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Look out, here comes the bank manager!

Posted on November 4, 2011

Alan Erskine continues
the Fishers success story

THERE are some in the community who might think the Fishers supermarket chain is a ‘rags to riches’ story.

Alan with the fifth generation of Fishers, his children Jono, 8, Jemima, 12, and James, 9.

But it’s far from that, as Part One of our Fishers Centenary Special revealed last week. The generosity of the 1911 founder, Eugene Fisher, followed by his son Alan, in extending a line of credit to many customers, brought the business close to financial ruin.

The bulk of the debts were never repaid. And to rub salt into the wound, a fire at the Merbein store again brought Fishers to its knees. The family was heavily in debt by the time third generation Bill Fisher took the reins in 1956.

The late Bill Fisher’s former wife Claire Pinnell recalled that when Bill took over the family business, they had no money, and she tells a story that seems funny now, but it certainly wasn’t amusing at the time.

“When we were first married we were walking down the road, and Bill saw the bank manager coming towards us,” she said. “Bill said, ‘quick, hide, there’s the bank manager.’

“So there we were, running and hiding…the business simply had no money at the time. People think it’s funny now, but it wasn’t. We could have lost everything, even our house.”

Regardless of struggles like this, Bill knew he had to expand to survive. According to former staff, relatives and friends, he had an insatiable appetite for work, and a great philosophy…either grow bigger and stronger, or close down. Toughing out the bad times, Bill made the monumental decision to upgrade from simple grocery stores to bigger supermarkets. and he worked hard to ‘grow’ the business into a chain of stores. His reasoning was that if he didn’t make some bold moves, he just wouldn’t be able to compete with other department stores, and the newly-arrived Woolworths.

Then came more bold decisions, first joining the bigger Four Square buying group, then SSW, followed by Foodmaster, and finally IGA, gradually transforming the entire chain into supermarkets, starting with Mildura in 1962. It was about this time that Bill introduced the motto ‘Fishers sell it for less,’ a tag that’s stuck through the decades. He also introduced other initiatives and innovations, including fully air-conditioned stores, self-service meat cabinets, a separate delicatessen, and the now-ubiquitous supermarket trolley.

According to long-time Fisher family friends and employees, Bill knew that building new stores was a huge financial risk, but he had developed an uncanny knack of knowing where and when to open a store. Claire went one step further. “Bill was just brilliant at it, really hands on,” she recalled. “He would run the cash registers, stock the shelves, put trolleys away…he did everything that his employees did. It was perhaps micro-managing, but by doing everything and helping out where needed, he was highly visible, and accessible to his customers – a real part of the community.”

It was through this store expansion program, turning grocery stores into supermarkets, that was the turning point in the company’s fortunes. Along the way, Bill made every effort to source local produce in an effort to support the region. Claire recalled how Bill once returned a load of oranges to Melbourne after learning they were grown in the United States. He considered it an insult to the local citrus industry to be selling overseas fruit.
Alan Fisher says that even today the Fishers list of local suppliers is something that can’t be matched by larger chains, who are forced to buy from a central group.

Living and working in a rural area didn’t stop Bill implementing changes that were more at home in metropolitan region. He simply brought city ideas to the country. Fishers was one of the first businesses in regional Australia to install automatic price scanners at the registers, and was also the first business in Mildura on the Internet, although the family always maintained the integrity and honesty of someone brought up in a rural community.

Fourth generation Alan Fisher tells how integrity in business was at the top of the priority list for his father. “It was simply a matter of doing the right thing,” he said. “Dad didn’t talk in numbers, he talked in values, and about doing what was right. His handshake was his word, but he lost more than one business deal because others didn’t honour such an agreement.

Alan, 45, remembers learning the business the hard way, a steep – sometimes painful – learning curve, but looking back he wouldn’t have had it any other way. Learning the ropes took many years, and although it was never discussed, it was naturally assumed that he would take the helm when the time was right.

Claire recalls: “Alan was certainly keen – as far as I remember it’s all he ever wanted. Alan is very much like Bill. The stores have always been part of his life.”

Like his Dad, Alan started at the bottom, learning the ins and outs from the ground up.

But one job in particular has some painful memories. Alan recalled his early days at the store, working in the warehouse, preparing the fruit and vegetables.

He was being shown the ropes by two experienced employees…and often came in for some good-natured ribbing. He recalls being shown how to cut the cabbage…hold the top with one hand and use the other to pull the blade of the guillotine down.

“My hands were only small, and I couldn’t hold the cabbage properly,” Alan said. “I moved my hand to the top. My index finger was too close, and when I slammed the blade down I cut the top off my finger. The other guys thought I was clowning around and were laughing…until I showed them my bleeding hand.”

Alan remembers being taken to Mildura Base Hospital, where the surgeon repaired the damage, although he couldn’t replace the top of the finger. When Bill walked in to see Alan he said simply; “well, you’ll wear that one for life.”

Although Fishers has been a near lifetime job for Alan, he did take an outside job once…funnily enough for Coles, the opposition. “I wanted to work for a store that Dad didn’t own,” he said. Alan says he enjoyed the experience, but six months later made the decision to return to the family business, knocking back the Coles offer of a managerial position.

It wasn’t too much later that Bill called Alan into his office and said simply; “It’s time for you to come and sit with me.”

By this stage he had worked in every department, at every level, and had been taught by the best in the business. He was ready to begin the transition process, and Bill had recognised it.

“I copied everything Dad did, identically,” Alan said. “As time went on I took over more and more, and Dad started to step back.”

Alan proved he was more than capable of filling his father’s shoes, gradually embarking on a steady, calculated business growth that far surpassed what previous generations had done, to the extent that Fishers now has 16 supermarkets, five service stations and 17 liquor outlets under his control, and is currently working on a multi-million dollar luxury residential development in Irymple.

Alan is justifiably proud of his hard work, and what he has been able to achieve. He is proud of the past generations as well. “Each generation has put their own stamp on the company, starting with Eugene’s first store,” he said.

“His son Alan expanded that to three, my father Bill doubled those to six, and now I have been able, with the help of fellow management and staff, to double that again. When Dad died, Coles offered me a lot of money to sell up. I wouldn’t have had to work another day of my life, but Fishers isn’t about money…it’s about people, jobs, and the future. Our employees are like family, they are loyal to the firm, and I want to help them become the best they can be, and to realise their ambitions.

“That’s why we are instigating an accredited training course, and have employed a life skills coach to help staff members in their careers, or through any illness or personal tragedy.”

So what about a 5th generation? Alan is adamant that his children, Jemima, 12, James, 9, and Jono, 8, will make their own choices in life. “Dad didn’t make me do anything, but I also feel I had no choice,” he said. “The supermarket business was in my blood…and it was what I wanted to do

“Well just have to wait and see.”

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