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READING RETAIL<br />
Barbara and Jacques<br />
van Niekerk<br />
Safari Garden Centre<br />
How long have you been<br />
involved in retail and<br />
specifically Safari Garden<br />
Centre?<br />
My wife, Barbara and I have been<br />
involved in retail for 23 years. Our<br />
involvement in Safari Garden Centre<br />
since the laying of the first foundations<br />
and planning phase in 1990, spans<br />
twenty seven years.<br />
What is your role in the<br />
business?<br />
We keep everything together! Barbara’s<br />
strengths are found in every aspect of<br />
the business and includes strong points<br />
like technical, financial, organisational,<br />
creative, planning and leadership skills.<br />
She is our leader! We both bring intuitive<br />
knowledge like reading seasons and<br />
understanding the organics of an ever<br />
changing business environment to<br />
the table.<br />
The strategic business<br />
and positioning of Safari<br />
Garden Centre has always<br />
seemed ‘ahead’ of the<br />
industry, what do you<br />
attribute this to?<br />
Safari has always endeavoured to<br />
swim upstream on purpose. We<br />
do not follow specific guidelines<br />
or lines of thought for the sake of<br />
being correct or fitting in with the<br />
rest. The trick is to establish one’s<br />
own unique identity from day one<br />
and stick with it, while at the same<br />
time managing to adapt to changes<br />
and keep up with the pace of<br />
consumer trends. Many things can<br />
be attributed to being successful in<br />
<strong>SPRING</strong> 20<strong>17</strong><br />
8
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