Winning Strategy: John Winning

When your name is John Winning, you can’t afford to lose. The young CEO of Winning Group has therefore allowed himself to take risks and think outside the box as he guides his company through a journey of transformation.

By applying modern innovation and strategic foresight to a century-old family legacy, he has taken Winning Group from appliance retailer to an experience company with an impressive portfolio of pursuits, with a footprint covering both Australia and overseas.

Through it all, he’s always maintained his commitment to that crucial element: the customer. "Our growth in retail is due to us always putting the customer first," Winning tells The CEO Magazine.

"In our business, our customers’ experience, which is measured by a Net Promoter Score [NPS] is just as important as our financials, and I think that’s unique. We proudly have an industry leading NPS of over 80."

Winning has also never lost sight of where the company has been nor where he wants to take it. Although these are two very different places, the distance between them is shorter than you might think.

A Legacy Of Excellence

The Winning Group’s origins are a world away from where it sits today. A fourth-generation family business, Winning Group began its journey in 1906 as a modest horse and saddlery enterprise. It would not stay that way for long.

"Each generation has brought something new and expanded the business," Winning says. "My father’s generation took our business from wholesaling to retailing, where we expanded our presence within New South Wales."

Growing up, Winning was well aware of the history of the business. "I have visited the showrooms and warehouses since birth with Dad, and of course he’d talk to me about it and the importance of customer service, logistics and deliveries," he explains.

Despite this regular proximity to the Winning bread and butter, John admits he never intended to follow in his family’s footsteps.

"I tried a few things including hospitality and events when I left school, and even started door-to-door sales until I was attacked by a dog," he says.

"My dad told me if I didn’t get another job soon, I’d have to work in the family business."

The threat eventually came to pass, and Winning soon found himself in his father’s Sydney warehouse before going to work in one of the seven Winning Appliances Showrooms around New South Wales. It was there that he had the idea to modernize appliance catalogs and put them online.

Keyboard Warrior

With a laptop, a truck and a 1300-number, the 21-year-old Winning launched Appliances Online in 2005, and it’s now Australia’s largest online appliance retailer.

"From an online retail perspective, Appliances Online really was pioneering in Australia, particularly for big and bulky products," he says. "I saw online retailing taking off overseas and understood how to provide traditional customer service in a modern context through our unmatched legendary service."

Winning was quick to apply his every-growing hands-on understanding of the industry and his tenacity to innovate the shopping experience and push the boundaries to his family’s enterprise.

"After I launched Appliances Online, I moved to Melbourne for a year to set up our warehouse there, followed by four months in Queensland to set up a distribution center in Brisbane."

Perth and Adelaide distribution centers soon followed, and by then it was clear he would follow his family’s Winning ways.

Embracing Opportunities

In 2011, Winning succeeded his father as Winning Group CEO, and wasted no time adding his own stamp to the company’s strategic direction. He says one of the business’ greatest strengths was readily apparent to him, and he was quick to capitalize on it.

"I saw the opportunity to take Winning Appliances national off the back of our unrivaled customer experiences," he says.

Winning continued to pioneer shopping experiences by providing more Australians with the opportunity to shop from Winning Appliances through store expansion around the country and then online.

This expansion included opening two showrooms in Queensland, four in Western Australia, one in the Australian Capital Territory and three in Victoria while Appliances Online expanded the delivery reach of free next-day delivery through the Group's logistics business.

Through the design, innovation and spectacle of its showrooms, Winning Appliances provides inspiration by offering customers multi-sensory shopping experiences. "This includes unbiased advice, as our Product Experts don’t work on commissions, and the world-leading and exclusive brands we offer customers," Winning says.

"Within my tenure, I expanded our retail offering further by opening nine Winning Appliances Showrooms around the country and expanding our logistics network nationally to where we have a distribution center in every state in the country," he adds.

Winning also grew the Group’s footprint across the country by expanding into new big and bulky categories including mattresses, furniture, bathware, lighting and soft furnishings, as well as other industries such as logistics, education, science, AI and technology and hospitality.

"Having our own logistics network, Winning Services, which includes warehousing, delivery and installation services, and growing that nationally, means that we can provide exceptional customer service from the minute someone lands on our website or sets foot in our showroom until well after they receive their product," he says.

