John ‘Herman’ Winning, CEO of Winning Group, is the fourth of his name to head up the Sydney-based company that was established in 1906. Originally focussed on carriages and saddlery, the company has evolved and expanded into 13 retail outlets featuring some of the best appliances in the world.

Aged 32, John Winning has taken the company in a new direction by establishing Appliances Online – Australia’s biggest digital retailer for appliances and whitegoods – and building some of the most beautiful stores in Australia – if not the world.

With the launch of the 13^th Winning Appliances store in Kingston, Canberra, The Shaker sat down with John to gain an insight into how energy is maintained throughout the generations and where he is taking the company in the years to come.

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Welcome to the Nation’s Capital! It’s great to finally be in this store after watching the huge construction effort over the last nine months!

Yeah… thanks! Well, there’s definitely a market down here for a premium product. We’ve had a commercial division here for a while and had a strong feeling that a store would be well supported.

Prior to opening this outlet we were doing about 60 deliveries a day across Canberra – so it was just a matter of finding the right space that would present the products the way we want to.

 

 

It’s certainly an impressive fitout. These corner sites in the old suburbs of Canberra are much sought after.

It’s great! We’d looked at a site in Fyshwick, but it just didn’t have the right feel. To be able to work with the bones of this old building has been fantastic – the old bricks, roof trusses and windows are really nice.

In my opinion, this is the best Winning Appliances store that we’ve done. One of suppliers had a tour of the site last year, and he thinks it’s the best store in the world. That makes us so proud.

 

Did you look at the sales data to decide that the Canberra market was ready?

I’d love to say that I’m that analytical, but it was really just a gut feeling we got from the existing sales and the demographic of Canberra. Once we started sending a truck down every single day, we knew the market was ready.

One thing we knew about Canberrans is that word-of-mouth moves fast in this smaller community. Our thoughts were that if we gave shoppers a great experience, then the brand would quickly establish itself. By being in a suburb away from a lot of the other appliance retailers, we can stand apart.

 

You’re the fourth generation of the Winning family to run the company. What is it about the business that has engaged you to follow in the footsteps of those before you? Were you ever tempted to go into a different career?

I looked at lots of other opportunities. My plan was never to be the CEO at the age of 22!

My father was an incredible inspiration. He ran this business at 100% of his capacity and threw everything he had into it. That was the main lesson that I got from him. So, from early on, I knew that whatever I did it was going to require that same level of passion to succeed and hit it with all my ability.

We’re known for being a successful appliance company, but everything I’ve done in life has been with that same dedication that my father taught me. I think that by applying that lesson to the business, we’ve succeeded in keeping with what my father achieved.

 

 

Chefs are passionate about food; architects are passionate about buildings…

…and I’m passionate about experiences...

 

Exactly! By wanting to create great experiences, surely applying that to the family business just makes sense.

Absolutely. Enjoying a great meal as an experience. Walking into a beautifully constructed building is another experience. For us, the shopping experience in an appliance store can be just as powerful.

I want every single detail to be as good as it can be. Our Sales Experts (and we call them that) must be passionate about the products and truly care about our customers. Every person that walks into the store should have a personal experience that demonstrates our team wants to deliver them an outcome that extends beyond anything they might expect.

Customers know when they’re being up-sold, so we’re not interested in that. We make sure that the buyer gets a product that meets their needs. They might have come into the store with the intention of buying a very specific appliance – and that’s totally fine – but if we recommend something else it’s because we believe that it will deliver a better outcome. Price doesn’t come into it. At all. Down-selling is as common as up-selling in our store.

 

So, what’s the incentive to sell?

There’s no commission on individual sales. We’re one of the few retail chains left that use a net promoter score. That way, they’re incentivised simply to deliver a great experience for the customer. We follow up all sales with the simple question:

Based on your recent experience with Winning Appliances, how likely is it that you would recommend Winning Appliances to a family member, friend or colleague?

If the store meets the score that we set, then there is a small incentive at the end of the year. That’s how we’ve kept customers coming back for four generations.

 

 

When we toured the premises, you highlighted the fact that the staircase is flared out at the bottom to be more ‘welcoming’. It’s a detail that completely fits in with the philosophy you’ve described. Is this attention to design something that you’ve brought to the company?

We all play to our strengths and I guess that building a beautiful showroom in one of mine. But I think it just fits in with that idea of doing everything at 100%... I’m certainly no accountant!

My father was a genius with logistics – he truly loved it. I do as well - though not to the same degree. I’ve got a rigid truck licence and I’ve driven trucks for the company, but it’s not my passion the way it was his. Nonetheless, there is something fascinating about working out how to get a product from a warehouse to installation in the least time with the least amount of fuss so they can get on with their day. Solving those problems fascinates me.

That’s really the legacy of my father. My role is to improve upon it with technology, build a great looking website and create amazing showrooms that reflect that dedication to service and quality.

We’ve always had the great service and dedication to the customers, but it’s the physical space that I’ve delivered to the company. That’s very much from my mother – she had a great eye for design and appreciated anything well-made.