Retail Management Services 2000 Limited

Rick Hellings

FACA, FNZIM, BSc (Economics)

(03) 384 5160 | 027 3845300

Providers of Business Advisory Services

Retail Management Services 2000 Limited (RMS) is a financial investment and advisory business. It offers a complete range of business advisory services aimed at enabling businesses to achieve their full potential.

Areas of expertise include

  • Strategic planning & management
  • Developing and implementing sales and marketing strategies
  • Financial analysis and management
  • Succession and exit planning
  • Property planning and lease negotiating
  • Coaching, mentoring & staff development

The advisory business is headed up by Executive Director Rick Hellings. He is an experienced Chief Executive with a proven and successful track record having been Chief Executive/Managing Director of Christchurch based public company Smiths City Group from 1999 to 2015.

In 2015 Rick stepped away from Smiths City and since then has run RMS which operates as an investment company and offers mentoring and advisory services to a wide range of businesses, individuals and not-for-profit organisations.

He is also part owner and Director of Helmac Action and Advisory Limited, a specialist Occupational Safety and Health advisory business based in Christchurch.

Rick has a degree in economics from University College, Cardiff and is a qualified Chartered Accountant. His achievements in business have been recognised by his peers as he has been made a Fellow of both the New Zealand Institue of Management and the Chartered Accountants Institute of Australia and New Zealand.

Rick Hellings
Rick Hellings

As an Executive, Rick's main strengths centre around an ability:

  • to put the customer first;
  • to think strategically;
  • to accurately analyse opportunities as they arise; and,
  • to analyse and measure performance from a financial viewpoint and then act decisively to execute any necessary actions by working with and leading people in a way that ensures they can achieve not only the required business results but often results beyond their own expectations.
 

As a Director, his main strengths centre around:

  • a detailed understanding of the difference between governance and management;
  • a full understanding of the legal requirements around being a Director including the identification and management of risk;
  • an understanding of strategy, planning and then managing commercial performance; and,
  • an understanding of key relationships including those around the Board table and with key stakeholders.

An Introduction

Rick is an experienced Business Executive.

He has a tertiary qualification from University College Cardiff and is a Fellow of the New Zealand Society of Accountants and a Fellow of the New Zealand lnstitute of Management

Over the years he has carved out a successful business record in the retail, finance and property arenas. In April 2O15 he resigned from publicly listed company Smiths City Group Limited having completed 25 years of service, the last sixteen of which were as Managing Director/Chief Executive. During this time the Group experienced tremendous success, both financially and reputationally, in one of the most intensely competitive market sectors. However the time was right for both himself and the company for a new management team to take over the reins.

Given his own strong views that long term ex-CEOs should not "hang around" he also stepped off all the Group Company Boards.

Since that time Rick has run his investment company (Retail Management Services 2000 Limited) and offered mentoring and advisory services to businesses, individuals and not-for-profit organisations.

He has been involved with many clients covering a variety of business roles such as Strategic Adviser (Big Brand Company), Advisory Board Member (Bennetto Natural Foods) and Property and Lease Adviser (BFT Fitness Centres, Christchurch) as well as undertaking pro bono Mentoring to individuals and providing advisory support to the not-for-profit sector.

He is also a Shareholder and Director of Helmac Action and Advisory Limited, a Christchurch based start-up company specialising in the Occupational Health and Safety space. It has key points of difference to other companies in that field and is specifically designed to change the health and safety conversation.

Outside of business, Rick's main interests centre around family, travel and sport (mainly from the armchair these days although he does enjoy the odd round of golf). He has been married to Sarah for over 28 years and has a son, a daughter and grandson.


Brief Summary Of Career At Smiths City Group (SCG)

Rick joined SCG as General Manager in August 1991 having been CFO of Noel Leeming Group, then a Christchurch based retailer run by Mr Noel Leeming. As General Manager he was responsible for running all SCG trading operations.

From 1986 to 1991 SCG had been a nationally represented retail business. The company had been placed into receivership on 1 May 1991. Having retrenched to a South Island only business, in 1998 it became the first New Zealand public company to trade its way out of receivership - a major achievement.

In 1999 Rick became Chief Executive/Managing Director.
From that time highlights included:

  • In 2001 it returned to the NZX
  • In 2004 it returned to the North Island via the acquisition of L V Martin and Meikles
  • It continued to expand via new store openings through early and mid-2000s
  • From 2009 to 2015 it successfully negotiated the combined impact of global financial crisis and the Christchurch earthquakes

In the full time of Rick's tenure as CEO/MD it made sales of over $3 billion and made a profit every financial year.

lf one matter were to be singled out as the key to the Smiths turnaround it would have to be the commitment to putting the customer first - right through from the selection of product to the manner it was displayed in store, to the staff engagement with the customer, to the delivery and back up service.

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