The heritage chain of Ferguson Plarre Bakehouses has a footprint of more than 85 stores in Australia. So why has this Victorian favourite limited its growth to its home base?
In this podcast for Inside Franchise Business‘ podcast series Spill the Biz, CEO Steve Plarre reveals what happened when the bakery chain dipped its toes in Queensland, and why failing fast is the goal – but hard to achieve.
Steve and his brother are fourth generation bakers, heading up the business that has navigated two World Wars, two pandemics, The Great Depression and his own multi-generational family challenges.
Ferguson Plarre boss on those music video spoofs
Plarre was appointed CEO of Plarre Foods Group in July 2012 and he has helped rebuild the family brand to become an award-winning, sustainable business.
As many of us experienced during lockdown, Plarre is also a bit of a muso. He hit the big time with a viral hit of a Mary Poppins song getting more than one million views during the pandemic.
In this podcast he reveals why culture is so important in business, how he keeps the brand heritage while innovating, and why sustainability is a crucial business strategy.
