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Here at the Inspirations blog we want to give a little light (and love) to the people and brands that contribute to what makes Winning Appliances the world-class business it is.
Today we want to start with the business itself - and, in particular, the family that defines Australia’s leading kitchen and laundry appliance specialist.
100 year history
Winning Appliances began as a family business at the beginning of the 20th century - and remains so today!
As our CEO, John “Herman” Winning Jnr (pictured above), explains: “Winning Appliances is my family’s business, I’m 4th Generation, and it was started by my Great Grandfather in 1906. We’ve done many things over the years - today we’re a kitchen and laundry appliance specialist.”
"The thread that ties my family's four generations together is our single-minded focus on the customer. My dad taught me the importance of helping every customer and the need to go above and beyond to delight customers".
The business can trace its history to 1906, when Richard William Winning established a business with the trading name R.W. Winning & Co. It was initially set up to deal with the horse and carriage trade (and hardware).
The appliance legacy is born
In the wake of World World II, brothers John ‘Choc’ and Richard ‘Dick’ Winning recognised the increasing demand for new products. The second generation of the Winning family business then made the move into appliances - initially as wholesalers, but then in 1960 they became retailers in their own right.
As John ‘Choc’ Winning’s son - and later CEO of Winning Appliances - John ‘Woody’ Winning explains : “To get into the business we’re in today, it’s about that time that wall ovens, cooktops and dishwashers were fairly new - and it was the place in Sydney if that’s what you wanted.”
From the outset, they were innovators in the appliance retail industry, building cabinets and display units for the products on show.
As 'Woody' explains: “Most of the stores would say, ‘well, we don’t handle that sort of stuff’ - but we had a funny little store in Clarence Street and people saw everything there.”
By 1980, the third generation had taken over the running of the business: with John 'Woody' Winning along with sister Peggy, brother Bill and cousins Richard and Elizabeth.
It is this family legacy that continues to distinguish the company. Bill Winning explains: “Coming into Winnings, is like coming into your family home. That’s how it’s meant to be, that’s how we want it to be. Everyone getting on together.”
Winning Appliances
In 1986, the business was renamed Winning Appliances - and by 1990, the business was going from strength to strength with the opening of six additional NSW showrooms.
In 2011, John Winning Jr had taken over as CEO - and with his appointment, the business expanded into Queensland with two new showrooms. The business continued to grow, this time by venturing into Western Australia - opening three showrooms in 2014 - and then into the ACT with the opening of the Kingston showroom in 2016.
Family
Throughout all this growth, that strong sense of family has remained paramount - in its values of inclusivity, equality and respect - in fact, it’s been the cornerstone of everything we’ve achieved!
“The culture, I guess is a family culture,” says John 'Woody' Winning Snr, “When I was running the business, I always tried to say that ‘you’re working with me, not for me’.”
As John Winning Jr explains: “The best way I can describe it is the vibe - to use a term out of (the Australian movie) The Castle - you know you just walk in and you get this buzz and this energy of people who are working towards one cause and that’s just delivering the best shopping experience in the world.”
"Each generation has brought something different to the business and I am proud that today, Winning Appliances has combined the traditions of customer service in a modern context. Unlike other retailers we really do listen to what our customers want and we alter our business accordingly. We put the customer first in every decision we make and as such the multi-sensory shopping experience with Winning Appliances is unique and world-leading."
