8 minute read
RETAIL PROFILE: WINNING GROUP
WINNINGS
opens phase one of flagship Redfern showroom
Winning Group CEO, John Winning hosted an official opening event for phase one of the new Winnings Redfern flagship showroom with over 300 people in attendance from the appliance, architect and design communities.
Winnings, a new lifestyle and luxury destination for the entire home, incorporates Winning Appliances, designer furniture, lighting and homewares from Spence & Lyda and bathroomware from Rogerseller in one destination. The new showroom will include two tenancies spanning 2,400 square metres in total, with the second tenancy opening later this year.
BSH team (L to R): Anthony Wells, Roberto Finamore, Monica Hewson, Robert Warner, Christian Eisenbock with Marco Mazriani (Winning Group).
Designed by Cera Stribley and featuring custom joinery designed by Fiona Lynch, phase one showcases a homely aesthetic, state-of-the-art displays from both leading and exclusive brands, a Culinary Theatre, Coffee Bar and Shower Lab where customers can touch and test shower heads, water pressure and how a fitting looks and feels when in use.
Following the opening event for phase one of the Winnings Redfern showroom, Appliance Retailer sat down with Winnings general manager, Harry Boileau, to learn more about the transformation process.
“We wanted to open up the showroom and put the Culinary Kitchen in the centre – as the kitchen is the heart of the home – making it the first thing you see from the main entrance and lift from the car park with lowline cabinetry surrounding it to avoid any obstruction,” Boileau told AR.
“Having our three most luxury brands downstairs – Sub-Zero Wolf, Gaggenau and V-ZUG – that are also exclusive to Winnings, was important.
Winning Group design manager, Kate McGlone cutting the ribbon to officially open phase one of Winnings Redfern with the Winning family.
“The main reason for evolving the showroom layout was because we are bringing in a lot of new brands from around the world into the business such as Kalamazoo and The Galley. We wouldn’t have been able to incorporate these brands without redesigning the space.
“Every brand also had new products with a need and desire to update their configuration, so there was already some demand from our suppliers to make significant changes.”
Winnings positioned Spence & Lyda downstairs, after originally splitting up the range in different locations. “It didn’t connect as well as it should have, so bringing it into one location has enhanced the customer experience and lifted conversion. Every single product is for sale with a price tag, from tables and chairs to lighting and crockery, which means we can design our customers homes from top to bottom,” Boileau said.
“From a team perspective, we have experts in their respective fields (appliances, interiors and bathware), but we have also cross-trained them to a baseline level for everything on display. However, when it comes to customisation or technical specifications, the dedicated Winning Appliances, Spence & Lyda or Rogerseller teams will get involved.”
Smeg display.
Winnings has recently upgraded its My Project system, allowing customers to build their dream specifications at a room-by-room level.
“It was previously built for our appliance offering, which was good for one room, such as the kitchen, but we needed to expand it to cater to more product categories, and to reflect that at Winnings, customers can purchase everything for the home in one destination.
“Customers can now create a folder, for example, kitchen, butler’s pantry, main bathroom, ensuite, living room or outdoor space, and add products to the folders, which can be shared with architects, designers and kitchen cabinet makers so they receive the information they need. It is easily customisable and any changes are made in real-time,” he explained.
While Winnings takes inspiration from global retailers, what has been done for Winnings Redfern is completely unique and innovative. “In the US, one of the retailers we believe does an amazing job is Restoration Hardware, particularly from an experience point of view. They build and design stores that flow well and their staff culture is great.
V-Zug display.
“The main difference between Spence & Lyda and Restoration Hardware is that we find the best brands in their dedicated fields such as De Le Espada, who are excellent with solid timber and traditional techniques with walnut that is sourced from the Ozarks in America. We are proud to have brands that dedicate their life to producing the finest products, using the best techniques, which will last generations,” Boileau said.
“In Europe, they don’t have any stores that provide an offering like ours all under the one roof. There is usually only one or two brands in each showroom, and they often sell the cabinetry with the appliances, which is limited to one category such as cooking.
“Australians make it more convenient for customers by bringing various product categories together and offering a range of options and choices.”
Miele display.
From a design point of view, Boileau believes Winnings Redfern sets the benchmark from what he has seen around the world, particularly at the scale, from the material choices to cost per square metre.
“I haven’t seen many century-old retailers like ourselves create a showroom to this level, which is evident from the feedback we are getting nationally and internationally. Over the last month, many managing directors from around the globe have come to see what all the hype is about and have walked away truly impressed,” he said.
“Winnings Redfern offers a curated range of the world’s best brands, so following a less is more approach so that customers are not overwhelmed with choice, we asked suppliers to reduce their SKU listing by 10 or 15%. The aim is to make it feel like we have everything customers want to see, but if there’s something that isn’t in the showroom, they can still view it online.
Electrolux team (L to R): Mitch Carmody, Michael Conway, Kurt Hegvold, Chris Coen, Fiona Mackay, Karina Wealth, Marco Perchante & Jonathon Cox.
“We have introduced QR codes on brand displays. Our team use an iPad during consultations and the codes take them straight to the specific product landing pages because we don’t put price tags on the appliances.
“We would traditionally have a dedicated sink and tap display, but we have now integrated a sink and tap offering into every brand partner display, from brands such as The Galley, Franke, Blanco and Abbey. We decided to show the best pairings that we know sell well for the ultimate integration.
“The colours we have chosen for the showroom are very on-trend – for example, the Wave feature above the Culinary Kitchen reflects the Australian environment and connection back to the red sand and dirt.”
Another new addition is the Coffee Bar, which no other Winning Appliances showroom currently offers.
John Winning with the Smeg team: David Brenton, Wayne Campbell, Bonnie Sudirwan, Livia McRobert, Emer Zavaroni, Anthony Delaney and Chris Horne.
“Our dedicated beverage expert, Jerry, delivers coffee making classes and wine tastings for customers. Our culinary team also hosts masterclasses that are either branded or unbranded for features such as steam or sous-vide, and technology such as induction,” Boileau said.
The Shower Lab is another new concept and a project driven by Winnings with a range of suppliers integrated. “We had seen other working water operated displays, but none of them felt inspiring or allowed customers to touch and test the water pressure by pressing the buttons themselves. We wanted to make it feel like a wellness centre with blue lighting for a sense of calm.”
Gaggenau display.
Winnings has also added a digital display wall with a Samsung screen to show various home projects on a day-to-day basis, calling out the architect, designer and builder, and relevant video content when events are being held. “In our other showrooms, we have 65or 75-inch screens that play similar content but not at this scale.”
On a final note, Boileau said, “Since we opened on 31 March, customer feedback has been positive. We look forward to opening phase two of our showroom, which will continue to provide inspiration for the home with more world-leading and exclusive brands. It will incorporate luxury range cookers and alfresco appliances and furniture, a home cinema room, a collaboration room, home automation settings for living, dining and bathroom, as well as three distinct lifestyle kitchens and bathrooms, which have been created on an understanding of our customer segments, their needs, wants, and personal styles.”
