A MAJOR part of what makes a good chef is the ability to organise, to mould order from chaos. For many non-professional cooks (read most of us), cooking at home can present a similar challenge.
A MAJOR part of what makes a good chef is the ability to organise, to mould order from chaos. For many non-professional cooks (read most of us), cooking at home can present a similar challenge.
Locally owned and operated Kitchen Warehouse, crowned the ‘best kitchenware store’ in Australia at this year’s Global Innovator Awards, has made a business out of organising the kitchens of Perth ‘foodophiles’.
John and Marilyn Macaulay, who started out owning budget-friendly $2 shops before opening their first kitchenware store in Fremantle, head the family owned business.
“We realised there was a hole in the market for kitchenware and a space became available in Fremantle,” Mr Macaulay said.
“We spent some time overseas visiting the best shops we could find, then took all our ideas and opened The Home Provedore with our daughter Jody.”
The concept for the initial store was to offer three levels of products ranging in price. Mr Macaulay said that, within a week of opening, they ended up dumping the budget-priced products when it became obvious the store was attracting the top end of the market.
It also became apparent early on that space was an issue. As the business grew, the small store could not fit everything that was on offer.
“Having experienced stores in other parts of the world, we knew there was so much more available; we thought the way to go was a ‘big box’ concept,” Mr Macaulay said.
The first Kitchen Warehouse store opened in a Morley shopping centre, but was not as big as the Macaulays had envisioned.
“We wanted to present the best brands at the best prices, and the biggest range, but that could only be done once we had a suitable location,” Mr Macaulay said.
They then secured much larger premises in Osborne Park and opened what would be the second store in 2003.
“I had one of those ‘what have I done’ moments when we took over the shop, standing in the middle of 1,000 square metres knowing that I had to fill it with products and make it look good,” Mr Macaulay told WA Business News. “It was the scariest moment I can remember, looking at a blank canvas knowing that no-one else was doing it (the concept).”
The Macaulays used a retail consultant to assist with the design of the store, which they wanted to flow and provide a pathway to explore the different items.
The family affair continues with their daughter Justine, who had been running a number of homeware stores around Perth with her husband Chris Murphy, a former chef.
After a few years they decided that kitchens were the way to go, and with Chris’ involvement their business became The Kitchen Store.
Two years ago the decision was made to re-brand the Midland Kitchen Store under the Kitchen Warehouse banner, as well as open up a Cockburn Kitchen Warehouse. Mr Murphy runs the two stores and has introduced a thriving cafe within the Cockburn site.
Mr Macaulay said the five stores operated independently in terms of purchasing and staffing, but it was a cooperative effort on advertising and events.
“You need to have a total separation of responsibilities, because then there is less chance of an argument [within the family],” he said.
“Discussions to do with the business are usually around the table – what you are doing, how you are going ...
“But as far as telling each other what to do, it doesn’t happen.”
After topping the BRW Fast Starters 100 list in 2008 and 2009, the family made the decision to sever ties with the online store, Kitchenware Direct.
“People were getting confused, they couldn’t understand why we weren’t able to offer the same prices online and in the stores – but online works on such a lower margin,” Mr Macaulay said.
“A lot of our customers know we are associated, but it’s a completely separate entity now.”
The business has diversified in recent years to offer cooking classes and Mr Macaulay said the owners regularly attended classes in other Australian states and overseas to ensure they stayed ahead of the competition.
Another initiative is the VIP Member Rewards Club, an incentive-based membership introduced 18 months ago, which at last count had 50,000 members.
Mr Macaulay told WA Business News that the information collected from members had helped improve the service they received.
And as experienced and successful business owners, all three directors agreed that having the best offering of products was part of the key to their success as a kitchenware retailer.
The other was all about relationships – with their staff and their suppliers.
“Particularly when you’re a store of this size, it’s really important to have a good relationship with suppliers so that you can tell them ahead of time when you’re stretched with payments – then they will support you,” Mr Macaulay said.
“You need to be able to work with them and communicate with them. And the same goes for the staff, they do turnover but you’ve just got to look after them.”