"And then for the life of the product with free lifetime service liaison. Last mile logistics is a critical part of a customer’s shopping experience."

Pioneering Steps

Many retailers outsource the last mile, but Winning understands how important this stage of the customer journey is, particularly in online retail when delivery is the first time a customer interacts with someone face-to-face from your brand.

"Retail is not just about selling, it’s also about service, the whole experience. The end mile of a customer’s journey is key to delighting them and to earning their loyalty and trust," he says.

"We have a fleet of drivers and offsiders who provide an exceptional delivery experience including free next-day delivery to 95 percent of the Australian population and free removal and recycling of old products and packaging."

In mid-2021 Winning launched in New Zealand, its first international expansion, by opening a Winning Services distribution center offering third party logistics and then by launching Andoo New Zealand, an online destination for the home.

"Both Australia and New Zealand are the two most geographically difficult countries to provide logistics in, in terms of having the population spread over a large land mass and multiple islands," he says. "Exceptional last mile experience is critical to retail success."

Elsewhere, Appliances Online’s service is unmatched in the industry. "We know from listening to our customers that we provide convenience and a hassle-free shopping experience," he says.

It’s this willingness to take on board customer feedback that led to the company’s relaunch as Winnings, a lifestyle and luxury destination for the entire home offering everything from lighting, furniture and bathware to fitness, wellness and home automation.

"People were always saying to us that they wished their shopping experience, to renovate their kitchen and laundry with Winning Appliances, could be just as enjoyable for the rest of their home," Winning explains.

"We listened and following our acquisition of leading century-old bathroom retailer Rogerseller in 2020, and furniture, lighting and textiles retailer Spence & Lyda two years later, our customers can now shop for their entire home from one destination – Winnings."

The Greatest Show

The first of these, Winnings Redfern Showroom, has set a new bar for retailing in Australia, providing an immersive and inspiring shopping experience for customers.

It is a lifestyle and luxury destination for the home, and includes Winning Appliances, Spence & Lyda and Rogerseller. With two tenancies spanning 2,400 square meters, the Redfern Showroom is designed to engage all the senses.

"We provide customers with the ultimate platform to see, touch and interact with the latest technologies and designs for the home," Winning says.

Customers can immerse all senses in the Culinary Theatre, where they can smell and taste freshly baked goods prepared in the latest technologies; test products in the unique Shower Lab; and browse a hand-picked range of the best brands from around the world, all showcased in a store design and layout based on neuroscientific principles of how people like to shop and engage.

"The design of the showroom is light and sophisticated, with the intention to feel like a sanctuary; the way a home should feel," Winning says.

Winnings Redfern Showroom also includes the first cinema room in the country from Winning Home, a dedicated team of residential lighting control, security and audiovisual automation professionals.

"Through Winning Home, we deliver personalized solutions that control your home environment, security and entertainment needs," he says.

The Showroom also includes three distinct lifestyle kitchens and bathrooms, which have been created based on an understanding of the Group’s most important customer segments; their needs, wants and personal styles.

"This new way of displaying is unique to Winnings and offers customers the opportunity to discover their preferred aesthetic for their renovation," he says. "It also showcases in a home-like manner how investing in quality appliances and bathware can improve everyday life."

Winning believes the Redfern Showroom demonstrates how customers can be inspired to create meaningful spaces that reflect their lifestyle, and in doing so has created a shopping experience like no other.

When asked if this felt like a significant risk for an appliance retailer to take, Winning says it was a necessary one. "I am naturally a risk-taker," he says. "I’m always exploring and wondering what challenge I can face next."

Leading by Example

Despite this, Winning says he’s also a loyal student of data, even when making the kind of split-second decisions that frequently arise. "I always look for data to support the decisions I make," he says.

"I’ve always been confident, which is something I got from my dad. He always said, ‘You can achieve anything you put your mind to’ and that stuck in my brain at a young age."

This adage has infused Winning’s leadership style, which is inclusive and supportive. "I believe you need to lead by example and have the skills of almost every worker," he says.

"I may not be a software developer, but I understand enough about it to hold a conversation about coding and hire great people. I also know a lot about marketing, online and offline, and delivery. It’s important so people can ask you, and so you understand how to hire the right people for those jobs."

