Winning Group has acquired leading furniture, lighting and textiles retailer, Spence & Lyda with a view to establishing a new lifestyle and luxury destination for the home called Winnings, incorporating their existing brands Winning Appliances and Rogerseller.
John Winning, CEO of Winning Group, says: “We are delighted to welcome Spence & Lyda and their team to the Winning Group. Spence & Lyda, led by Fiona Lyda has an incredible reputation for offering the world’s best and emerging brands at the cutting edge of design, including furniture, lighting, homewares and soft furnishings. We are excited to offer Spence & Lyda’s range to more Australians and have it integrated into Winnings, which will be the ultimate lifestyle and luxury shopping experience for the home.
Spence & Lyda
“For over a century, we have helped Australians to create their dream kitchens. Our customers have always told us they wished shopping for their whole renovation was as easy and enjoyable as shopping for appliances with us. We’ve listened and are delighted to now be able to offer our customers a leading, delightful and hassle free shopping experience to fit out their entire dream home. At Winnings, customers will be able to shop their favourite and exclusive brands from Winning Appliances, Rogerseller and Spence & Lyda all under one roof, at our newly renovated Redfern showroom to open later this year. Our flagship Redfern showroom will be the first of many Winnings lifestyle and luxury destination stores for the home, where we will continue on our mission to provide the best shopping experience in the world.”
Rogerseller
Fiona says: “By joining the Winning Group, we are now more than ever before, set for extraordinary things, particularly in the next 12 months with an exciting series of events being run as part of Melbourne Design Week this month and being part of Winnings in Redfern later this year.”
Winning Appliances
Established in 1906, Winning Group is a family-owned, Australian company incorporating five business entities: Appliances Online, Winning Appliances, Rogerseller, Home Clearance and Winning Services.
A pic from Greenhouse Interior's recent St Kilda trade fair
When stylist, curator and brand consultant Julia Green was looking to showcase the latest line-up of Greenhouse Interiors wares she chose a novel alternative to the traditional trade fair. Taking over an entire St Kilda home (including relocating the family that lives there), Julia set about creating the ultimate ‘Greenhouse Interiors’ abode – think texture, fun, beautiful art and a kaleidoscope of colour. By all accounts the immersive experience was wonderfully received and you can check it out yourself via the pictures in this story.
A pic from Greenhouse Interior’s recent immersive trade fair
“We dressed every bed in our linen, hung all of our new art collections, burnt our bespoke candles, put our hand soaps in the bathroom and encouraged all visitors to truly experience what it’s like to live in amongst our wares and by all accounts people loved it,” says Julia who squeezed extra promotional mileage out of the stint via the creation of a short video tour of the space and a lovely suite of still imagery. And according to Julia, the whole venture was produced for a fraction of the traditional trade fair costs.
Julia Green
With 10 years’ experience working on over 40 start-ups, Julia has become highly sought-after in the interiors industry – an industry that has changed monumentally with the advent of digital marketing, social media and online shopping. “I began my career in this industry just prior to the interiors explosion, excessive noise and competition, before ‘The Block’ rose to fame, and in era where things were done in a ‘certain’ way,” says Julia. With retail goal posts changing on the daily and more competition than ever before, the changing retail landscape means only the most nimble will survive.
“There is an increased number of people vying for their share of the market – it’s noisy. Also, the days of owning a store only, without an online presence, are gone. The savvy marketers all seem to have a bricks and mortar presence but are using it as a hub for a more active digital footprint,” says Julia who shares her top tips for brand success with us today.
Hobby vs full-time While most creatives don’t have the luxury of giving up their day job in the first instance, Julia believes it’s important to eventually make the jump to ensure your brand’s success. “You need to know when to tip the balance from hobby to full time maker/creator. Dabbling rarely works, but commitment usually does,” says Julia.
Creative vs salesperson Diametrically opposed in some respects, it’s no surprise to hear that creative people are often not that great at selling their wares. “I often refer people to outsource this part if it is not their skillset, so they can concentrate on making and not be distracted by customers!” says Julia.
Storytelling “Ensuring they take their fans on a journey is key. It’s like telling a story. People want to know WHO they are buying from,” says Julia. From static imagery to video content, embracing the digital realm is key to this aspect of winning the brand war. “Brands need to have a ‘face’ for the public and not just push their sales pitch. Brands must sell a lifestyle and not a product,” says Julia.
The power of pictures “In our industry, there is no denying the importance of the visual, and the tactile. People want to see inspirational imagery that promotes a lifestyle they wish to be a part of. Producing imagery and video is expensive, undoubtedly. But there are some economical ways to do it, that don’t all revolve around a crew of 20 with expensive equipment,” says Julia who has found that brands almost always get their ROI in this regard though the resulting imagery must end up in the right people’s hands – magazines, influential blogs and the like.
Social media “I’ve learned and have seen first-hand the power of social media, and the influence it has. I run an excellent workshop on this and teach people how to maximise their influence here,” says Julia.
When it comes to social media, Julia believes a brand must have a clearly defined point of difference that can be articulated in 30 seconds or less, must maintain authenticity at all times, provide outstanding customer service (nobody wants to wait anymore) while creating a ‘story’ (as mentioned above). “People want to know who you are out. Come out from behind the camera even if it pains you. Failing that, get a staff member to do the honours,” says Julia.
From a phone consult to a full day in person with an individual or company, Julia is now formally available for brand consulting. “This service is not a one size fits all, as I like to review each business, and find their strengths and weaknesses before delivering change on a platter. In short, after consulting to over 40 start-ups in a decade, many going on to become household names, I have a good idea of a recipe that is foolproof, and my recipe is up for sharing!”
Running from 3 – 5 August in Melbourne’s Kensington, Rogue Lifestyle is a three-day trade event showcasing over 40 Australian lifestyle and kids brands. With exhibitors including Pony Rider, Ahoy Trader, Bobo Choses and Sack Me, the boutique event will also feature local food and coffee vendors as well as live music.
It’s been brought to life by Emma Patterson, designer of kid’s homewares brand Homely Creatures, who wanted to showcase her wares in a way that didn’t cost the earth.
“We are a small industry and we love to connect with each other – not just brands to buyers, but brands to brands as well,” says Emma. “We’re going back to why we all started going to trade shows in the first place: to connect, get inspired, make quality collaborations happen, and get real value.
“Australia has so many great brands, but many of them have taken to showing in their own studios or hotels, making it really hard for buyers to visit everyone they want to see. It’s also stressful for them to all have to become event coordinators and deal with the time and monetary costs associated with creating your own mini show, which may not pull the crowds.”
This year, Rogue Lifestyle has teamed up with students from Jenna Densten’s (of The Block’s Josh and Jenna) Design School. They’ll be co-ordinating live flatlay installations and interior shoots using the products from the event’s own line-up.
