8 minute read
Member Insights
NEW MEMBER
GH Clothing, Murgon QLD
When Target announced the imminent closure of their Murgon branch late last year, it sent uncertainty around the township. Set in southeast Queensland between Gympie and Kingaroy, and 3 ½ hours from Brisbane, the population of around 2500 ( 5000 in vicinity ) feared not only for the loss of jobs, but that business would be lost to neighbouring towns. They needed a plan.
The Graham House Community Centre stepped in and rose to the challenge. As a not-for-profit charity organisation that strives to serve their community, they wanted to invest in a project, and at a board meeting, decided to investigate the opportunity. The local council were also very supportive. The concept was to open a store to service the township, employ locals and channel the profits back into the community via Graham House. Following a Google search, a professional mentor was found, who put together a business plan. It was during his work that Frontline was discovered and became part of the framework. In mid-August, GH Clothing became Members of Frontline, and were then able to start sourcing and purchasing stock for the opening via our Preferred Supplier network. By this stage, all the ex-Target staff had moved on to other employment, so the search began for a Store Manager and 4 other supporting staff. With a background in hospitality and retail, Kristy was first to come on board. She was keen to develop her skills and work for a business with “heart and soul behind it – something that meant something and helped others”.
Over the following months, the site was developed, and stock was bought. It had to be at the right price points, and not conflict with existing businesses in town. (They were consulted as part of the development). The overall offering was to be affordable mens, womens and kids apparel and footwear – under $60 retail. This would cater to the lower socio-economic residents, the farming and indigenous communities.
After a soft opening mid-November, the Grand Opening of the 250 square metre store was on Saturday 20th November, which featured broadcasts by the local radio station, ribbon cutting by town Mayor, and a competition for a gift voucher. Initial sales expectations have been exceeded, due to curiosity and support, and more stock is frantically being sought.
Graham House Manager, Christelle says “the support from the community has been so positive! We have been
encouraged by the enthusiasm and feedback. We want our community to have a say.”
For Kristy, the “opportunity to build a business from the ground up – and succeeding has been very rewarding”.
Welcome to Frontline, and we wish GH Clothing a very successful future!
Store Opening Ribbon Cutting
Angeline, Ine & Janine
CREATED BY WOMEN WITH PASSION
Mega Boutique, Notting Hill VIC
Janine, Ine & Angeline not only share a close connection through family, but also a common passion for cooking and circumstance as ‘home- based’ mums.
Mega Boutique became their ‘brainchild’ with the input & support of their IT trained husbands to create a strong and successful on-line homewares business.
Their concept grew from difficulties they faced returning to the workforce after children and is built around a philosophy of providing a flexible work environment for working mothers.
Their business model is based around the idea to give back to the community by providing opportunity, flexibility, and a safe environment for working mothers.
The business currently employs 7 staff including Janine in Accounting & Customer Service, Ine as Product Manager and Angeline handling Purchasing.
Their vision for Mega Boutique is to develop a one stop shop for all the home needs using modern technology, combined with good old fashioned
customer service, treating their customers with respect & familiarity. The formula has obviously been working over the past 5 years, growing over 60% a year.
During this time Mega Boutique has moved from a garage to a self -storage and is now in its second warehouse and with over 4500 different SKU’s (and growing).
With goals to grow the categories of Homewares, Kitchenware, Home Décor & Manchester they plan to move again in the future!
While they rely on advertising through Google AdWords and social media, they believe the key to any retail business is word of mouth from offering good service.
They use their ‘bricks and mortar’ store on the premises to showcase the products for customers who prefer to feel & touch the products as well as ‘click & collect’.
Anything not on display can be accessed from the warehouse for customers to see and products on display are rotated regularly to keep it fresh.
The team love sharing their passion with their customers whether it be in the showroom or on the phone.
Like every business, they also have their challenges and while the business has grown significantly through COVID, it has also created issues with stock availability, slow deliveries & customer claims for items not received.
Growth has also put pressure on space issues and staff requirements.
There has also been a sharp increase in credit card fraud which they have overcome by implementing AI assisted automatic checks together with a manual checking system.
Being a Frontline member has had huge benefits to the business during this time including the ease of paying 1 bill each month, providing new supplier opportunities across categories and the ease of setting up new trading accounts.
They have been working closely with the team at Frontline including Sharon & Rachel in Home Living and really appreciate their ongoing support and guidance. “They are amazing to work with”.
It’s clear to see that the friendship & respect shared by the Mega Boutique family, together with their industry passion and enthusiasm provides an exciting recipe for success now and in the future!
We look forward to being part of their journey ahead.
June & Shane Mills
SLEEP DOCTOR
Echuca, VIC
We recently spoke with Shane about his journey as a retailer – the changes, challenges and successes…. How and when did you enter the retail world and when did you join the Sleep Doctor group?
We first entered the retail world in early 1987, retailing floorcoverings. We had been in the floorcovering business for almost 10 years before we decided to start our own business. We purchased the local furniture store in Cohuna in 1992, and this kickstarted our time in the furniture and bedding industry. We owned multiple stores in the area before settling in Echuca. After a two-year break and much research, we joined the Sleep Doctor group in 2010. What have been some of your biggest challenges so far in retail, and how have you overcome them?
Every day is a challenge in the retail industry – we are ALWAYS learning! When we bought our first business, fax machines didn’t even exist! Technology is forever evolving. We have seen some big changes with the way customers shop these days - they have more knowledge, and do a lot more research prior to buying. GST has also created a lot more work, with all the changes from the government. How has your business evolved over the years to keep up with retail trends and challenges?
One of the biggest challenges would have to be staying on top of our website, with product and pricing, as there seems to be a lot more price increases from suppliers. Then there’s new and discontinued product, which needs to be maintained – on top of the actual retail floor. How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your business?
It, like most retail, has had a negative impact. Sleep Doctor has been closed throughout the lockdowns - as per government requirements. Being a border town, and facing varying state restrictions, there are some additional challenges we are continuing to face.
COVID-19 is also affecting our supply - obviously imports are being hugely impacted. Some overseas manufacturers have been closed for months, and this has created some long lead time for customer orders. The only positive from this is that the local manufacturers should grow from it. Fortunately though, mobility and home care are a growing part of our business. During the pandemic and its lockdowns, this part of the business is deemed essential. This has allowed us to remain partially open to service those customers in need. For this side of our business, we have been very grateful. Has COVID-19 changed the way you run your business?
With the COVID-19 shutdowns, there has been a big movement towards online research and shopping. We are in the process of further developing our website. In the long-term, we are looking forward to our customers coming back into store as that is a big part of our customer experience. Has Frontline helped you in any way during these times?
Frontline have been present during these times, offering care and assistance. Thankfully we’ve required no additional support than this. What are you most proud of with your business?
Longevity. We’re proud to have been in business for so long. It’s also great to have customers who have followed us from business to business.
What’s your goal for the future of Sleep Doctor Echuca?
Prior to the last lockdown, an opportunity arose to expand our business floor space, and double our street frontage. We have been able to work on the expanded fit-out through most of the lockdowns. Apart from the new signage and a few more products, the expansion is almost complete. We now look forward to welcoming our customers back to the updated store.
Shane & June Mills
Owners of Sleep Doctor Echuca
