Testimonials

Testimonials - Head Full of Food

I had the wonderful opportunity of working with Charles on several occasions whilst with the Scentre Group. Charles has a great way to connect with retailers, understand their needs, concerns and wishlists.  After an initial consult, Charles would develop relevant tailored programs that retailers could bring to life in their stores that showcased latest trends with the ultimate objectives of driving sales, visitation and maximizing operational capabilities. Charles’ commitment to get results, his can do approach and his knowledge of the ever changing food industry was evident at every meeting with retailers always keen to know when he would next be visiting to ensure they could again tap into his expertise.

Sands China

Sands China - Head Full of Food

Charles has a wealth of knowledge and experience which he combines with the ability to listen and understand our retailers individual challenges. From this position he is able to develop a clear action plan to improve business performance which we can work through with the retailer to implement. This approach has helped the centre’s F&B precinct sales performance transition over the last two years from unsustainable to performing well.

Secret Harbour Hub, Charter Hall

Charles Bowie is a standout professional that anyone seeking advice in the food space should employ. I have worked with Charles for 6 years across a variety of Westfield assets, and have found his ability to diagnose issues and apply his knowledge to offer rectification advice second to none. Charles’ skill set in food covers all categories, which has been extremely valuable to me when offering support to retailers in all pockets of the market (and located in a variety of different food precincts). His engagement with retailers is always well received and his advice always valued. I can personally confirm that Charles has driven positive results from retailers we have introduced him to. Charles has also assisted our centre management teams with precinct planning for major developments, and is always at the forefront of consumer trends / behaviours in the industry. I will continue to employ Charles as my first port of call for any future food retailer support that is required in any of the assets I manage.

Westfield Carindale – Scentre Group

Westfield Carindale - Scentre Group - Head Full of Food

We engaged and continue to utilise Charles Bowie to advise and support our café businesses which are social enterprises that help fund lifesaving medical research. His task initially was to review of our operations which at the time that were hemorrhaging. Over a few months Charles totally immersed himself in our business. With his advice and active support, we restructured our operations, recruited a new retail manager, and put some important steps in place to increase sales.  We had an immediate 5% uplift in revenue – which across a $3.5M turnover was significant. We reviewed the menu, the pricing and staffing to achieve the uplift. Charles contribution was embraced by all our café staff during this process. Change is not easy, and many people feel threatened, but Charles honesty, compassion and expertise made the implementation as smooth as we could have ever hoped for. Through Charles we then took on a new site, taking over from a previous operator, and through Charles we implemented a strategy which gave us immediate success. Our business turnover is now exceeding $5M PA. Our social enterprise cafes are too important, they ultimately sustain projects which will improve people’s lives. We are so thankful we met Charles and grateful that he remains a vital part of our business going forward.

The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation

The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation - Head Full of Food

Charles was contracted to review and provide detailed feedback across our Brisbane airport retail and specialty food and beverage operation over the last year. Charles was a pleasure to deal with. His attitude, eye for detail and complete understanding of our difficult environment has been very beneficial to our operation over the past year. I would happily recommend Charles to any retail, food and/or beverage operation as one of the leading food retail consultants in Australia.

Airport Retail Enterprises

Airport Retail Enterprises - Head Full of Food

Throughout the last 6 years I had the pleasure of working with Charles on a number of significant projects. From discussions on key developments through to retailer trading issues.  During that time Charles was able to meet with retailers, build relationships that were built on trust and strategically assisting them on implementing key strategies into their model to grow/turnaround their business.   Charles is by far the most knowledgeable food consultant in the industry with knowledge of both big business working with brands like David Jones and small retailers who need to really leverage his expertise to grow their sales.  His ability to understand a retail precinct or problem, devise a plan and see it through whilst educating those around him on the art and success of food retail is second to none.  Charles has a unique approach to retail consulting and is known for his strong passion for building sustainability into their business, charismatic nature and ability to see the opportunity.   With 20+ years experience in the retail game - Charles is the man you need to fix your problem

Vicinity

Vicinity - Head Full of Food

As a People and Culture Consultant who specialises in the SME space, it has been an absolute pleasure to collaborate with Charles in guiding a significant change process with a mutual client, The Common Good at The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation.   Charles was required to quickly integrate himself into the client’s business and showed a tremendous capacity to immediately absorb a vast amount of critical information with regard to their operations, organisational culture and existing personnel.   Charles’ ability to quickly hone in on the big picture opportunities within the client’s business meant that he was able to simultaneously drive quick wins for the client whilst also building a tangible, impactful long-term strategic direction.   In acting as the driver of wholesale structural, operational and strategic changes in an environment that had previously had very little, I was perhaps most impressed by Charles’ ability to minimise panic and resistance, by connecting key stakeholders to opportunity and a vision.   His vast industry expertise is perfectly complemented by his ability to engage with people in the most authentic of ways. I would happily recommend Charles as someone who knows how to make a genuine positive impact on a business and, just as importantly, its people and culture.

Ford HR

Ford HR - Head Full of Food

Head full of food have provided store specific assistance to select food tenancies at both the Rosebud & Gateway Plaza over the last few years. Their analysis was comprehensive, considered and not only added value and opportunities to the respective retail businesses but also enhanced the knowledge of the Centre Management team.

The Rosebud Plaza food retail analysis provided by head full of food prior to centre redevelopment was a great example of Charles’ work – providing clarity and direction which was easy to digest and spot on to brief.

As always, Charles is a pleasure to work with and a great source of Australia wide food industry knowledge.

Rosebud Hub, Charter Hall

I worked with Charles Bowie for a period of around three years from 2011-2014. I was employed as a Retail Manager for Westfield and Charles was contracted in a Retail Consultant role visiting the centre round 4 times annually. Charles specialised in consulting with food catering and food retail specialty tenants.   Charles remit was to engage (after introduction) with the retailers, review business performance and presentation, share examples of best practice and take the retailer on a journey to a sustainable growth business.   I found Charles to be a very effective consultant on all levels. His manner is approachable and friendly and he built rapport with retailers from the offset. He used real life, practically implementable examples from retailers around the country and set our tenants realistic goals that could be achieved in bite sized chunks. His follow up with retailers outside of the prescribed visits was excellent and he shared with them some really valuable collateral for use in their business.  I readily recommend Charles Bowie as a professional, dedicated, resourceful and effective food retail consultant.

Canberra Centre QIC

Canberra Centre QIC - Head Full of Food

Thanks to Charles’ efforts I have seen tangible improvements in the bottom lines of numerous retailers that I engaged Charles to coach and provide his valued practical consultation. Having held the roles of Retail Manager at Westfield and now Leasing Executive at 151 Property, I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Charles as a top line business coach or consultant to any food and beverage business regardless of its size, particularly if you want to see your investment translated into real world results.   The difference is in the care factor….Charles is personally invested in his clients to really understand their business, their motivations and their budgets to deliver real world, SMART action plans, that can be systematically implemented throughout the business, whether this is at the food and beverage strategy level of a shopping centre or at the counter of mum and dads fish and chip shop.  Charles’ detailed knowledge of the food and beverage industry is exemplary..