Fowler feeds off the energy
HE HAS BEEN APPOINTED PHUMELELA’S NATIONAL RETAIL EXECUTIVE He enjoys retail because it is a people business .
For PhumeleIa’s new National Retail Executive Nathan Fowler, it’s all about energy and passion. Originally from Cape Town, Fowler relocated to Gauteng a number of years ago and thrives on the energy and pace of Gauteng. “I feed off the energy,” he says.
Before joining Phumelela he was with Edcon Retail, where with Edgars he managed large teams of people and managed clothing, footwear and apparel premium brands. At Jet, a mass market apparel retailer, among his duties was to grow the business in nonurban areas. In his last assignment for the group he looked after Edgars Active and Legit stores nationally and said: “This experience will benefit me in my new and exciting role at Phumelela.
“I enjoy retail because of its people cohesiveness and the ability to drive sales, motivate teams and deliver profits,” he said. “Retail is a ‘people business’ first and then we sell products.”
What has struck him since he arrived at Phumelela, and the Betting Division in particular, is the common passion everybody has for racing. “It’s a passion that has legacy, history and the direct involvement of everyone who shares that passion. I’ve never experienced a common energy and passion that people can feed off at one time, it’s a unique dimension we need to leverage.”
Fowler is spending his time at the moment understanding the business and then using the current theme to build a retail position where the company’s customers will become its biggest fans; when they start experiencing improved experiences in its outlets. “We want the customers to start seeing and talking about their exciting experiences in our branches. When they start talking and telling others, we have achieved our goal.
“Our staff are going to be integral in making this happen.
“Our challenge is to coach our staff how to engage customers, motivate our staff and develop the high flyers so our customers benefit. Our people are one of our most important assets and we going to start unlocking their potential for the benefit of our customers.”