Catch of the Decade

CHAPTER 13A new era

By June 2016, it had become clear that the merger or sale we had hoped for would not happen. Why would it? Financially we were going backwards, the year ahead was expected to be even worse and the family culture we had worked so hard to build had seen better days. We knew that the train we were driving was about to hit the wall, and that we as the co‐drivers had to make a decision. Do we turn right, left or do nothing at all and plough straight into it? We were in a precarious position and a decision had to be made.

Q: What do we do next?

A: We jump back in and get our hands dirty, fully determined to bring the business back to where it rightfully belonged: at the top of the e‐commerce tree.

Nati Harpatz, why don't you take it from here and tell them the story?

Nati

I'd met Gabby over the years at various retail events, and we shared a common language, cultural background and love of retail, so we understood each other and had an instant rapport. We met for a beer and he confided in me his concerns, frustrations and ideas going forward. I went away mulling over what he'd told me and sent him an email the next day containing a draft business plan proposing what the Catch management team could do to get back on track. To be honest, I thought this proposal might lead to a one‐off consulting gig and that would be it, but Gabby has very strong instincts and had other ideas. Not long after I sent the email, he rang me and said, ‘Come to Melbourne and meet ...