A marquee company which was hit by the loss of £2.5 million worth of orders - and a date with 007 - at the start of the coronavirus lockdown has found a host of new markets for its products.
Fews Marquees was launched two decades ago and has built up a core client base in the corporate entertainment and wedding sectors.
But these were among the first industries to feel the severe effects of the lockdown in March when social distancing requirements meant almost all events were either massively curtailed or cancelled.
Facing a catastrophic impact on the Bromsgrove-based business, managing director Ian Few started exploring the potential for new uses for its products in previously unexplored markets to keep the company afloat.
He said the marquees had found a new audience with the NHS, being used at covid test centres and even as morgue, while industrial clients have hired and even bought its products for storage or additional warehousing functions.
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Mr Few told BusinessLive: "Covid came along and really destroyed all of the hospitality business we had built up.
"In March, we lost £2.5 million off our order book within a week and were in a state of shock really so we had to repurpose ourselves.
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"We were lucky to secure some work with the NHS for its covid centres and emergency morgues and we're now doing canteens for businesses so they can socially distance their employees, particularly building companies.
"We're also supplying local schools and the University of Birmingham where we have some large marquees up which they are using for classrooms."
Mr Few founded the company in his late 20s when he bought a small marquee and a trailer and started hiring it out for parties which launched a growth journey leading to a business now employing around 20 staff plus seasonal workers.
Fews hires out or sells the marquees, including their construction and dismantling, and will also design one for bespoke requirements if necessary.
Visitors to Birmingham at Christmas will have seen one of its ‘igloo' marquees housing the ice rink in Centenary Square and the same structure had been booked for the James Bond premiere in London earlier this year before it was cancelled.
Looking ahead, Mr Few said the firm was planning to serve these markets where it has recently won new clients long term.
He added: "We're very lucky in terms of the events industry in that we can at least pivot whereas for audio visual companies, venues and wedding planners it is very difficult.
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"We were looking at doing more industrial structures but hadn't had the time before coronavirus to really focus on it so we had some internal meetings and conducted some market research. We also redesigned our website to reflect this.
"Clients are now using our marquees for storage mainly but also production lines or any space a business might need to grow into.
"With Brexit coming, companies are very worried about the delivery of goods so they need more storage - it's a real growth market.
"Another key project for us is HS2 and the need for warehousing to store products safely so we're working with companies like Kier to deliver those structures for them.
"The industrial side of the business is new to us so we have had to invest in it but it is growing. This will become a whole new arm of the business and we'll look to take on more staff to develop the industrial warehouse side.
"Instead of this year being a complete disaster, we will come out of it in a strong position for next year and into 2022."