RETAIL PROFILE: BING LEE

A new chapter for Bing Lee

-BY EMILY BENCIC

A new division, Bing Lee Premium Brands, has been created within the Bing Lee business, incorporating Signature Appliances, a La Cornue boutique in Surry Hills and Miele centre in Drummoyne.

The test kitchen in the Signature Appliances showroom.

The first Signature Appliances showroom has opened in Willoughby on Sydney’s lower North Shore. Considered a renovation hub in Sydney, Willoughby has multiple cabinet makers, design boutiques and other businesses dedicated to home design, and is a convenient location for north shore customers.

The showroom measures around 850 square metres to showcase a selection of brands including Smeg, Neff, Miele, Asko, AEG, Electrolux, Westinghouse, Vintec, Fisher & Paykel, Bosch, Blanco, Franke, KWC, Falcon, Liebherr, Monolith, La Cornue, Falmec, Sirius and Hitachi.

The La Cornue display.

A 300 square metre outdoor deck will feature built-in BBQs and active outdoor cooking from early 2023. The area will also double as a dining area for customers and a unique space for trade events.

A state-of-the-art demonstration kitchen showcases the latest technology to customers in a luxurious environment where every detail has been considered. There is also a separate wine/function room that sits adjacent to the demonstration kitchen and outdoor deck for events.

The Miele display.

The Bing Lee Premium Brands division has a dedicated team focused on developing and growing the luxury end of the market. The Signature team is led by Leo Lis who heads up the premium division and has a wealth of experience in the appliance industry. Alexis Lovell is the showroom manager at Willoughby and has a strong track record of managing appliance showrooms across the country.

The reception area in the Signature Appliances showroom.

“We are so excited to bring Bing Lee’s new luxury brand Signature Appliances to life at our first location in Willoughby. The concept of creating a new brand and luxury destination for consumers, designers and architects has been in the works for a few years,” Bing Lee general manager, Peter Harris said.

“We engaged a specialist design team to work with our Bing Lee team to bring to life a new brand and a magnificent new showroom along with a transactional website. Our aim was to create an unpretentious brand and destination that consumers can relate to. With our amazing team, this beautiful and unique showroom will create the best destination in Sydney for consumers’ kitchen, laundry and alfresco needs.”

The Smeg Display

Bing Lee merchandise and marketing director, Sam Zalin said, “We are delighted to offer customers a showroom and experience that we believe demonstrates cutting-edge design, practicality, and a relaxed shopping environment.”

Bing Lee CEO, Lionel Lee added, “I'm extremely proud of what Pete, Sam, Leo, and their team have created. All kudos to them.”

The signature Appliances AEG display.

NEW CONCEPT STORE IN SYDNEY’S MACQUARIE CENTRE

The latest Bing Lee store is now open at Macquarie Centre in Sydney’s north-west featuring the largest screen installed in a retail store in the Southern Hemisphere at 10.5 metres by 3.8 metres in size.

The store measures approximately 800 square metres with a warehouse and Click & Collect services available from the shopping centre car park. It showcases hero products from categories including cooking, refrigeration, laundry, TVs, floorcare, heating, cooling, small appliances, mobile computing, and technology accessories.

Bing Lee has framed the entranceway with the large screen, wooden finishes and lighting on the ceiling, as well as showcase zones that highlight key brands in key categories.

Bing Lee’s Sam Zalin said, “Given the demographics of the area and the fact that we want to appeal to a younger audience, we had to make this store more exciting and engaging. We want to give customers a reason to visit our showroom and had to differentiate ourselves through experience and service.

“We have framed the entranceway with the large screen, wooden finishes and lighting on the ceiling, as well as showcase zones that highlight key brands in key categories that will rotate every three to six months.

The Bing Lee Macquarie store features the largest screen installed in a retail store in the Southern Hemisphere.

“There is a cooking, refrigeration and laundry area with major brands including Miele, Fisher & Paykel, Smeg, Bosch, Asko, Electrolux, Omega and Neff. The displays are linked together, which is a new concept for us, and all displays have glass in the middle to improve lines of sight. We have placed the refrigerators along the border of the space for a clean look and in the laundry display, all shelves are removable so we can use stacking kits to demonstrate how a product can work in a customers’ home. We wanted the space to feel comfortable and welcoming.

“The walkways and point-of-sale (POS) displays are defined by separate floor coverings to determine where the product is located and to help you navigate around the store. We wanted mobile computing at the front of the store to engage younger audiences. We placed TVs on the back wall of the store for high impact, and to capture customers’ attention from the front of the store as they walk in.

Bing Lee CEO, Lionel Lee and mum, Yenda cutting the ribbon to officially open the Macquarie Centre store.

“Although there are fixed locations with desktops, all staff are fully mobile and can sell via mobile POS or on a laptop for customer convenience.”

Commenting on the store, Bing Lee’s Peter Harris said, “This shop has been designed to be both a flagship and a concept shop for Bing Lee. We will use this to test and learn from our team and customers what works well and then utilise those learnings throughout the Bing Lee network. We believe we have created a destination that people will enjoy immersing themselves in, taking time to experience the fantastic products and brands we offer in a leisurely fashion.”

Bing Lee Macquarie Centre showcases hero products from categories including cooking, refrigeration, laundry, TVs, floorcare, heating, cooling, small appliances, mobile computing, and technology accessories.

Bing Lee head of retail, Chris Murphy added, “For me, this store offers what I call a slow and specialised experience – a relaxed environment that allows customers to take their time in making their product selection. The store is also designed to embrace and hero new products.”