Success Factors & Stories
Over the years, the Founder developed a multi-tiered strategic approach to building a low-cost, highly-differentiated and diversified retail business model tagged as ‘Power of 33’. This self-nurturing approach makes competition less relevant by focusing on creating and executing strategic service-related ‘value innovations’ around its core product offering. Two examples in DECORADOR are the In-home Sales & Services™ (IHSS) channel AND the B2B website. He developed and coached highly-motivated leadership teams that excelled in meeting the major challenges of a constantly changing retail environment in these turn around assignments. His leadership motto was “Do it, quickly and cheaply.”
The ‘Power of 33’ creates an empowered service culture capable of delivering 1) a unique Selection of products (and services), 2) a Savings of Clients’ time & money and 3) Service, above & beyond, ‘1 @ a time’™ for Clients. This approach, and supporting strategies such as Clicks & Bricks Plus™, Deco University™, ‘1 @ a time’™, and others enhances market share by continuing to establish constant differentiation with its competitors; thereby adding significant value to the DECORADOR Reboot in Poland and any DECORADOR Master Franchise System™ rollouts. ‘Power of 33’combined with the “What If” budgeting process (Product, Processes & People) insures leadership is always prepared for the best & worst operating scenarios; therefore creating a more diverse, flexible and resilient retail Brand….. This approach also builds a market-leading brand, rather than a market-following brand.
Founder’s ‘Do it quickly & cheaply’ Leadership Style
The Founder spent thirty years participating in the reformatting, restructuring and financial turn around of big-box retailers such as Target, Montgomery Ward, Caldor and Lowe’s stores. He served in executive leadership positions being responsible for as much as one billion dollars in sales. He built leadership teams that excelled in winning in the major challenges of a constantly changing retail environment.
His domestic start up and rollout successes included O W Office Warehouse, Inc. O W was developed from an idea on paper into a 44-store chain of office supply stores, modeled after Office Depot in 2.5 years. O W implemented a private placement memorandum, an initial public offering and executed a lucrative trade sale with a competitor, OfficeMax. After O W, he joined Lowe’s Stores and developed and implemented a big-box store opening protocol/rollout that allowed Lowe’s Stores to open 100 big-box stores in two years, thereby positioning Lowe’s as the only US competitor to The Home Depot.
After Lowe’s he served as the CEO and General Manager of Conibra (now Casa ԑ Construcao) in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He acquired a 4-store chain and reformatted the existing stores and developed a big-box prototype modeled after The Home Depot format in one year. Today Casa ԑ Construcao (C ԑ C) has fifty plus stores located throughout Brazil. He completed a similar project in Istanbul, Turkey adding a huge selection of soft home furnishing and home décor products to Planet Home Center’s merchandise offering and opening a new proto-type store in one year.
After completing extensive market research in Poland the Founder designed the business model for Decorador, a home furnishings and home décor brand modeled after Bed Bath & Beyond. The founder and his Polish leadership team adjusted the business model for the Polish market based upon independent market research, recruited and trained the corporate and store Associate teams, purchased $1,500,000 of home furnishings and home décor inventory in the global home fashion markets and opened the first big-box 38,000 sq. ft. store; all within 180 days. His projects are always done “quickly and cheaply”.
Power of 33’ makes competition less relevant by focusing on creating & executing strategic service-related ‘value innovations’ around its core product offering.
DECORADOR®
Acquired Decorador S.A. from Polish bankruptcy courts, reformatted the Brand into a low-cost 3-channel brand anchored by an e-commerce, In-home Sales & Services and opened 5 smaller stores. A franchise prototype store and a Master Franchise System™ was developed
Decorador S.A.
Designed the business model, completed the independent research, leased space for 38,000 sq. ft. store from IKEA, sourced & purchased $1,500.000 in inventory, recruited & trained corporate & store staff and opened first store in 180 days.
Planet HomeCenter
Reformatted a Turkish DIY big-box store Brand in Istanbul to a one-stop store for the home, to include home furnishings & home décor & installation services. Opened two new stores within one year and sold Brand to a competitor.
Casa ԑ Construcao
Acquired a 4-store Brazilian DIY Brand in Sao Paulo, Brazil & reformatted all stores to The Home Depot format. A new 10,000 m2 store prototype was designed & opened in 11 mos. Today the Brand has over fifty stores in Brazil.
Lowe's
Designed & implemented a big-box store opening protocol which allowed Lowe’s to open 100 big-box stores over a 2-year period positioning Lowe’s to be the only domestic DIY Brand successfully competing with The Home Depot.
O W Office Warehouse
Co-founded OW which was modeled after Office Depot. Implemented a private placement & an IPO to fund the opening of 44 stores with sales of $200 million in 2.5 years. OW was acquired by a competitor, OfficeMax in a lucrative trade sale.
