With four branches across Portugal, Partyland is the leading retailer in the region, offering consumers a wide and varied mix of partyware, balloons and fancy dress. PPE spoke to owner Riaz Issa to find out more about the Portuguese market and how Partyland has paved the way for the party trade.
When Partyland started back in 1998, Portugal had just one party shop. “Bringing in Partyland meant introducing a totally new concept and that was a challenge in itself,” explained Riaz.
The business now has three franchise branches operating across the country in addition to the main store (based in Lisbon), as well as an international outlet which opened in Mozambique in 2014.
“Customers know that if they don’t find what they are looking for at Partyland then it’s unlikey they will find it anywhere else!” says Riaz. “It’s a big effort, both financially and in terms of sourcing the actual product in the first place, but we think it’s definitely worth it.”
The business launched a new website last year, including a balloon delivery service for the first time. Still a work in progress, it allows customers to order balloons online from within a certain delivery area and has been very popular so far, bringing in a lot of extra business.
Online business initially accounted for 1 – 2% of Partyland’s overall sales – Riaz won’t be drawn on the actual figure now, but he says it is now ‘a hugely important part of our business’. “I cannot imagine running Partyland without the support of the online offering,” he adds, “it is crucial for us.”
That competition has grown a lot in recent years, with the Portuguese party market changing dramatically over the last few years and many other players stepping in both online and offline. Riaz doesn’t believe the industry itself is declining, although he admits that there is less growth than there has been in previous years.
“Companies who can position themselves in this industry with a degree of sophistication – bringing global innovation to the local market – will be ok. Party, celebration and events will always be there. We just have to position ourselves as a more sophisticated and experienced service than anyone else!”
