30 May 2008

Regional Retailer Makes His Mark

Business just keeps getting better for AIM’s 2007 Owner Manager of the Year.

After enduring a tough start-up period in the early 1970s, Ross Mylrea has gone on to build a large and successful retail business.

Founder and managing director of A Man’s Toyshop in Rockhampton, Ross Mylrea knows through experience the hardship of creating a business from scratch.

Before he started A Man’s Toyshop – a retail concept that provides tools and specialist supplies to farmers, workshops, contractors and experienced handymen – he had spent a lot of time travelling around regional Queensland in a caravan selling tools and sourcing products.

“Having established my career early in life, I’ve always considered myself to have graduated with distinction from the school of hard knocks,” he said.

Today, 34 years after starting A Man’s Toyshop, Ross employs 23 staff and is in the process of opening his second store in Townsville following strong demand from customers.

Six years ago he also launched an online store that currently showcases around 10,000 of the company’s 27,000 product lines.

“Our customer base comprises mainly professional or semi-professional people, which means that they don’t require too much assistance when making a purchase,” said Ross about the success of the online store.

A Man’s Toyshop has attracted an enthusiastic following due to its extensive product range, which includes fencing, woodworking and hydraulic items, air compressors, UHF radios and power tools.

While Ross credits the company’s unconventional system of marketing the range of tools along with its extensive range of machinery parts as stand-out achievements of the business,he believes his success has come from five key areas:

“Tackling the competition head on, doing away with credit accounts, delegating responsibilities, surrounding myself with a good team and remaining focused on my goals.”

Last year Ross was named Australian Institute of Management’s Owner Manager of the Year (an award sponsored by Australia Post), with judges commenting on his outstanding business foresight, strong leadership and brilliant marketing skills.

A Man’s Toyshop prides itself on the fact that all items advertised are in stock at all times. “This allows us to process customer orders on a daily basis without costly and annoying delays,” says Ross, who adds that his despatch team has an error rate of less than one per cent.

“Australia Post has played a crucial role in helping us deliver hundreds of thousands of orders over more than three decades. We use Post eParcel to handle the delivery of all items under 20 kilograms,” says Ross.

“It allows us to electronically lodge both Express Post items and ordinary parcels, which is a great feature. And the ability to obtain signature on delivery is crucial for both us and our customers. We are also very confident about the level of service Australia Post provides to us and our customers.”

Article courtesy of Australia Post's business customer magazine, Priority.

Nominations are now open for the business community to nominate inspiring and innovative managers in Queensland and the Northern Territory for the prestigious MEAs. Nominations close 14 July 2008.