Terry White Chemists at Kogarah Town Centre has won Business of the Year in the St George Local Business Awards.
The 2016 awards were held on May 25 at Venus Reception Centre, Kogarah.
The big gong was rewarded to the popular pharmacy at Kogarah, which was re-branded into a Terry White chemist by owner Louis Visvis in 2011.
With 26 staff on board including four pharmacists, the chemist expanded with a medical centre.
All full-time staff are qualified pharmacy assistants from Pharmacy Guild Australia.
Retail manager Chrys Visvis says having a team of strong employees is a big part of running a successful community business.
“Each one of our staff has been picked for particular roles,” she said.
“The girls all have fantastic personalities and they love what they do.
“They are rostered on according to their strengths, and they are always up to to date with their training.
“We also like to hire juniors – quite a few have stayed on with us from high school or uni, and decided to have a career in pharmacy.”
Mrs Visvis says the chemist caters for the multicultural region of St George.
“Our translation service is greatly utilised,” she said.
“We have Mandarin, Macedonian, Cantonese, Greek, German and Indian speakers.”
She says a major attraction for customers is children’s health.
“Kogarah is a huge market for kid’s health and baby accessories,” she said.
“We have free baby scales in store and two pharmacists on site where mums can talk to a professional.
“All our full-time staff are trained in the baby section, so there’s always someone to ask for advice.”
The chemist also introduced a Napoleon cosmetics range.
“It’s been fantastic – people love it because they don’t have to travel to the concept store at Hurstville,” Mrs Visvis said.
“The skincare and vitamins have also taken off, and we have close connections with dermatologists in the area.”
Terry White’s rewards program is also a “winning formula”, she says.
“We have 15,000 members in our store, which is huge for Kogarah,” she said.
“Elderly people especially like it because it’s live – you don’t have to wait for the voucher when you get over 100 points.
“We’re always trying to get a feel for what customers want, and we try to maintain old school customer service.
“We’re a work in progress and we’re always having our tentacles out there to see what our customers want.”
WINNING CATEGORIES
Automotive Services: Rockdale Mazda
Bakery/Cake Shop: Bakers Delight, Kogarah Town Centre
Beauty Services: The Beauty Place
Cafe: Cafe Bella Dee
Child Care Services: The Little Cottage Long Day Care Centre
Community Services: Kogarah Community Services
Dance Studio: T K Dance Stars
Delicatessen/Gourmet Food: Lugarno Gourmet Deli
Fast Food/Takeaway: Lashings, Brighton-Le-Sands
Fitness Services: Live Well Health & Fitness Studio
Florist: B & M Florist
Fruit & Vegetables Shop: All Seasons Fruit Market
Hairdresser: Hairem Hairdressing
Health Improvement Services: Word of Mouth Dentistry
New Business: Maria’s Beauty Bar
Pet Care: Beverly Hills Animal Hospital
Pharmacy: Terry White Chemists, Kogarah Town Centre
Poultry/Fish/Meat: Jumbuck Meats Gourmet Butchery, Oatley
Professional Services: Alderton Enterprises
Real Estate Agency: Sarraf Strata
Restaurant – Family: La Piazza, Brighton-Le-Sands
Restaurant – Fine Dining: Omeros on the Beach
Service & Trade: Cummins Joinery
Specialised Business: Global Education Academy
Specialised Retail Business: Swarovski, Westfield Hurstville
Youth Award: Tamara Gordon, T K Dance Stars
Business Person of the Year: Cathy Russell, Fernwood Fitness, Rockdale
