Bing Lee celebrated its 65th anniversary at its conference in the Hunter Valley, NSW, this week, with a white-themed party attended by staff and suppliers.
There were speeches from Bing Lee CEO, Lionel Lee and general manager, Peter Harris, as well as Jasmine and Jordan Lee, accompanied by a slideshow presentation that reflected on the key highlights from 65 years in business.
“I can’t believe it’s been 65 years since my grandfather, Bing and father, Ken opened the first Bing Lee store in 1957. The foundation ideals set in the early days of integrity, honesty, loyalty and commitment to staff and suppliers, continue today as strongly as ever,” Lionel Lee said.
“This sense of family – and you all being part of the Bing Lee family – I feel is unique. It is one I personally treasure and strive to preserve. It is wonderful to have my four children in the business to build on those foundation ideals and continue the legacy created by Bing and Ken, they are now the fourth generation.
“Mum, you’ve been part of the journey from the very start and to say you’ve stood the test of time is an understatement. You’ve always been there for us, especially through the difficult and sad times. You’ve always been, and continue to be, our rock. On behalf of everyone tonight, we are proud of you. You are a wonderful matriarch not only for our family but the wider Bing Lee family. We love you dearly and our heartfelt thanks go to you.
“I’d also like to thank our suppliers. It is the mutual respect and friendship that’s been created over so many years which allows us to work together so very well. A retailer that believes their own brand is bigger than that of its suppliers operates at its own peril. To all of our suppliers, thank you for your support. Without you, we simply wouldn’t have a business.
“Narta has also played an integral part in Bing Lee’s success, so I’d like to acknowledge MJ, Kay, Darren and the entire Narta team for their guidance and support over 30 years.
“Celebrating such a milestone allows us to reminisce. I’ve been around our business since the age of 10, however, one of my fondest memories was when I was working as a storeman at our Fairfield store and was introduced to a young boy named Peter Braithwaite and 41 years later, we are still together, and I am proud to call him my brother.
“Bing Lee’s strength is our staff. We have staff who have been with us for a long time – for over 30 years. Nearly 70% of Bing Lee staff have been with the company for over five years. Thank you again to our staff for everything you do each day for the sake of our business. You are all special to me, whether you’re new to the business or have been here forever, what counts is your efforts every day to take us from good to great,” Lee said.
Harris added: “It is a privilege to work for a family-owned business. I honour the heritage of the brand and what it stands for. I’d like to thank the Lee family for allowing me to be the general manager of your company, I am humbled by the opportunity so thank you for being part of my journey.”
“We talk about our theme, ‘Good to Great’ and 65 years of legacy, and I would like to reflect on the last year as we’ve achieved so much. We’ve opened a new warehouse in Queensland, moved warehouses in Victoria, set up a new custom web POS for an enhanced customer experience and migrated to NetSuite to support our modernisation journey.
“We’re in the process of opening two new Bing Lee stores at Macquarie and Taren Point, as well as our Signature Appliances showroom in Willoughby. In the 65th year of Bing Lee, it’s amazing to create a new brand and I thank Lionel for allowing the team to do it. We also opened our La Cornue showroom in Surry Hills last week.
“I’d like to thank you all for being part of this celebration.”
Feature image: The Lee family, L to R: Joshua, Lionel, Yenda, Jordan, Lisa, Jasmine and Jesse.