November 23, 2025 • 15 mins
Six kids under six. C-suite roles at Australia's biggest retail brands. A law degree completed just to prove her brothers wrong.
Amy Louise doesn't do things halfway.
From shop floor to boardrooms. Amy's built her career scaling iconic Australian retailers while raising six children in what can only be described as controlled chaos.
But here's what she wants to know: Is burnout really a badge of honour? Or are we all deceiving to ourselves?
Amy asks the questions retail leaders are wrestling with right now—and the answers aren't what you'd expect. How do you move from corporate to founder to investor? What should you outsource when you're trying to do it all? And what does Naomi look for in leaders she backs?
Naomi shares the conversation that made her realise she needed help, why she and her husband make a plan each year, and the moment she knew her angel investing days were over.
Plus: the untapped opportunity in Australian retail over the next few years. It's not what most retailers think—and it can't be put in a box.
This episode is for anyone juggling impossible loads, wondering if there's a smarter way to do it all, or questioning what the next chapter looks like when you've already achieved what you set out to do.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Appoche Production. Hello, I'm Naomi Simpson and Handpicked Season five
is here, and the entrepreneurs this time are not going
easy on me. Those questions just keep coming, whether it's
about building a brand in a taboo subject or what
(00:28):
about sales, Oh yeah, sales, sales, sales. We're all trying
to find more customers. And what about changing customer demands
or balancing high tech with high touch. These entrepreneurs and
business owners are really really asking the questions that will
help every business owner and their team just get more
(00:51):
ideas on how to cope with everything they're tackling in
the day.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Now.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
New episodes drop every Monday, and remember to subscribe so
that here the next Lotus episode. Anyway, join me on
Handpicked on Mondays. Hello, and welcome to another episode of
hand Picked, the podcast where I get interviewed by somebody
who wants to know's mansers for something. And I'm so
(01:18):
excited to have Amy Or on the line today, who
we met in passing and here she is, and I'm
so glad to learn a little bit more about your story. Amy.
Maybe give us a little bit of background, how did
you get here?
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Okay, so bit of brief about myself.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
So my background, I'm a retailer in true spirit, transformational retailer,
also a mother of six. I started on the shop
floor and I worked my wap to the C suite.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Working in scaling some of Australia's.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Most iconic retail brands over the past twenty years, working
with the likes of Just Group where I started my
formative years, cotton On, BBRC, Mosaic Brands and most recently Alabachet.
But behind the job titles, I live a life full
of chaos, resilience and drive. I grew up in a
(02:10):
family of seven. I had five brothers and the competition
started there. I hummerly remember this bet I had with
my brothers when they told me I couldn't study law.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
I had to prove them wrong. So off I did.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
I started with a commerce degree and then I built,
and then did a double degree and did a law.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
Degree just to prove them wrong.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
So in terms of the reasoning behind, I think that
really explains the hustle and the drive that pretty much
has got to meet where I am today.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Yes, I can't imagine what it's like to have seven brothers.
Can't imagine there's seven kids five brothers, right, five brothers,
and you've replicated that now having six offspring yourself. So
life does sound quite full.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Yes, almost got to mum, but I couldn't get to
the number seven.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
But yes, I had six, but I think I did
get in record. I had six under six.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Oh my goodness, a couple of twins in there is
there any twins?
Speaker 3 (03:09):
No twins.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
The run rates sort of twelve to fifteen months apart.
So I used to laugh at my sea at the
time as we were acquiring brands, I was having babies.
I was having babies as where behind brands one by one.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
So maybe share with the audience what you're doing now workwise.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
So obviously, having held very senior C suite roles, I'm
now working with boards on a consultancy perspective, going in
and very much helping businesses turn around transform. So most
recently with Labachet, the business was very much traditionally a
franchise business. We all know Alabashe it's been around for
(03:46):
seventy years. But the opportunity and the future for the
brand is all about the direct consumer part of the business,
and my role was to come in and very much
transform that and build runway for growth. So that's currently
what I'm doing. But my background's predominantly been all brand
and traditional retail well and then obviously COVID from a
(04:07):
personal perspective, sort of pivoted me into the digital side,
which I think in today's retail market, it's a multi
channel retail environment. It's no longer that only bricks and
watar and I think I've had a very positive COVID
story in that respect.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
So maybe let's get into the first question, what have
you got for me?
