Logan activewear retailer LSKD hires 240 for Black Friday sales surge
A young Queensland entrepreneur has hired 240 extra workers for his activewear business as he gears up to fill an expected 100,000 orders during this month’s Black Friday’s sales bonanza.
Queensland activewear sensation LSKD has hired more than 240 new staff to pack an anticipated 100,000 orders for this month’s Black Friday sales.
Retailers across the country are gearing up for the shopping extravaganza on November 26.
Black Friday, held the day after Thanksgiving in the US, is now rivalling Boxing Day as Australia’s premier shopping event, alongside the online shopping juggernaut Cyber Monday on November 29.
LSKD founder and chief executive Jason Daniel, 34, said Australians are increasingly embracing the four-day spendathon. He said with the Covid-19 pandemic added to the equation, LSKD was expecting its busiest-ever Black Friday.
The company is set to pack 100,000 orders — twice as many as last year. That will equate to about $15m in revenue, or 25 per cent of the company’s annual sales.
Mr Daniel said LSKD has recruited more than 240 extra staff to cope with demand from its Australian and offshore “community” of customers.
“It’s going to be huge. It’s the biggest part of the year for us,” he said.
“It’s an opportunity for our community to try the new brands, especially in the lead-up to the Christmas period.”
LSKD designs and sells men’s and women’s sports, fitness and adventure apparel and accessories with a street aesthetic from tights and sweatshirts to hoodies, puffer jackets and more.
In late 2018, the company started a transition from wholesale to online to sell direct to their community.
Since then, revenue has jump from $3.3m in 2018-19, and the Logan-based company has expectations of passing the $65m mark in 2021-22 and bringing in more than $100m in 2022-23.
“As we transitioned from wholesale to e-commerce that’s when we started to embrace Black Friday,” Mr Daniel said.
“We have been doing it for three years and it’s just getting bigger and bigger.”
Australian Retailers Association chief executive Paul Zahra said November was now Australia’s biggest shopping month of the year.
“It has eclipsed December for the past two years running, and that can be mostly attributed to the growing popularity of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales,” he said.
“We’re forecasting that consumers will spend a record $5.4bn over the four-day sales period.”
Mr Zahra said what began as an American shopping tradition has been truly embraced by Australians in a big way.
“This event is renowned for having the biggest pre-Christmas in-store and online bargains,” he said.
“The Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales provide strong momentum for Australian retailers heading into the all-important Christmas trading period.
“The Christmas trading quarter is the most critical time of year on the retail calendar when most discretionary retailers make up to two thirds of their profits.”
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