While Winning admits his leadership style hasn’t changed significantly over the years, he believes it has evolved to reflect Winning Group’s growth.

"We now have over 20 businesses in Australia and New Zealand, and that includes over 1,000 team members," he says. "I think I’m a more effective leader today with the way I use my time and empower my team."

That empowerment comes as a solid purpose: to deliver inspiration and provide the best experience in the world and for the world. "Our purpose, mission and nine company values provide a clear framework to ensure we’re balancing innovation and our heritage."

New Ground

With Winning at the helm and a strong mission as a foundation, Winning Group has ensured that all future ventures are purpose-built for success. The latest example is the world-class Winning Services Kemps Creek distribution center, which will be the largest of its kind in Winning Group’s history.

The 66,610 square-meter facility will feature 76 loading docks and a 6 Star Green Star Rating, taking the Group’s total national storage to close to 200,000 square meters.

"We have distribution centers in every state in Australia, allowing us to service 95 percent of the population with free next-day delivery," Winning says.

"Our Kemps Creek distribution center will continue to service the Group’s entities and provide our legendary service."

It will also continue Winning Group’s tradition of free removal and recycling of appliances, mattresses and product packaging through a dedicated area for this purpose.

"We have dedicated teams who sort the products and materials to facilitate safe end-of-life recycling," he explains.

Agility to Overcome Challenges

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing, however. External factors have at times kept Winning Group on its toes. Fortunately, Winning has instilled a strong sense of agility. The COVID-19 pandemic proved particularly challenging.

"We had to adapt and innovate our shopping and delivery experiences, particularly in our brick-and-mortar sites," he says. "On the other hand, we experienced rapid growth online."

Meanwhile, Winning Group was confronted with a biosecurity issue that impacted stock at its New South Wales warehouse, forcing a temporary shutdown. "A Khapra beetle, a notoriously destructive pest, was detected in the packaging of some appliances inside our warehouse," he recalls.

"To ensure we didn’t miss a customer delivery, we had to find and set up a temporary warehouse within 48 hours and pull stock from our other warehouses around the country."

The team instantly came together to solve the problem, Winning says. "One of our company values is ‘Assume Every Problem Is Solvable’, and I’m proud to say we didn’t miss a single delivery."

When you hit an obstacle, Winning says, you must either figure out a way around it or achieve an outcome. "If you learn to accept failure and see it as a positive, then you can fail your way forward until you succeed," he says.

Easy Being Green

"The pandemic also provided us with the opportunity to look at our business strategy for the next decade," Winning says.

"We undertook an extensive review that not only enabled discussion and engagement on issues relevant to our business, but also revealed key insights that helped us prioritize our commitments and formulate our strategy."

A good example is Winning Group’s approach to ESG, which Winning says has become a vital factor within the business. "We discovered that our teams consider reduction of environmental impact as very important for our business and its future success," he says.

"They care deeply about issues and causes related to homelessness, health, youth, reconciliation and the environment."

The review also revealed that Winning Group’s customers prioritize the environment. "They are interested in environmentally friendly appliances and in receiving information about how to best care for household appliances to extend their life," he says.

"Throughout this process, we learned that we have opportunities to influence change at scale."

Family Matters

Despite the dramatic expansion, Winning insists Winning Group is as much a family affair as ever.

"We have a relatively flat structure at Winning Group, which provides for a good culture," he says. "We have nine company values that guide our team, and some of these provide a sense of family, including ‘One In, All In’, ‘Family Matters’, ‘Be Respectful’ and ‘Be Proud Of Your Differences’."

There’s also a significant number of family members working within the business. "We have husband and wife and father and son delivery teams and customer service team members," he says.

"My aunt Sally is our Head of Customer Experience, which is a team dedicated to solving customer problems, and my cousin Harry is General Manager of Winnings and Winning Services."

With so many teams located at sites all around Australia, Winning Group developed a neuroscience-informed platform known as Heelix to ensure the team is highly engaged and connected, and to maintain a sense of family.

"Heelix allows people to give anonymous feedback every week, which is actioned by team leaders in real time," Winning says.

Heelix’s social stream is actively engaged by all team members and used to give shoutouts, celebrate wins and share learnings.

Science is Golden

Winning Group is a neuroscience-led business, with Chief Strategy Officer Katharina Kuehn one of the region’s leading neuroscientists.