Speaker 2 (04:27):
So, Naomi, because I think this one really relates to
how I have sort of experienced my life. You talk
a lot about burnt out, and I think your time
at Red Balloon especially, and I think we all look
at it as a bit of a badge of honor.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
Can you tell me a bit more about that.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
I think I'm an underachiever compared to you just letting
in no way look in some of the other episodes.
I have been talking about that more recently, so I'll
try to add a little bit more really about looking
after oneself, as you know, raising kids and having a
(05:04):
busy career as well. You can't do it on your own.
You've got to have people around you. I remember speaking
to the founder of her business, and she had only
two small children, but they require a lot, and one
shouldn't say only two. In fact, I've got one grand
chance seems to take up a lot of energy and
it's only one. So it's not about that. It's the
fact that there's too much to do and there's too
(05:26):
little time. So the first thing to do is to
carve out what is your secret source, like what is
it that you really want to do. So I was
speaking to this founder of business. As I mentioned, she
had two small children, and she was doing everything. She
was cleaning the house, making sure that kids got off
(05:46):
to playgroup or whatever, and then her business was kind
of left to the last and therefore it was always
stressful and she wasn't enjoying it. She wasn't enjoying anything.
And I said, so, what is it that you can outsource?
What is it that you don't need to do because
our job is to also I had employment to other people,
(06:06):
you know, that's how the system works. And she said,
oh my gosh, I never thought about that. And I said,
could you get a cleaning service in? What about some
babysitting to come in or like what is it that
you want to do? So I feel lucky that when
my kids were little, I had somebody come to the
home so I wasn't having to drag them. I was
(06:27):
working from home. But also I made sure that I
did reading time, bath time and all the fun things
otherwise it could go. And I made sure that I
was at school. Pickup was important to me, so I
heard about what happened in the day, and the kids
went to the local school, so I would walk and
pick them up, which was important. But also that I
(06:49):
did touch shop. And my kids are now in their twenties,
and I said, do you remember. They don't remember, you know,
but you do it for you because it makes you know,
having kids, you want to enjoy them, you know, and
hear about all of the stuff and watch their delight
as they developer saw a little boy this morning playing
with a tree, like patting it, and he must have
(07:09):
been three, and I thought, that's the beauty of discovery,
you know, being able to see the world through different eyes.
So I suspect that to have a level of discipline
around what is your superpower and what do you want
to do and where will you add value versus what
can be outsourced and somebody can support you in that.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Now, I a lot of what you've just said.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
So I've had since my second eldest was born, We've
had a very Fiji nanny and I always used to
say everything everything I'm not good at. She she's patient,
she could be babies. And then the other one I
also talked to is Wednesday night. Religiously, since my eldest
was born, we do date night and that's another one
(07:52):
that my husband and I because it's that thing that
you enjoy and it also gets you through the week.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Got to have things to look forward to. Really, it's
important because and also to break up the week because
otherwise every day is and it does become a blur.
So it took me a while to get into gear.
Let me tell you, it was chaotic until I was like, nah,
this is not sustainable. You cannot go full tilt, cannot
(08:17):
sprint the whole time. It's a marathon.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Because when we break down, we're no good doing.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
Who's got to look after everything's here? That's it correct.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Another one that I think I'd really love to understand
a bit more is obviously you've successfully moved from the
corporate world to be.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
A founder and now an investor.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
What advice would you give someone like me in terms
of where I'm at in my career.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
I think what's important is to have a plan and
to have a personal plan. At the beginning of every year,
my husband and I we sit down and we say,
what do we want the end of the year to
look like? What's in, what's out? And we create a theme.
