Richard Hirsch continues to grow
FOURWAYS – The Fourways Review had the opportunity to speak to Richard Hirsch about a lifetime in the family business, and what makes Hirsch's so successful.
Richard Hirsch was only three years old when his parents started their now well-known appliance store. He’s spent his whole life learning from the best about hard work and keeping the customer happy.
“I can remember a lot of the early days of my folks having their own business and working really hard after hours,” he told Fourways Review.
“On weekends I would often accompany my Dad to a customer’s home on Sunday evenings to repair their stove or washing machine. My folks worked exceptionally hard back then, as they still do to this day.”
Richard is the first-born child of Allan and Margaret Hirsch and has been the managing director of Hirsch’s since he took over from his mother in 2010. In this role, he motivates Hirsch’s teams to serve customers well, helps grow staff at a number of stores, engages with the marketing department and overall manages the business to keep things running smoothly.
“I have worked at Hirsch’s for as long as I can remember. During school holidays and on weekends and even after finishing school,” he said.
After a period of living overseas in the United Kingdom and Australia, Hirsch returned to South Africa in 1998 and set about working his way up the company.
“I worked in the [Hirsch’s] warehouse, as well as in the small repairs department, earning my stripes. Then I went into sales and then into store management of the Springfield Park branch where I was the branch manager for about six years before becoming the regional manager for KwaZulu-Natal. Then [I became] the managing director in 2010. It has been a fun journey.”
It has also been an ever-changing journey, according to Hirsch. He explained that the world of retail is changing constantly, with a completely different landscape today than there was in the business five years ago. To survive these changes, Hirsch’s Home Stores focus on rapid growth, staying ahead of the technology curve and making sure that the company keeps up with ever-more tech-savvy customers who want to shop online.
The strength of the Hirsch’s family has also led to business success.
“I have enormous respect for my parents and my sister. We all do different jobs and there is an enormous trust between all four of us. I also get along exceptionally well with hundreds of our Hirsch’s team who are not family members.
“Our Hirsch family is very strong and without the rest of our team, we are absolutely nothing. We need a good combination of both.”
Details: www.hirschs.co.za
