For almost 70 years, Perth food lovers and members of the city’s European community have enjoyed the delights of the Re Store on Lake Street in Northbridge.
For almost 70 years, Perth food lovers and members of the city’s European community have enjoyed the delights of the Re Store on Lake Street in Northbridge.
John and Marie Re’s 1936 creation has grown from a small fruit and vegetable and general grocery store to a comprehensive supermarket stocking coffee, cheese, alcohol, chocolate, biscuits, meat, pasta and more.
So successful was the Northbridge outlet that John and Marie Re opened a similar store on Oxford Street, Leederville, in the 1970s. During the previous decade an extra element was added to the city store with the adjacent European Foods Wholesalers business, which now supplies restaurants, cafes, retail stores, supermarket chains, liquor stores and hospitality outlets throughout Western Australia and across the nation.
The Re Group is a family business in the truest sense. For Mr and Mrs Re’s four daughters – Carolina, Adriana, Aurora and Anna – the Re Store has always been a part of their lives.
As young girls, the Re daughters would spend their time working in the shop, helping out their parents. So it was only natural that the family business was handed down to them and their husbands.
While the Re daughters continued their father’s business, their husbands took on various roles within the Re Group, from general manager of European Wholesalers to managing the operations of the Re Store outlets.
The sisters only stopped working, and then only temporarily, when they had children. Between them they have 10 children, with most of these (now grown) offspring working within the Re Group or connected to the group in some capacity.
Moreno Berti, cannot remember school holidays where he didn’t work in the family business. The son of Aurora, Mr Berti is now manager of the Re Store in Leederville,
So what is the secret to the Re family’s business success?
Mr Berti said the family atmosphere had a positive effect on all employees, as did the group’s understanding of its customers’ needs. The Re stores had good relationships with their suppliers and buyers and followed the Re Group’s 10 rules of business, written almost 50 years ago by John Re.
Among the 10 rules are the importance of honesty at all times, clients are always right, and the need to attend to clients as time is worth money.
But essentially, Mr Berti said, the Re Group had no method or strategy that had created success, but rather the basics of pride, passion and the extra bond of family connection.
“There is a huge amount of pride in seeing not just the European community but everyone getting enjoyment from what we provide,” he said.
“The best thing is that we get to be a part of it. I am helping create it and living it.
“We all knew our grandfather and saw his passion and driving force for the business and we are carrying that on.”
For all their benefits, however, family businesses can run into trouble if several members of the upcoming generation don’t want to be involved.
Mr Berti said although passing the business on to his children was desirable, they were free to sell their share or not be involved if they wanted.
“It shouldn’t be a prison sentence,” he said. “I can’t see any of my generation wanting to sell but that may change in the next generation because none of them knew their great grandfather and his passion.
“I think because we knew him it had a huge impact on us, but they don’t and that may make things a little different. It is extremely hard work, there is satisfaction when it works but it wouldn’t be the same satisfaction if you weren’t family.
“We have the same problems as other companies, but we have an extra bond, our blood.
The Re family is one example of hundreds of family businesses in WA. And to celebrate the achievements and contributions of family businesses like the Re Store, WA Business News is holding the 2005 Family Business awards.
The awards are open to all WA businesses owned and operated by a family or group of families.
WA Business News is accepting nominations in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation family business categories. Nominate online at www.familybizawards.com.au or call Aisha on 9288 2104 for more information.