This year's theme is rhythm. And in rhythm, we have
(09:01):
taken in the arts, so getting subscriptions to whether it
be well, we have subscriptions to STC Sydney Dance, whichever arts,
and that we make sure that we go and we're
in rhythm when it comes to our physical health and
going to the gym. We're in rhythm when it comes
to our nutrition and what we're eating, whether it's our water,
(09:21):
our sleep. So this year was just about rhythm. I've
had other themes which have been simplicity. Got to get
rid of things too complex. So when you do the
thinking for a personal plan, it's not complex. Let me
tell you, it's a book that we write some things
in and it gives you that moment, so that each
(09:42):
year is in some way different. So when it comes
to your own career journey. I've been quite considered as
I've moved into my different realms, so I didn't realize
that I was going to become a business owner. It
happened because I no longer wanted to keep racing small kids,
always trying to get to work, always feeling I was late,
(10:03):
wanted to enjoy my children. Could I start a business
where I was working from home so I could play
with my kids in the day and work at night.
That was the chaos time. That's when I realized I
needed support. And then as I progressed, I realized I've
worked in my business for a couple of decades, Now
what's the next thing for me? And that's when I
(10:25):
started working on my board career. And I did philanthropic
boards for ten or more years, so really building the muscle,
did the training, did the AICD course, make sure that
I was and then I moved in. But it's been
a plan and every year we stop, we think what
do we want to have that's different and creating a
(10:46):
personal theme has really worked for us.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
I like that.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
I think twenty twenty six were the first year I
really liked that idea concept, so what do you look
for in the leaders you choose to back and collaborate with.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
So my angel investing days are over. Yes, I had
a wonderful time on Shark Tank for four years. I
still have some Shark Tank investments. I still work with
the leaders. But what I always look for is one,
is it simple? Can I work with this person? And
do they have a clear sense of purpose, which is
(11:22):
how they contribute to make the world a better place?
And you know, there's a lot of people looking for funding.
So as Andrew used to say, I used to say,
investments are like buses. There'll always be another one, and
you never look at the bus you've missed. You've looked
at the bus that's coming. So it's very much about that.
(11:43):
But the leaders that I look for are people who
have a clear sense of self of values driven, so
they know what they stand for, they know their beliefs,
and they are deeply curious. And I just find that
we get along and then we enjoy it and it's great.
But the reason why I say my angel investing days
are over is because that was a certain time. But
(12:05):
as you get older, you begin to think about, Okay,
I can't take the same level of risks or I
don't have the same time runway, and investing in startups
is not an overnight success. It could be a twenty
year journey. So I look at things differently now when
it comes to investment. Yeah, but I've meet many fabulous
(12:28):
founders and one of the reasons why I do this
podcast is course I do want to share with the
next generation of business owners.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Well, then that leads me to my next question, what
is next for Naomi?
Speaker 1 (12:41):
Yes, Look, I will at some point Big Red Group
will go on to a global stage, and I might
not be a part of that journey. We've created this
incredible platform business and it is ready to go offshore,
I suspect in the new year. So that's why I'm
really enjoying I'm writing again. I'm writing regularly. I think
(13:03):
it's important that we hear from voices we try. I'm
doing my keynote speaking and I never know who I'm
going to impact and what they're going to learn and
what I'm going to learn. So I love doing keynotes
and also my board career and that will continue. I
think I've still got plenty to contribute to our business
(13:24):
community and our small businesses around Australia. So I wonder
what our theme will be next year. It'll be open
for negotiation and we'll be discussing it very soon as
we come to the end of the year.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
So Rhythm might move into we don't know, We'll wait
and see.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
We'll wait and see, and it's always fun. One year
was Discovery. We just had to do new things all year,
which was terrific. So I wonder it might be creativity. Oh,
it sounds like I'm already pitching ideas for the theme
is next year.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
So one last question only this is one that probably
for me.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
So in terms of what do you see as the
biggest untapped opportunity in the Australian retail or consumer sector
over the next few years.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
If we look at the local stores, what is thriving
is those businesses that can't be put in a box.
They can't be So I think that relationships and that
connection of human connection, like the curation the real service sperience,
I think will be more important. So if we look
(14:31):
at Mecca as a brand, you know, people go in
there because they can try things, and they can touch
things and they can see them, which you just really
can't do online. So It's an experiential thing. So if
I look at what retailers, it's that experience. I think
of blue Illusion. You know that they're lovely ladies. You
walk in and they are always welcoming and they remember
(14:53):
your name, you know. So I think that will be
the key to retail is what is the secret source
that can't be put in a box, and that I
think we're to crave more and more human connection.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
No, I completely agree. Well that's it. Thank you, Naomi.
