and offline channels has significantly increased during the course of the year.
On the B2B hospitality front, while the sector has seen slowdown since the pandemic, the growing domestic leisure travel has led recovery. For the nine month period ending Sep 21, pan India RevPar saw a three to five per cent increase over the previous year. Business travel is slowly making a comeback in the metros and tier one cities. The MICE segment is opening up with increase in vaccination rates and ease of restrictions. Having invested in sustained relation building across the pan India premium 4 and 5 star hospitality segment and familiarising them with our ranges, we are well poised to leverage the demand from this sector. As we close 2021 on a positive note, we look forward to 2022 with optimism. On the manufacturing front we are increasing our capacity with a new state of the art manufacturing facility to service more customer orders. To meet domestic demand, we have aggressive plans to increase our brand portfolio and product ranges.” “2021 has been a rollercoaster ride, full of highs and lows. On the one hand, market restrictions and then supply chain issues made for a difficult trading environment. However, they also sparked innovation and opportunity and ultimately led to evolution in the industry.
A key trend we are seeing is for both product designers and HoReCa operators to be more experimental, with a real willingness to try new tableware concepts. For example, the cycle of products and ranges in hospitality venues is shortening. Rather than sticking with a constant design, venues are changing their tableware to fit new menus, styles and décor. This diversification has been an important factor in attracting customers back. That’s meant, for example, that we’re seeing newly launched products perform especially well.
Another key trend is towards quality – this has been going on for a while and, despite the economic problems brought on by the pandemic, it’s continuing. The ability to service customers’ needs by supplying products from stock has always been crucial in our industry, but over the last year it has been the key to sustaining custom and growing as a business.”
“If we have learned anything lately, it’s the value of versatility. Of being able to adapt and to do more with what we have. Smaller and more sustainably produced collections are a necessity, creating pieces that can be enjoyed for longer. Sustainability continues to be a key focus for us. We are conscious of our responsibility to reduce our environmental impact, consistently working towards better, more informed choices. Rather than designing according to trends, our intention is to create useful, relevant products which endure in quality and style. We carefully consider the development of each new product and design with longevity in mind. Our primary material, glass, is infinitely recyclable. We also use discarded materials such as recycled glass and agglomerated cork, transforming waste into useful products. Creating within this framework encourages people to make sustainable choices: buying less and owning for longer. A responsible approach to design and craft which aims to produce something of value.”
