A Tyneside firm that was left with just a “50/50” chance of survival at the height of the Covid pandemic has bounced back - thanks to a boom in stag and hen dos.
Last Night of Freedom, one of Britain’s leading stag and hen party providers, faced a £1.1m refund bill and was forced to furlough long-serving staff as the virus caused chaos across the tourism sector in 2020.
But two years on, the Gateshead- based company is once again thriving after seeing bookings pour in from revellers looking to make up for lost time.
“It was a scary period," managing director Matt Mavir said. "However, not only did we survive it, the company is now in a very healthy position.
"Everybody has suffered during the last two years, but what we are seeing now is that what really matters to people is spending time with their friends and making memories. Customers are desperate to have fun and share experiences with the people they were forced to spend so much time apart from, and they are as thrilled as we are that they can once again get away and enjoy life to max."
And business really is booming at the Saltmeadows Road-based company since travel restrictions ended. Revenue is already approaching healthy pre-pandemic healthy levels as stag and hen parties book breaks in popular destinations including Newcastle, Liverpool, and Manchester.
The company, which had been trading with a skeleton staff at the worst of the pandemic, has also recently welcomed four new employees to its team of 30 staff.
“We’ve been around for over 20 years, so our mixture of experience - coupled with years of running a profitable business - helped us weather the storm," Matt said.
“And I think our reputation, along with our flexibility during the pandemic, has been a big factor in customers using us since restrictions ended.”
The party firm boss praised the "dedication and hard work" of staff who played a major role in reassuring customers, postponing their trip, or offering credit for their booking during the uncertainty. However, the company's online shop also played a vital role in helping the business to survive.
The store helped the firm to retain an income stream by selling tongue-in-cheek novelty items for various events, as well as affordable t-shirt printing.
“The size and the variety of our shop is something which sets us apart from our competitors, so that proved to be a godsend during that period," Matt said.
"[And] our staff worked tirelessly to ensure customers felt reassured that their trip would eventually go ahead."
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