Bing Lee is holding its annual conference in the Hunter Valley, NSW this week, with 160 staff members and supplier partners in attendance.
The conference commenced with a welcome address from Bing Lee CEO, Lionel Lee.
“This year’s conference is particularly special for a few reasons; it’s our first conference since 2019, we are celebrating our 65th year in business – an extraordinary milestone – and my four children, Jasmine, Jordan, Joshua and Jesse, are all involved in the business today and participating in the conference as Bing Lee employees. I am so incredibly proud to have them in the business,” Lee said.
“Our conference theme for this year is ‘Good to Great’. We are in an unrelenting business and we have many competitors. However, there is one big difference between our competitors and Bing Lee – and that difference is you. You give us confidence in future success and allow the company to continue to flourish and succeed whatever the market, the circumstances we face and the challenges we must deal with.”
This year’s conference theme ‘Good to Great’ ties in with the theme from Bing Lee’s last conference in 2019, ‘Taking it to the next level’.
“In essence, this year’s theme poses the question: How or what can we do better tomorrow than we did today? There is no finish line to that question as it presents a process of continuous improvement. We must continue to be relentless and seek those qualities which will bring greater success and make the company even stronger tomorrow than it is today,” Lee said.
“As part of ‘Good to Great’, I want to emphasise the importance of working together as one team and in harmony through communication and collaboration towards a common goal – to be a great company in every aspect of our business. This year’s conference provides us with a wonderful opportunity to work together towards that goal.”
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Lee then reflected on the pandemic which created unprecedented, uncertain and challenging times.
“It presented problems in so many areas of our business, but in true Bing Lee family tradition, we came together as one, working through the challenges and together we won. We survived and thrived,” he said.
“This adversity gave us the opportunity to show our real strength and spirit. Our financial results for the past three years stand testament to the amount of hard work, tenacity and commitment you have displayed during Covid, which has allowed us to reinvest in the business.”
Bing Lee is opening three new stores including the first Signature cooking store in Willoughby, a Bing Lee store in Taren Point and a new concept store in Macquarie Centre. The company has also acquired a new office in Surry Hills and a small shopping precinct adjacent to its Bowral store, allowing for a redevelopment and expansion of the store.
“During my interview with Appliance Retailer in 2017, I was asked about the secret to the Bing Lee success. My instant response was, ‘It is not one magic ingredient such as a vision statement or business strategy. We have 603 magic ingredients – our staff – all 603 of them’. We now have over 700 staff and today I would response exactly as I did with immense pride.
“It is an honour to stand here as your CEO in front of our Bing Lee family – our suppliers, head office team, retail team, store management, sales and administration staff, storemen, warehouse and delivery teams. Each of you have played an integral part in dealing with this adversity and achieved the outstanding success we are sharing today.
“From mum and I, I would like to sincerely express our heartfelt thanks and gratitude for everything you have done and continue to do for the good of Bing Lee.”
Feature image: The Bing Lee family (L to R): Jasmine, Jordan, Yenda, Lionel, Josh and Jesse.