I Want That online business

An established Tauranga business is gearing up to become one of the largest online retail stores in the country.
By the end of this month LeftBrain Group, based in Mount Maunganui, will be selling five million books, 30,000 DVDs and 10,000 different toys through the internet - and has the chance to more than double revenue over the next year.
"It is taking us into a new league of becoming a specialist e-commerce group," said LeftBrain managing director and co-owner, Shane Loomb. His wife Suzette also works in the business, looking after customer services.
LeftBrain now has four online sites, iQ Toys, Baby Universe, Gumboot and I Want That, and will be as big as Auckland-based Fishpond which offers a similar range of product online.
LeftBrain, a new brand, is expanding after recently purchasing two online businesses, book and DVD retailer Gumboot.co.nz and I Want That which sells 'wacky' gadgets and gizmos.
Mr Loomb, who started with iQ Toys 15 years ago, is extending Gumboot's present book offer from 10,000 to five million.
"It will be one of the most comprehensive selections in New Zealand, new books of all types will be listed," he said.
LeftBrain, which has a large 2400 sq m warehouse in Aviation Ave near Tauranga airport, bought Auckland-based Gumboot last July when it was only selling DVDs.
And it backed up that investment by buying I Want That in mid-May - the online business was started in 2006 by Tauranga business couple, Ra and Cara Winiata, and Cara has joined LeftBrain as manager of iwantthat.co.nz
"I like the wackiness of the I Want That range. They are very unique, edgy products from all around the world, and they are a lot of fun," said Mr Loomb.
LeftBrain, which is presently turning over about $5 million, will also be expanding the I Want That range over the next 12 months, from a few hundred to several thousand items.
Customers can already buy Echo Bot, the boggle-eyed alien which records messages activated when someone passes close by. The gizmo can be attached to your desk and if a colleague comes near, Echo Bot will shriek: "Get back to work."
Or there's the Beer Belly, Punk Inflatable Hair, Book of Insults and Comebacks, and the SoundRacer. The gadget is plugged into the car's cigarette lighter and tuned into the radio. When the driver hits the accelerator, the car sounds like a powerful V8.
Mr Loomb said LEGO, which has been around for 80 years, is still the most popular selling item and has developed new brands such as Star Wars and Ninjago.
"We sell hundreds of LEGO sets a week all over New Zealand and in Australia," he said.
Mr Loomb, a qualified accountant, started one of the country's very first online stores, iQ Toys, in 1996 and for the first seven years operated it from his family home in Auckland.
"I was aware the internet provided a huge opportunity and it could be combined with retail. I wanted to supply quality educational toys and I searched the web and looked for suppliers in every corner of the world. It just grew from there," he said.
Mr Loomb created his own website, by downloading Microsoft FrontPage.
"The first orders started coming in from US; it was exciting and back in those days it was cutting edge," he said.
The Loombs moved to Cambridge in 2003 and then arrived in Tauranga three years later. They set up iQ Toys in a 500 sq m warehouse in MacDonald and then shifted to bigger premises in Aviation Ave 18 months ago - it is open to the public.
Mr Loomb started Baby Universe in 2002 and sells cots, prams/buggies, high chairs, car seats and even merino sleepsuits.
LeftBrain, which employs 14 staff, has up to 100,000 regular customers, mainly in New Zealand and Australia, but people in other countries order for relatives and friends here. The presents are gift wrapped, a birthday card is even included, and they are couriered overnight in New Zealand.
Mr Loomb said on average 100 orders would leave the Mount warehouse each day but in the eight-week build-up to Christmas, the orders are more than 1000 a day. There is a distribution centre in Nambour, Queensland.
He said online shopping had advantages of cheaper prices and lower overheads - instead of paying for a physical store - and it was becoming more popular.
"We have the benefits of fast internet connection, a powerful website with videos and customer reviews, and fast delivery."