But I am thank you. I'm honored to talk to
you today.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Amy, has been terrific having you on handpicked with your
take on retail and as you push into the next
generation of retailers, we look forward to seeing what you
get up to. Thank you, Amy, Thank you, Naomi.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
I'm honored to speaking to you today.
Appoche Production. Hello, I'm Naomi Simpson and Handpicked Season five
is here, and the entrepreneurs this time are not going
easy on me. Those questions just keep coming, whether it's
about building a brand in a taboo subject or what
(00:28):
about sales, Oh yeah, sales, sales, sales. We're all trying
to find more customers. And what about changing customer demands
or balancing high tech with high touch. These entrepreneurs and
business owners are really really asking the questions that will
help every business owner and their team just get more
(00:51):
ideas on how to cope with everything they're tackling in
the day.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Now.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
New episodes drop every Monday, and remember to subscribe so
that here the next Lotus episode. Anyway, join me on
Handpicked on Mondays. Hello, and welcome to another episode of
hand Picked, the podcast where I get interviewed by somebody
who wants to know's mansers for something. And I'm so
(01:18):
excited to have Amy Or on the line today, who
we met in passing and here she is, and I'm
so glad to learn a little bit more about your story. Amy.
Maybe give us a little bit of background, how did
you get here?
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Okay, so bit of brief about myself.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
So my background, I'm a retailer in true spirit, transformational retailer,
also a mother of six. I started on the shop
floor and I worked my wap to the C suite.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Working in scaling some of Australia's.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Most iconic retail brands over the past twenty years, working
with the likes of Just Group where I started my
formative years, cotton On, BBRC, Mosaic Brands and most recently Alabachet.
But behind the job titles, I live a life full
of chaos, resilience and drive. I grew up in a
(02:10):
family of seven. I had five brothers and the competition
started there. I hummerly remember this bet I had with
my brothers when they told me I couldn't study law.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
I had to prove them wrong. So off I did.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
I started with a commerce degree and then I built,
and then did a double degree and did a law.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
Degree just to prove them wrong.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
So in terms of the reasoning behind, I think that
really explains the hustle and the drive that pretty much
has got to meet where I am today.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Yes, I can't imagine what it's like to have seven brothers.
Can't imagine there's seven kids five brothers, right, five brothers,
and you've replicated that now having six offspring yourself. So
life does sound quite full.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Yes, almost got to mum, but I couldn't get to
the number seven.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
But yes, I had six, but I think I did
get in record. I had six under six.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Oh my goodness, a couple of twins in there is
there any twins?
Speaker 3 (03:09):
No twins.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
The run rates sort of twelve to fifteen months apart.
So I used to laugh at my sea at the
time as we were acquiring brands, I was having babies.
I was having babies as where behind brands one by one.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
So maybe share with the audience what you're doing now workwise.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
So obviously, having held very senior C suite roles, I'm
now working with boards on a consultancy perspective, going in
and very much helping businesses turn around transform. So most
recently with Labachet, the business was very much traditionally a
franchise business. We all know Alabashe it's been around for
(03:46):
seventy years. But the opportunity and the future for the
brand is all about the direct consumer part of the business,
and my role was to come in and very much
transform that and build runway for growth. So that's currently
what I'm doing. But my background's predominantly been all brand
and traditional retail well and then obviously COVID from a
(04:07):
personal perspective, sort of pivoted me into the digital side,
which I think in today's retail market, it's a multi
channel retail environment. It's no longer that only bricks and
watar and I think I've had a very positive COVID
story in that respect.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
So maybe let's get into the first question, what have
you got for me?
Speaker 2 (04:27):
So, Naomi, because I think this one really relates to
how I have sort of experienced my life. You talk
a lot about burnt out, and I think your time
at Red Balloon especially, and I think we all look
at it as a bit of a badge of honor.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
Can you tell me a bit more about that.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
I think I'm an underachiever compared to you just letting
in no way look in some of the other episodes.
