Leadership and management are important factors in the dynamic nature of the retail industry and a prominent leader must have the ability to make tough decisions, excel in communication skills and be able to motivate the team to achieve the sales and operational targets with strong strategic thinking. He or she should be adaptable, flexible, and able to navigate changes and embrace new technologies and continual development.
At the forefront of this style of leadership is Gavin Kaye, Chief Financial Officer of Mammouth Trading Co. Ltd, which trades as Courts Mammouth in the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. He has a deep understanding of international businesses and customers’ needs and his immense experience drives him to deliver exceptional performance.
Journey of Resilience & Leadership
Gavin Kaye started his career as a trainee accountant in London with what is now BDO and, since moving into industry, has worked in senior positions in several publicly listed companies and family businesses in various sectors, as well as owning his own corporate finance boutique in London for a number of years. He has almost 40 years of experience in both professional and industrial positions, joining Courts Mammouth as Chief Financial Officer in January 2021 and becoming a board member in May of the same year.
Due to the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, all stores were closed for long periods. With only limited online activity in Mauritius at that time and ongoing obligations such as rents and salaries still needing to be paid, it proved to be a highly challenging period for him and the company. Regardless, they survived the difficult phase without resorting to staff reductions or any other long-term damage to the core business.
Leading Retailer in Mauritius
Courts Mammouth was established in the UK in the 1940s and grew into one of the largest furniture retailers. The inaugural Courts Mammouth store opened in Mauritius in 1985 and was the first retail outlet on the island to provide consumer credit to customers. This allowed many working Mauritians to purchase high-quality furniture, electrical, and technology products for the first time. Customers could now pay for these items based on their on-going financial capability not their current bank account balances. The business was hugely successful and was listed on the Stock Exchange of Mauritius for a while in the 1990s before being taken over by a large private group.
In 2015, the original founders bought the company back, financed by a small foreign private equity investor. Since that time, the company has grown significantly, with compound revenue growth at over 15% per annum for the last 5 years. The company now operates 26 retail stores, with 23 located in Mauritius and 3 on the nearby Rodrigues island. It has established itself as the leading non-food retailer on both islands and has a customer base of over 600,000 registered individuals, out of a population of just 1.3 million
In 2023, the company acquired Price Guru, the leading online retailer in Mauritius, which enabled the group to deliver its vision for online and in-store market domination.
Additionally, the company looks to manufacture products locally whenever feasible and actively supports the employment of local Mauritians as much as possible.
Fulfilling Customer Satisfaction
Courts Mammouth sells furniture, electrical, and technology products. It is constantly looking at ways to enhance the product range and improve the levels of customer service. This involves management regularly attending trade shows in different countries and keeps abreast of changing tastes. It also ensures the products on offer are suitable for the customer demographic that it serves. Mauritius is a small island, but customers know what they are looking for and they spend relatively high proportions of disposable income on home-focused products. The company has become the retailer of choice for almost all residents of the island over the last 39 years, so keeping the product range fresh and innovative is a priority for the company.
Major Challenges
Gavin encountered significant challenges upon joining the company amidst the pandemic. The stores were forced to remain closed through Government restrictions and shipments of new products were delayed. The responsibility for nearly a thousand employees at that time and ensuring the survival of the company made the start of his CFO role difficult. Being new to Mauritius also presented adaptation challenges, including cultural nuances, work methods, and priorities different from those he had encountered in London. Despite these obstacles, Gavin dedicated himself to understanding the team’s key requirements while leveraging off his extensive business and financial expertise. .
Steady Growth and Innovations
Courts Mammouth believes that for a company’s growth, it is imperative to innovate and to bring in new ideas, whether that is new products, new technology, or simply a way to serve its customers better. Inevitably, there will be instances where taking risks is required – and not every innovation will achieve success. The company tries to research new initiatives carefully before rushing into them and planning implementation carefully. It focuses heavily on staff training and ensuring it has buy-in from its key team members, without which the initiative is much more likely to fail. It is impossible to be 100% sure everything succeeds, so managing the down-side risk on cash flow and reputation is also very important.
The company has been growing steadily over the years. Gavin attributes customer loyalty and the trust the Courts Mammouth’s brand has in the country for this exceptional performance.. The company’s revenue continually increases, with fairly limited external factors affecting the growing demand levels. The recent opening of a new large store has created new opportunities in the way retail outlets can service their customers in Mauritius. The last six years have seen immense growth in the business despite the pandemic, which is shown in this graph. (graph from questionnaire)
New Launches and Long-Lasting Success
Courts Mammouth opened a 100,000-square-foot store in the largest shopping mall on the island last year. It is seeking a complete change in the way retailing is carried out in Mauritius with the new store, making it a destination rather than just an outlet. Up to 10% of the store is dedicated to non-core retail activities. This includes various attractions such as a snow village, a state-of-the-art in-store coffee shop, 5D graphic entertainment, and a full-size furnished house to showcase its product ranges.
Live entertainment will also be provided to enhance the overall shopping experience. It now has a Post Office within its premises and has developed new lines of furniture to attract a new range of customers. It has also introduced popular European brands that were previously unavailable on the island, making them exclusive to their store. This flagship store will embrace new retail technology and become a focal point for both the company and the future of furniture and electrical retailing in the region.
Undoubtedly, Courts Mammouth has established a significant presence in the lives of most Mauritians. The stores have been in existence for nearly 40 years and were the first to introduce consumer credit to the local community. The ability to acquire high-quality furniture, electrical, and technology products and afford them independently has brought significant transformation, and the loyalty towards the company continues to be as strong as ever. The management takes nothing for granted though, and continues to introduce new ranges and keep up with changing fashion and technology, as well as always looking to improve customer service.
Company Culture and Mentorship
Courts Mammouth encourages training heavily both internally and by making use of third-party courses. Identifying and nurturing talent is key to ensuring the company continues to develop and grow and that good people are retained. It is no different on a small island like Mauritius than it is in larger territories. Mentorship – senior people leading by example – is key in the organization as many staff join when they leave school or college, so their work ethic and desire to learn needs to be taught from the start.
Use of Technology in Retail
Technology is fundamental to most businesses, and that is especially true in retail. The customer experience very much depends on the speed and efficiency of the IT system, all the way from the identification of stock availability to the purchasing of goods at the stores or online. Courts Mammouth continues to invest in new technology and takes advantage of technology ideas developed in other countries that may be further advanced than Mauritius. It intends to invest further in the coming year, focusing on more App-based technology.
Beliefs and Leadership Style
Alongside Gavin is the company’s CEO, Andrew Cohen, who is a member of the original founding family and spent most of his career in the Courts’ business in the UK and latterly in Mauritius. Gavin and Andrew are fortunate to have an experienced senior management team to support them. Courts Mammouth has always engendered a family culture as many employees stay for long periods, some for their entire working careers.
The company maintains an open-door management style, encouraging input and ideas from all employees. It treats store staff, warehouse, and factory workers, as well as delivery staff, with equal respect and fairness. There is no differentiation in how they are treated compared to those in more senior head office positions, and there are equal opportunities not affected by any discrimination.
The company encourages those who stay with it to take up leadership positions, and many of the store managers and heads of departments started in low positions and have worked their way up. The management team recognise that its employees are the lifeblood of the company, and it does not matter how good its product ranges are if the quality of its service, friendliness, and professionalism are not transparent to its customers, they will buy from elsewhere.
The company very much believes in Leaders, not Bosses, and this is a culture that is reflected throughout the organization.
