Nathan Cary

Residentia Group was formed in 2014 by a passionate team of appliance industry and retail experts and is today the fastest growing wholesaler within the appliances industry. Residentia distributes and services the Esatto, InAlto, Solt, TEKA and Elica brands within Australia and also sources for a number of retailer private label brands. Residentia expanded into China/Hong Kong and the United Kingdom in 2017. Our focus is on product development and sourcing innovative products from strategic partner manufacturers, designed to suit a specific target consumer. The Residentia product range includes ovens, cooktops, rangehoods, dishwashers, refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, air-conditioners and sinks supplied through leading retailers and distributors. Residentia are customer obsessed, with all product designs starting with the end consumer firmly in mind. We are also focussed on forming meaningful relationships with our partner retailers/distributors and aspire to being “best in class” when it comes to our service.

Responsible for the Trade Buying function of the Home Timber & Hardware Group with consolidated sales in excess of $500m. Categories incorporated include Appliances, Bathrooms, Building Supplies, Flooring, Kitchens, Plumbing, Doors & Joinery, Hardware, Fixings & Safety and Timber & Panels. Responsibilities include financial budgets, strategic planning, product sourcing & development, team leadership, vendor relationships and inventory control across a mix of company owned and independent stores. The Trade categories represent ~75% of the HTH Group's sales. The Home Timber & Hardware Group, trades under the Home Timber & Hardware, Thrifty Link and Plants Plus brands and is part of the Woolworths Ltd and Lowe's Companies Inc., Australian home improvement Joint Venture.

Masters Home Improvement is a joint venture between Woolworths Ltd (Australia's largest retailer) and Lowe's Group (World's second largest Home Improvement retailer). Masters opened it's first store at Braybrook, Melbourne on September 1st 2011 and successfully opened 33 stores by mid 2013. The Showroom division incorporated the Kitchens, Bathrooms, Large Appliances (Cooking & Whitegoods), Plumbing, Small Domestic Appliances (Vacuums) and Heating/Cooling categories. This role included leading the development of the highly successful Profile and Principal kitchen brands/ranges as well as their implementation and operation.

My work as National Category Development Manager included: > Conducted a comprehensive review of the Australian Kitchen & Bathroom markets, as well as the relevant international markets; > Conducted a comprehensive review of the Australian Large Appliances & Whitegoods market and relevant international markets; > Conducted internal reviews of the relevant Mitre 10 merchandise categories (including Kitchens, Bathrooms and Appliances); > Developed a strategic plan for how the Mitre 10 brand could enter and grow within the Australian Kitchen/Laundry, Bathroom and Large Appliances markets; > Presented industry findings together with strategic options to key stakeholders within the Mitre 10 business, with the recommended strategy being adopted in all cases; Specific to the Kitchen strategy: > Developed a comprehensive business case (including forecast P&L statement), for the successful strategy; > Sourced a local supplier to partner with in order to develop the strategy mutually. This also involved developing a Memorandum of Understanding between both parties; > Sourced relevant component suppliers (local and offshore), entering exclusive supply agreements; > Developed a brand, including all aspects of livery, as well as assisted with developing a marketing plan (again specific to the Australian market); > Managed the implementation of the successful strategy. Assisted with the design, implementation and coordination of three major homeshow stands, including the HIA and RACV expos; and, > Developed and sourced the Bassano Large Appliance range, exclusive to Mitre 10. The Mitre 10 Kitchens category was the fastest growing category for the business in 2009, representing ~$6m in retail sales. The strategy remains in place today.

Various management positions within the first large format Mitre 10 MEGA home improvement store; including Retail Operations Manager and Complex Manager. Was part of the original start-up team responsible for the setup of what was the first Mitre 10 MEGA store in Australia. In this role I was responsible for a team of more than 120 and an annual turnover greater than $20m. The business saw strong growth through successfully growing the trade customer base.