Retail import company Container Door revisits Australia, tests alcoholic drinks category

Paul Gestro, general manager of Container Door. Photo / Supplied

Bulk goods importer Container Door has launched in Australia for the second time following a day-long stint back in 2016.

The Penrose company, which operates a factory-to-consumer business model that cuts out the middleman, has opened in Sydney, with plans to expand to other Australian ports of Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth early next year.

Container Door sells sporting equipment, furniture, and most recently alcoholic beverages, shipping them to consumers direct from factories at prices about 50 per cent cheaper than in retail stores.

Cutting out agents, wholesalers and retail stores, and buying in bulk, enables the company to offer competitive prices.

Paul Gestro, general manager of Container Door, said the disruptive shopping concept was progressing well just days after its launch across the Tasman.

After three years operating in the domestic market, Gestro said the company decided the time was right to revisit Australia.

"It had gone well in the first nine months in New Zealand and then 'let's go to Australia', and that was probably not the best way to start," he said.

"We literally turned it off on day one because it was looking to be too hard, and secondly, they underestimated the customer service angle."

Gestro said Australian consumers were keen on sporting and water sports goods.

"It's a little bit more competitive there than here, a lot more online e-commerce businesses there and a wider range of products they can receive, so we're under no illusion that it is going to be easy [to crack the market]," he said.

Container Door is approaching $20 million in sales. It has had revenue growth of 400 per cent in two and a half years and revenue is up 50 per cent on last year. This financial year it will hit around $10m in sales.

The company now has a liquor licence and last month began selling alcoholic beverages by the container-load.

Container Door sells product imported from manufacturers offshore. Photo / Supplied

"It's just gone nuts," Gestro said. "We're importing container-loads of champagne directly from champagne regions in France and just launched a prosecco directly from Italy last week which has gone ballistic as well."

The company is completing a $5m capital raise which will be used to expand into Australian ports, hire more buyers, and eventually launch into the United States.