I have been talking about that more recently, so I'll
try to add a little bit more really about looking
after oneself, as you know, raising kids and having a
(05:04):
busy career as well. You can't do it on your own.
You've got to have people around you. I remember speaking
to the founder of her business, and she had only
two small children, but they require a lot, and one
shouldn't say only two. In fact, I've got one grand
chance seems to take up a lot of energy and
it's only one. So it's not about that. It's the
fact that there's too much to do and there's too
(05:26):
little time. So the first thing to do is to
carve out what is your secret source, like what is
it that you really want to do. So I was
speaking to this founder of business. As I mentioned, she
had two small children, and she was doing everything. She
was cleaning the house, making sure that kids got off
(05:46):
to playgroup or whatever, and then her business was kind
of left to the last and therefore it was always
stressful and she wasn't enjoying it. She wasn't enjoying anything.
And I said, so, what is it that you can outsource?
What is it that you don't need to do because
our job is to also I had employment to other people,
(06:06):
you know, that's how the system works. And she said,
oh my gosh, I never thought about that. And I said,
could you get a cleaning service in? What about some
babysitting to come in or like what is it that
you want to do? So I feel lucky that when
my kids were little, I had somebody come to the
home so I wasn't having to drag them. I was
(06:27):
working from home. But also I made sure that I
did reading time, bath time and all the fun things
otherwise it could go. And I made sure that I
was at school. Pickup was important to me, so I
heard about what happened in the day, and the kids
went to the local school, so I would walk and
pick them up, which was important. But also that I
(06:49):
did touch shop. And my kids are now in their twenties,
and I said, do you remember. They don't remember, you know,
but you do it for you because it makes you know,
having kids, you want to enjoy them, you know, and
hear about all of the stuff and watch their delight
as they developer saw a little boy this morning playing
with a tree, like patting it, and he must have
(07:09):
been three, and I thought, that's the beauty of discovery,
you know, being able to see the world through different eyes.
So I suspect that to have a level of discipline
around what is your superpower and what do you want
to do and where will you add value versus what
can be outsourced and somebody can support you in that.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Now, I a lot of what you've just said.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
So I've had since my second eldest was born, We've
had a very Fiji nanny and I always used to
say everything everything I'm not good at. She she's patient,
she could be babies. And then the other one I
also talked to is Wednesday night. Religiously, since my eldest
was born, we do date night and that's another one
(07:52):
that my husband and I because it's that thing that
you enjoy and it also gets you through the week.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Got to have things to look forward to. Really, it's
important because and also to break up the week because
otherwise every day is and it does become a blur.
So it took me a while to get into gear.
Let me tell you, it was chaotic until I was like, nah,
this is not sustainable. You cannot go full tilt, cannot
(08:17):
sprint the whole time. It's a marathon.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Because when we break down, we're no good doing.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
Who's got to look after everything's here? That's it correct.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Another one that I think I'd really love to understand
a bit more is obviously you've successfully moved from the
corporate world to be.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
A founder and now an investor.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
What advice would you give someone like me in terms
of where I'm at in my career.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
I think what's important is to have a plan and
to have a personal plan. At the beginning of every year,
my husband and I we sit down and we say,
what do we want the end of the year to
look like? What's in, what's out? And we create a theme.
This year's theme is rhythm. And in rhythm, we have
(09:01):
taken in the arts, so getting subscriptions to whether it
be well, we have subscriptions to STC Sydney Dance, whichever arts,
and that we make sure that we go and we're
in rhythm when it comes to our physical health and
going to the gym. We're in rhythm when it comes
to our nutrition and what we're eating, whether it's our water,
(09:21):
our sleep. So this year was just about rhythm. I've
had other themes which have been simplicity. Got to get
rid of things too complex. So when you do the
thinking for a personal plan, it's not complex. Let me
tell you, it's a book that we write some things
in and it gives you that moment, so that each
(09:42):
year is in some way different. So when it comes
to your own career journey. I've been quite considered as
I've moved into my different realms, so I didn't realize
that I was going to become a business owner. It
happened because I no longer wanted to keep racing small kids,
always trying to get to work, always feeling I was late,
(10:03):
wanted to enjoy my children. Could I start a business
where I was working from home so I could play
with my kids in the day and work at night.
