Brumby's bread franchise beckons
"I have got my dream job. I love what I do because I get to work with our franchisees and help them to be successful in their own right," Sherlock said.
Sherlock is also a firm believer in the product and said his favourite Brumby's bread at the moment is a low glycemic index (GI) swiss seed loaf.
"(Bread) is one of the earliest forms of cooking that was invented. People like (bread); they love the taste and like the smell," Sherlock said.
And if you think almost 30 years in the industry has at all dampened Sherlock's appetite for bread, think again.
"If I owned an ice cream franchise, there is no way I could eat ice cream every day. But I could quite comfortably eat different types of bread every day. I never tire of it," Sherlock said.
In fact, according to Sherlock, despite recent low carbohydrate diet fads, most people still have a healthy appetite for bread.
"Our research shows that people are more interested in eating breads that have a low glycemic index (GI) and are preservative free. Brumby's has developed a range of products that are low Gl. Our products are preservative free and we have campaigned widely against the use of preservatives in the wider industry. You feel as though you are doing some good community service when you know your customers can purchase a fresh product and not have to compromise," Sherlock said.
Of course, the next logical question is - does Sherlock actually eat bread every day?
"Most days. Today I didn't though because nobody brought any bread into the office. I had to have rice crackers with tuna for lunch instead," Sherlock said.
The first Brumby's store was opened in July 1975. "The original inspiration for the starting of Brumby's was tosupport the work of a health and education foundation started by an Indian guru," Sherlock explained. At this time, Sherlock had recently graduated from a Melbourne university with a degree in economics and a diploma of education.
"My original goal was to be a school teacher," Sherlock said. But after a few years traveling overseas, where he'd worked in a number of different jobs, Sherlock came back to Australia less certain about his teaching vocation. Although he didn't take on a full time position with Brumby's until 1982, Sherlock was employed with the company in a part time capacity from as early as 1978.
"I had a fruit and vegetable shop in Warwick, Queensland, which had a cafe attached to it. I sold that first shop to the (Brumby's) group," Sherlock said.
The first full time role Sherlock took on was that of a book keeper before becoming an office manager. In 1982, Sherlock became Brumbys' general manager of Queensland and, in the late 80s, Sherlock was instrumental in engineering a franchisee buy out when the group that owned Brumby's went into receivership. At the time there were only 50 Brumby's stores in the country.
"We wanted some say in who the owners would be and so put together a consortium (of consortium) decided we didn't want someone that didn't understand franchising to buy us," Sherlock said.
In the 30 years since Brumby's opened its first store, they have opened more than 320 stores throughout Australia and New Zealand. According to Sherlock, the quality of the product and the strength of the brand have both contributed to the success of Brumby's.
"Brumby's has a greater range of products (than other bakery chains); including hot snacks and refrigerated products. We don't use preservatives in our bread and our aim is to get it as fresh as we can from the oven into consumer's hands," Sherlock said.
In 2007, Brumby's plans to continue opening more stores as well as roll out a new concept called Brumby's Go! Brumby's Go! stores will be stocked with bread that can be immediately consumed as lunches or snacks and will be opened in food courts and airports.
"We plan to open four Brumby's Go! stores in the next six months and the stores will only sell bread for immediate consumption. It is a new model we have developed. We have recently signed a contract and will be opening Go! stores in airports," Sherlock said.
Brumby's likes to include its franchisees in decisions it makes. For this reason, the upcoming four day conference to be held in Sydney in August is something Sherlock is looking forward to. "(At the conference) we will develop strategies for the future and look at different technologies. Brumby's has worked hard over the years to establish an ethical culture with our franchisees so that if they work hard and follow the system they are able to make a good return on their investment and enjoy their involvement with the Brumby's brand," Sherlock said.
The next six months will bring a significant amount of change to the ownership structure of Brumby's with a management buy out on the cards. Sherlock is confident the unique Brumby's culture is here to stay and franchising is a model the company will continue to promote.
"I like the franchising industry. It is a good combination and you feel there are a lot of challenges to it but it is an enjoyable way to develop a brand. Franchisees have to complete a 12 week training course (before opening a Brumby's store) so most of them are well grounded by the time they open their first store. Some franchisees have been involved with our system for over 20 years and are still successfully operating their stores. You have got to have a good ethical and moral side of the business," Sherlock said.
And Brumby's is a brand that will continue to give to the community.
"At the end of the day all of the leftover bread at every Brumby's store is given to charity. We've always had the culture of supporting the local community." Sherlock said. Although it would seem Sherlock is pretty tied up with running a business, he always manages to find time for his young family and is most likely to be found supporting his local footy team or going to concerts in his spare time. "
"I have four children. The are two and a half and fiveand a half years old so they-keep U pretty busy! I like going to concerts, watching AFL or cricket and catching up with friends over good food and wine. My favourite place to chill out is Budd's Beach," Sherlock said.
25.07.2007
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Contact Brumby’s Bakery (Retail Food Group Australia)
Tel: 1300 907 523
Fax: 07 5591 9021
