OK Furniture Bully Boys

I am the proprietor of South Africa's leading independent retail publication, Home Goods Retailer which seeks above all else to improve communication between the retailer and his supplier.

It is just over 16 months ago that Aubrey Karp, then CEO of OK Furniture/House & Home pulled the plug on HGR - on over five months of hard work, plus several thousand rands on a wasted and fruitless enterprise and blew a giant hole in our bottom line.

Which came terrifyingly close to sinking us. And as we came to realise shortly thereafter, for the most selfish and specious of reasons. In February 2016 after we published a particularly flattering article on Karp and his achievements at OK/House & Home and he had expressed his delight, we suggested that we compile, prepare, write, publish and distribute an OK/House & Home Company Profile. Karp was immediately interested and a few weeks later and in the company of his two lieutenants at the time, Deputy CEO (now CEO) Paul Fairhurst and advertising/marketing manager Sheridan Smit, the conditions and the timeline were agreed. Now HGR and it's antecedent FAS Retailer, has over the decades of their existence successfully published 21 such Profiles for both retailers and suppliers. These have included giants of the industry such as the JD Group (in its pomp), Ellerines (back in the day), Hirsch's, Tafelberg, Game, Tedelex, Defy, Van Dyck Carpets, Restonic, Masons and a host of others. Without exception, these Profiles were received by these clients with enormous appreciation.

Ian Hughes