Stihl Shop recently announced the appointment of Mark Powell to the position of independent member on the group’s advisory board. Powell is best known for his five-year term as group CEO of The Warehouse Group.
Among his current directorships, Powell is a non-executive Director of the JB Hi-Fi Retail Group and Trinity Lands. He is also ‘CEO in Residence’ at the Massey Business School in Auckland.
Powell’s previous experience at The Warehouse Group, an iconic NZ retailer with $2.7 billion in sales, more than 230 stores and 12,000 employees, means he is well-equipped to help the Stihl Shop Group achieve its future goals.
Stihl managing director, James Bibby, says Powell will provide invaluable insight to the group’s advisory board.
“The Stihl Shop retail network has achieved impressive scale over a relatively brief period and now boasts 66 independently owned stores nationwide. So it’s great to have someone of Mark’s calibre and expertise to call upon to assist us in the next phase of our market development. Having led one of our country’s largest and most high-profile businesses, Mark obviously knows what it takes to be successful in a multi-outlet retail environment” says Bibby in a media release.
Powell says he’s excited by the prospect of learning from the successes of Stihl Shop. “Stihl Shop is Consumer NZ’s most trusted retailer. You don’t achieve that without having consistently exceptional service and high-quality product,” Powell says. “I think the Stihl Shop licensee model is very interesting; it means that all the owners across the country are personally invested and you see that reflected in their customer oriented approach and in their business results.”
