5 minutes with Mark Livings, Lyre’s

ness perspective, we’ve spent the last few years developing and putting together an incredibly talented and capable team, and the tools and strategy to help it succeed in the market. For us, it seems 2022 is finally the chance to see what our business can do and how it will stack up against what we’ve planned in these past years – and that, for me, is incredibly exciting.   IR: What are some of your favourite local and international retailers or brands and why? ML: I very much enjoy observing brands that are approaching the market in interesting and new ways. The ones that stand out for me go beyond product or outlet and create broader brand ecosystems, nurturing the communities that surround them. New Zealand shoe brand Allbirds has proven that you can build a global brand almost entirely via e-commerce, and that profit and purpose can co-exist. The success of the brand also shows that existing, comfortable industries are ripe for disruption by new players embracing technology and reaching out to consumers in entirely different ways. Another that’s top of mind that I discovered in Germany is [microdrink company] Waterdrop. There is a loyal community of users that surrounds the brand and its product, making off-the-chart repeat purchases showing true staying power and brand love. From its recruitment through how it works with its post-purchase ecosystem, the company is a masterclass in how you build a brand that has true lasting effect. One of the brands of tomorrow I’m excited about is FUL. I consented to advising the company because I believe in FUL’s mission as a brand and the potential of the product to be a truly disruptive force in the traditional NARTD (non-alcohol, ready-to-drink) sector. It’s using microalgae as an ingredient to deliver a carbon-negative beverage with an incredible nutritional profile. The positive environmental impact and the contributions the brand makes to a circular, waste-free manufacturing sector are very meaningful. IR: What retail trend are you most interested in at the moment? ML: A trend that is interesting and starting to take off is the ability to combine the virtual world with actual physical products, such as blockchain NFT marketplace Sandbox. This is where consumers are able to interact with a product in completely different ways and experience the brand in a unique and curated manner, designed by the brand. IRM: What are some of the biggest misconceptions most consumers have about non-alcoholic drinks? ML: The number one misconception is that they can’t taste good. We spend a lot of time and money studying the market, and for us that is the biggest hurdle we need to overcome as an industry. Traditionally, there have been a lot of disappointing non-alcoholic products out there.  Another thing we wrestle with is saliency. A lot of consumers aren’t aware that our category exists within non-alcoholic spirits, so we help people understand that these options are out there and available to them. We can organically increase the size of our market anywhere from 300-400 per cent simply by helping people understand these options are available. IR: How would you describe yourself as a retail leader? ML: Leadership is one of those funny terms – if you self-proclaim it, then you devalue it. I’m flattered, but it’s certainly not how I would describe myself. I guess what we’re trying to do, and what I’m trying to do personally, is build a new type of CPG (consumer packaged goods) company. Our team is small but incredibly agile, so we can move with force and impact that can out-manoeuvre some existing industry incumbents. I believe what I’m doing from a leadership position is showing there is a way to build and scale a consumer products business that has never been done before. We’re going OK so far, and I guess the next few years will be informative about whether this is truly a new way of going forward. IR: If you could invite five people out for drinks – dead or alive – where would you go, what would you drink and whom would you choose to come along? ML: I would certainly take them to Icebergs in Bondi, one of the most iconic places in the world to share a drink with friends. I’d order one of the many options from the Lyre’s non-alcoholic menu. For my guests: Leonardo da Vinci, Greta Thunberg, Socrates, Hildegard von Bingen, and Barack Obama.