Although coronavirus is hitting most non-food retailers hard, some businesses have been given a boost by the lockdown. Retail Week looks at some of those winning right now.

Lovehoney

Those bored and locked in homes need something to entertain themselves, and sex toy retailer Lovehoney is happy to assist.

Lovehoney

Although Lovehoney would not reveal sales figures, it did confirm performance had been “very strong” throughout the pandemic.

A spokesman told Retail Week that couple’s kits, costumes and games, such as foreplay sex dice, Kama Sutra cards and adult board games, were in demand.

Couples that are not isolating with each other have also helped sales of app-controlled toys, which allow people to “have sex remotely”, surge.

The spokesman noted that customer engagement had been particularly strong among NHS workers, who he suggested were buying products for “stress relief”.

Lovehoney is not the only sex toy retailer to see sales rise during the lockdown. Ann Summers said sales in the category had jumped 27% year on year in the first week of the lockdown.

Moonpig

Special occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries are still being celebrated, even if remotely, during the lockdown and shoppers have turned to online to buy cards and gifts easily without a trip to busy supermarkets.

Moonpig

Moonpig has emerged as a big winner during the crisis. Its app downloads have more than tripled since the lockdown started and even spent a period as the number-one downloaded shopping app on the App Store, ahead of Amazon and eBay. Data from online bank Revolut showed sales via the online retailer soared by 156% in March.

The retailer has even launched a section of ‘stay at home’ cards to tap into the consumer mindset. The range now accounts for 10% of sales.

However, keeping up with the surge in demand has been challenging for Moonpig. The retailer, which usually offers next-day delivery as standard, is warning shoppers that cards could take five days longer to arrive.

Naked Wines

With pubs and restaurants shut, shoppers are topping up their wine supplies at home and online specialist Naked Wines is reaping the benefit.

Naked Wines Angels page

The retailer upped its sales guidance for the year last month after “higher levels of demand” following the introduction of social restrictions.

Chief executive Nick Devlin said it is bringing “a moment of normality and enjoyment into their homes without necessitating a visit to a store”.

Devlin believes the lockdown has accelerated the shift in consumer buying behaviour towards online and, particularly in the USA where it has witnessed demand akin to that at Christmas or Thanksgiving, believes this could be “an inflection point” for the growth rate of online wine.

Gymshark

Many people have vowed to get fit during the lockdown. Be it running in the park, PE with Joe Wicks or doing yoga with YouTube sensation Adriene, many of us have put on our workout gear over the past six weeks.

Gymshark

Fashion retailers from Marks & Spencer to Next have been pushing their activewear collections of late, but brand-of-the-moment Gymshark has been the must-visit website for millennials to snap up new yoga pants and sweatshirts.

The brand’s strength in social media will also have boosted its standing at a time when many people are glued to TikTok and Instagram. Gymshark has 4.2 million followers on Instagram and 1.8 million fans on TikTok.

The retailer has also offered free workouts on its app.

That is not the only way Gymshark is boosting engagement. It has pledged to donate £175,000 to NHS charities by giving £5 every time a selfie is uploaded with the hashtag #NHSSweatySelfie

Argos

Argos has outperformed since coronavirus hit the UK. Owner Sainsbury’s revealed yesterday that sales at Argos jumped 9% in the seven weeks to April 25, compared to 0.4% in its previous quarter.

argos-store

The retailer achieved higher sales in the early days of lockdown as customers equipped themselves for home working and spending more time in their houses.

However, it has since suffered reduced sales of white goods as delivery drivers can no longer enter customers’ homes.

Although Argos is now experiencing a “low-teens percentage decline” since its stores have closed, this is a far better position than most ‘non-essential’ retailers.

The retailer has benefited from its strength in ecommerce – online accounted for 64% of sales in 2018/19 – and its Sainsbury’s relationship. Argos shoppers have been able to pick-up items at Sainsbury’s stores.