For more than a decade, this New Zealand-owned brand supplied design-led Kiwiana products and souvenirs to the tourism industry. Their work captured the spirit of Aotearoa and filled shelves from Auckland to Queenstown.
Then COVID hit.
Overnight, the borders shut and the tourists vanished. Orders collapsed, warehouses filled, and cashflow dried up. What had been a steady, profitable business was suddenly fighting to stay alive.
When travel finally returned, so did demand. Larger orders began flowing in again, this time from loyal customers eager to restock. But the rebound created a new problem: they needed to pay overseas suppliers months before local retailers would pay them.
It’s the classic cashflow gap that every importer knows too well — and their bank wasn’t willing to bridge it.
Despite a solid trading history, the bank focused on the COVID years and said no. The only option on the table was to extend the overdraft — by using their personal and property assets as security.
That would mean putting their home at risk just to fund a return to normal operations.
Lock Finance took a different view.
We saw a strong business regaining momentum, backed by confirmed purchase orders and a reliable customer base. We structured a practical, two-part solution:
No personal guarantees.
No property on the line.
Just the strength of their sales and orders.
This approach kept their production schedule intact, their staff paid, and their shelves stocked — without gambling their family home on the recovery.
Today, the business is back in profit and expanding again, powered by smarter cashflow and a finance partner that looked beyond the past.
Because the right finance shouldn’t put your assets — or your future — at risk.
