Darren Gabb (left) and Paul Beets of Leisure Pools are busier this year than they were this time last year. Photo / George Novak
Darren Gabb (left) and Paul Beets of Leisure Pools are busier this year than they were this time last year. Photo / George Novak
The side effects of Covid-19 and lockdown have had some unexpected benefits for one local business, which is fielding more inquiries now than this time last year.
Leisure Pools and NZ Louvres owner Darren Gabb told the Bay of Plenty Times he was relatively worried when lockdown began.
"Like everybodyin business, it was the unknown of the situation. There were certainly some sleepless nights in the beginning.
"When we were following up on pre-lockdown inquiries, most people were putting their plans on hold until they had a better idea of what was going on because nobody knew how long it was going to last.
"Now that we're at level one, people are more willing to go ahead and spend that money."
Gabb said since moving out of lockdown, the company had received a number of inquiries.
"I have been pleasantly surprised with how we've picked up after lockdown.
"One guy said his family wasn't able to go on their summer holiday so instead they were looking to invest in something around the home and decided to install a pool.
"We have heard more stories like that; money that was going to be used for holidays is now being earmarked for things around the home.
Gabb said the pool business typically picked up around August so this current rush in early winter was uncommon.
"We are busier this year compared with the same time last year.
"While I wouldn't want to go through this again, it is great people are buying locally and spending their money in the local economy. I say bring it on."
Leisure Pools is one of the largest fibreglass swimming pool manufacturers in the world.
It is a family-owned business that has been run by the Gabb family since 2011.
