Back Our Businesses: Award-winning business owner says she is ‘busier this year than last’

An award-winning business owner has shared she is “busier this year than last”, despite the negative impact the cost of living crisis is having on businesses nationally.

The Sweet Lounge, in Brixworth, is a vegan and plastic-free confectionary brand founded by Greta McDonald in 2014.

The business owner knew there were better alternatives waiting to be discovered to what was already available on the sweet shelves, as no brands had endeavoured to offer vegan sweets with plastic-free packaging.

Earlier this year Greta was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year at the national Federation of Small Business (FSB) awards, and she has shared how her business is faring in the current climate.

Greta said: “Business is steady and the only impact we have seen is an increase in the cost of goods and shipping.

“Our customers are still buying as much and we are busier this year than last. The business’ success has meant we can pay all staff a good wage, and those of us who run the business can pay ourselves.”

It has not been possible for Greta to make changes to cut costs and save the business money, and she says they have “tried to swallow extra costs themselves as they had no choice”.

“We didn’t want our customers to have the extra pressure if we put our prices up, as they already pay premium for our high quality products,” said Greta.

The Sweet Lounge supplies their products to a number of wholesalers and retailers, which is where the majority of sales come from, as well as operating online.

After having just moved warehouses, Greta admitted she is in a very lucky position as they have secured a five-year contract on utility bills so are not dealing with “sky high prices” and the rent has not changed from what they were previously paying.

The only challenge they faced was the rising cost of building materials when fitting the unit out.

The business owner says they “definitely” have a loyal customer base, and is pleased to see The Sweet Lounge “constantly growing and acquiring new customers”.

Though the company expects to see a small decline next year, they are now exporting overseas and do not anticipate seeing a decrease in overall turnover.

“We expect to see business climb next year,” said Greta. “We feel lucky in comparison to other businesses and it means a great deal that wholesalers are still ordering from us, which allows us to keep acquiring new customers.”

The majority of Northampton businesses we have spoken to for the Back Our Businesses campaign have expressed their concerns about the post-Christmas lull when customers do not spend as much, but this is not a worry for The Sweet Lounge.

As a vegan and cruelty-free brand, many of their customers take part in ‘Veganuary’ and turn to The Sweet Lounge for their sweet treats.

Greta admits that while January used to be a quiet month from 2014 until five years ago, the month is now just as busy as the end of the fourth quarter.

The business only tends to experience a “slight dip” in the middle of the summer season, but this has never posed a problem for overall turnover.