That was the chaos time. That's when I realized I
needed support. And then as I progressed, I realized I've
worked in my business for a couple of decades, Now
what's the next thing for me? And that's when I
(10:25):
started working on my board career. And I did philanthropic
boards for ten or more years, so really building the muscle,
did the training, did the AICD course, make sure that
I was and then I moved in. But it's been
a plan and every year we stop, we think what
do we want to have that's different and creating a
(10:46):
personal theme has really worked for us.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
I like that.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
I think twenty twenty six were the first year I
really liked that idea concept, so what do you look
for in the leaders you choose to back and collaborate with.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
So my angel investing days are over. Yes, I had
a wonderful time on Shark Tank for four years. I
still have some Shark Tank investments. I still work with
the leaders. But what I always look for is one,
is it simple? Can I work with this person? And
do they have a clear sense of purpose, which is
(11:22):
how they contribute to make the world a better place?
And you know, there's a lot of people looking for funding.
So as Andrew used to say, I used to say,
investments are like buses. There'll always be another one, and
you never look at the bus you've missed. You've looked
at the bus that's coming. So it's very much about that.
(11:43):
But the leaders that I look for are people who
have a clear sense of self of values driven, so
they know what they stand for, they know their beliefs,
and they are deeply curious. And I just find that
we get along and then we enjoy it and it's great.
But the reason why I say my angel investing days
are over is because that was a certain time. But
(12:05):
as you get older, you begin to think about, Okay,
I can't take the same level of risks or I
don't have the same time runway, and investing in startups
is not an overnight success. It could be a twenty
year journey. So I look at things differently now when
it comes to investment. Yeah, but I've meet many fabulous
(12:28):
founders and one of the reasons why I do this
podcast is course I do want to share with the
next generation of business owners.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Well, then that leads me to my next question, what
is next for Naomi?
Speaker 1 (12:41):
Yes, Look, I will at some point Big Red Group
will go on to a global stage, and I might
not be a part of that journey. We've created this
incredible platform business and it is ready to go offshore,
I suspect in the new year. So that's why I'm
really enjoying I'm writing again. I'm writing regularly. I think
(13:03):
it's important that we hear from voices we try. I'm
doing my keynote speaking and I never know who I'm
going to impact and what they're going to learn and
what I'm going to learn. So I love doing keynotes
and also my board career and that will continue. I
think I've still got plenty to contribute to our business
(13:24):
community and our small businesses around Australia. So I wonder
what our theme will be next year. It'll be open
for negotiation and we'll be discussing it very soon as
we come to the end of the year.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
So Rhythm might move into we don't know, We'll wait
and see.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
We'll wait and see, and it's always fun. One year
was Discovery. We just had to do new things all year,
which was terrific. So I wonder it might be creativity. Oh,
it sounds like I'm already pitching ideas for the theme
is next year.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
So one last question only this is one that probably
for me.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
So in terms of what do you see as the
biggest untapped opportunity in the Australian retail or consumer sector
over the next few years.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
If we look at the local stores, what is thriving
is those businesses that can't be put in a box.
They can't be So I think that relationships and that
connection of human connection, like the curation the real service sperience,
I think will be more important. So if we look
(14:31):
at Mecca as a brand, you know, people go in
there because they can try things, and they can touch
things and they can see them, which you just really
can't do online. So It's an experiential thing. So if
I look at what retailers, it's that experience. I think
of blue Illusion. You know that they're lovely ladies. You
walk in and they are always welcoming and they remember
(14:53):
your name, you know. So I think that will be
the key to retail is what is the secret source
that can't be put in a box, and that I
think we're to crave more and more human connection.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
No, I completely agree. Well that's it. Thank you, Naomi.
But I am thank you. I'm honored to talk to
you today.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Amy, has been terrific having you on handpicked with your
take on retail and as you push into the next
generation of retailers, we look forward to seeing what you
get up to. Thank you, Amy, Thank you, Naomi.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
I'm honored to speaking to you today.
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