Name Phil Smith
Company Blooms
The Chemist
Position CEO
HQ Sydney, Australia
Employees 1,500EXECUTIVE INTERVIEWI
’ve been in retail nearly all of my life,” Phil Smith, the CEO of Blooms
The Chemist admits. “I’ve had a very long career working in department
stores and have had all types of roles; in merchandise, marketing, human
resources, and operations. My last position was as Managing Director
for Myer. I then went to API and was one of the founding partners of the
Priceline Pharmacy brand.”After a quick foray into the apparel category, trying to save the Fletcher Jones
brand, Phil then joined the Blooms The Chemist board four years ago. When
the company lost its CEO rather suddenly, Phil stepped into the breach, albeit
temporarily. “I stepped in to do an interim role for a year, but I’m now in my
fourth year! When I looked around the stores I saw big opportunities and
terrific potential. I saw massive potential in the productivity models — models
based on how to maximise sales and gross profits per square metre, and on
how to maximise the return on every dollar of stock invested into the business.
We’ve had three years of double digit growth across the group so all of those
opportunities are coming to fruition.”Utilising his retail background, Phil Smith is driving
Blooms The Chemist to growth figures way beyond those
of its competitors.IMAGES ZAHRINA ROBERTSONMore than
a chemist