Jura Australia managing director, George Liakatos is pleased with how the business has performed, in light of COVID-19, with continued demand for premium product, he told Appliance Retailer in a recent video interview.
“Like everyone, we were a little nervous when the restrictions were announced but overall, we have been pleased with how we have been able to navigate ourselves through it,” he said.
“Our household division – the largest portion of the business – has faired well and there has been huge demand for coffee machines in general and even though we sit at the more premium end, our machines have continued to perform well. Our commercial division has suffered slightly with demand for office coffee machines slightly decreasing, but we are still seeing some strong signs and the business continues to grow.”
One of the opportunities to emerge from the pandemic is the proliferation of existing technologies and platforms within the Jura business, according to Liakatos.
“Our online advisory service, Jura Live, has seen a big increase in daily calls with end-consumers still wanting to experience a coffee demonstration before purchasing. Originally designed as a sales tool, this service has come into its own during this crisis as it allows customers to experience a proper demonstration from the comfort of their own home.
“We are encouraging our trade partners to utilise this service where they are unable to demonstrate our products due to social distancing and COVID-19-safe requirements.
Mother’s Day is the second biggest retail period for Jura and May is a crucial selling month with positive results from increasing sell-out numbers over the last couple of weeks.
“We have new product coming to market, alongside our most premium GIGA 6 machine which is now available after launching in January, and we have already sold quite a few of those machines so there is still some demand in the premium end of the market,” Liakatos said.
Appliance Retailer caught up with George via Zoom to receive this commentary. Watch our interview here.
If you would like to schedule a Zoom chat with Appliance Retailer, feel free to reach out to the team at Appliance.Retailer@intermedia.com.au.