Martin Bysh, CEO, shares real-time insight into how consumer spending habits have changed as the pandemic develops, and why, in just one year following its initial seed investment, Huboo has been able to triple its customer base and grow to a team of more than 50 staff.
Huboo currently serves over 250 SMEs and startups across the UK, in Europe and the US, territories that represent a £27B market. The business was already seeing 100% quarter-on-quarter growth prior to the onset of the pandemic and, as a result of COVID-19 and consumers buying online from more varied suppliers (due to long Amazon lead times and supermarket stock issues) they are reporting 50% growth on last month’s figures.
In light of COVID-19 restrictions, Huboo has introduced an extensive range of defensive measures to protect their staff including PPE, distancing measures, quarantining of inbound goods and many more. The company had to create an entirely new delivery category within its warehouses of ‘essential items’ – from hand sanitiser and protective clothing to vitamin and health supplements.
By creating mini ‘hubs’ within each physical premises, Huboo has a unique in its approach to warehousing and enables the team to maintain safe social distancing and minimise the travel distances endured by warehouse pickers and packers. It’s an approach that is helping Huboo to prevent the significant delays currently being experienced by other third-party logistics businesses, some of which have had to close their doors entirely to eCommerce businesses as a result of the crisis.