"Katharina is an expert in tapping into the unconscious patterns and secrets of our decision-making," Winning says. "We use neuroscience to create highly engaged and high performing teams through internally developed platforms such as Heelix and Deep Sphere."

The latter examines personality types and how they’re best suited to different roles, including leadership.

"Deep Sphere ensures that we can go deeper to find out what truly motivates our team members, looking at them holistically, not just when they’re at work," he says.

Along with AI, it’s another example of the technological innovation at the heart of Winning Group’s operations. "We’ve been using AI in our business for almost a decade to continuously improve efficiency, accuracy and functionality," he says.

"After seeing what AI has done for our business and the possibilities it has to enhance the customer experience, I’m very excited by the future benefits of AI for our business and how it will change our lives for the better."

Out On The Edge

As Winning has gone further and further beyond his origins, Winning Group’s interests have extended past retail into some surprising spaces. "We launched the Winning Academy to improve the opportunities for learning, growth and development for all team members," he says.

"We employ an all-encompassing approach and provide people with clear, achievable pathways to enhance skills and improve career advancement possibilities."

In 2023, the Winning Academy introduced the Emerging Leaders and Leaders Program for Winning Group team members. Both programs focus on providing clear and achievable pathways for skill enhancement.

"Since launch, we’ve successfully completed three sessions of each program, which has resulted in the upskilling of team members and increased team morale and retention rate."

Winning’s passion for philanthropy has extended this concept into Human Kind, an initiative that brings industry leaders and changemakers together with a goal of reshaping the collective future of those involved.

"The core of our business has always been about delivering inspiration, but today’s world calls for more," Winning says.

The three-day, not-for-profit Human Kind summit brought together more than 50 world-class international and local leaders including Wim Hof, Dianne McGrath, Guy Sebastian and Jim Jefferies.

"I see Human Kind as a way for us to use our business and ecosystem as a force for good."

The summit also supported AIME, which works to bridge the divides that perpetuate inequity for Indigenous Australians. "I joined AIME as an Advisory Board Member in 2021 because I believe their vision, values and principles are deeply aligned with my own for creating a fairer and equal world for all," Winning says.

"Since joining AIME, we’ve shared many amazing experiences together, including the Human Kind summit held last year at Luna Park in Sydney."

Distant Shores

At the other end of the spectrum, Winning is a keen sailor and frequent participant in the annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. "It was a dream of mine to be able to race Andoo Comanche, so we chartered it for two years," he says.

The yacht is named after Winning Group’s Andoo business, an online furniture, bedding and appliance retailer.

"It’s synonymous with everything we stand for at Andoo from performance to sustainability and beyond."

Under Winning’s leadership, Andoo Comanche broke Australian sailing race records, took out line honors in the 2022 event and second place in 2023.

Meanwhile, Winning has entered the restaurant space with Ōra, a modern Japanese restaurant located next to the Winnings Redfern Showroom and headed up by hatted Executive Chef Nobuyuki Ura.

"If people have spent a few hours in our showroom looking at products for their renovation and are feeling like more than a coffee and a sweet, they can go next door, extend their sensory experience and enjoy an incredible Japanese meal," he explains.

A Winning Ecosystem

Retail is all about creating experiences for customers, bringing products to life and showing how they can improve lives. Winning says his company has always gone the extra mile to innovate the customer experience both online and in-store, and now, as he takes that philosophy into new places, he feels there’s nothing to lose.

"We’ve always been focused on providing the world’s best shopping experiences for our customers. In fact, it was our previous mission," he notes. "Now, Winning Group has transitioned from being a retailer to becoming an experience company, which is reflected in our mission to create the best experiences in the world, for the world. For our customers, our team, our communities and the planet.

"We bring homes to life – it’s what we’ve done for more than a century – but what’s changed over time is our broader view of the home. It’s about the greater experience and the bigger space we all share."

To complement this focus, Winning Group has aligned its opportunities and unique capabilities with greater social needs, something that’s reflected in its updated mission and broader business strategy.

"I believe we demonstrate that you can build a business that has a positive impact and is commercially successful at the same time," Winning says.

"Our new strategy is exploring how we can bring out the best in each other, our customers, our communities and humankind to deliver a truly Winning ecosystem for all."