Which companies are going to thrive in lockdown 2.0?

After all, during the first lockdown that started back in March, it was a very unpredictable and difficult time for a lot of companies. There were some serious winners, such as Zoom, Netflix and Domino’s Pizza, and some heavy defeats across industries such as events, hospitality, gambling and finance.

However, as we enter the second lockdown, companies have had time to prepare for pandemic conditions – and they have a better idea of what is allowed and what is not. So now with lockdown 2.0 under way, Black Friday and the festive season ahead, we can look at some of the businesses that could be thriving this time around.

Food deliveries

With restaurants closed until further notice, the companies that can offer food deliveries, food box subscriptions or meal kits should be in a commanding position.

Certainly those restaurants can now equip themselves with takeaway only menus, lower overheads at alternative locations and ‘restaurant kits’ to drive sales and revenue

The integration of Marks & Spencer into Ocado comes at an important time in the company’s history, after seeing their first set of losses in 94 years. The surge in interest from households who will enjoy the novelty of M&S goods being delivered to their homes for the first time, topped with a festive period, should help the company go from the red and into the black.

Employee benefits

With thousands of Christmas parties unlikely to take place, companies will be looking for more creative ways to entertain and reward their staff members. Corporate gifts should see an increased uptake this Christmas season as savings on the annual Christmas bash might be better spent sending an individual gift to colleagues and clients.

The role of Zoom to be used for team bonding games online through companies such as Steamed Egg or Buck Buck Games could see the busiest time in their trading history.

Elsewhere, companies look to boost their employee benefits will be important and any additional ways that they can incentive their staff. This may include offering childcare vouchers, employee discounts through Perkbox or health insurance plans through Equipsme.

Gambling

Betting companies that saw huge losses in the first lockdown will not have the same issue this time around. With Premier League football and Six Nations rugby in full swing, the online betting industry will have a strong Q4, especially with high street bookmakers expected to shut down.

Seasoned gamblers needn’t rely on Kazakhstan football or Japanese baseball for their thrills, with the regular season continuing as per usual for most mainstream sports.

Property and construction

The construction industry came to a standstill during the first lockdown and both the price and availability of raw materials such as plaster and timber made it inaccessible for builders across the country.

However, this time around, construction is able to continue, with permission from the government and assuming that workers were the right PPE or are based outdoors.

A spokesman for development finance company, Magnet Capital, commented: “We are continuing as normal during Q4 which is really positive. It is not just our team that gets to continue working, but also all the complimentary businesses including brokers, builders, architects, surveyors, solicitors and more. This puts thousands of more people in employment than before.”

E-learning

Although more people will be back at work now than during the previous lockdown, there still remains millions of people who are set to be on furlough.

E-learning will continue to grow with companies such as Udemy and Coursera allowing people to upskill, learn new tasks and start new businesses as a result.

We have seen an increased number of online courses and e-learning facilities to offer services such as online trading, anti-money laundering and finance. The FCA has extended the SMCR deadline until March 2021, which means that thousands of finance managers will be learning their compliance online until the due date.