[Voiceover]: Welcome to the checkout. We catch up with previous guests of Add to Cart, where we ask them five quick questions to understand more about them and leave you with a little extra inspiration to get through your Friday. Today's mini episode features Gabby Leibovich, who is best known as the founder of Catch of the Day. Gabby and his brother Hezzy founded Catch of the Day, now known as catch, back in 2006 before selling to Wes Farmers, who for a cool $230 million back in 2019. Gabby and Hezzy also founded Eat now, which was earlier acquired by Menulog. They also built Scoopon, Mumgo, and Grocery Run. Gabby Leibovich, we have five quick checkout questions for you. Number one. Oh, and I'm looking forward to the answer of this based on everything you've seen at Catch, what is the weirdest thing that you've ever bought online?
Gabby Leibovich: Wow. I generally don't buy weird things, but it's actually behind me. Nathan. And it's a double tape stereo by Sharp that can record. It's the original boombox from the 80s. I sourced it on ebay a few years ago. I paid as much as a thousand dollars for it. I could sell it for 10 times more. It's in mint condition and I love it. Can you see it, Nathan?
[Voiceover]: I can see it. I've got a photo and I'll put it up on our social as well so everyone else can see it as well.
Gabby Leibovich: Beautiful.
[Voiceover]: Number two, who is your favorite retailer and you're not allowed to say Catch.
Gabby Leibovich: Okay, you're gonna be really surprised by this answer. It's actually Chemist Warehouse. It's an Australian retailer. It's a chemist, but I love what they do. Ch Chemist Warehouse is a proud discounter. I am a proud discounter and I cannot think in any other way. I love their marketing. I love the. The way they do lots of ads on television and never pay a single cent for it because they get all of our suppliers to pay for it. I love the way they organize their store. I love their catalog. I love their slogan that says, is this Australia's number one chemist or cheapest chemistry? I love the controversy. My DNA is exactly the same. So they've been a great inspiration and a great local Melbourne success story.
[Voiceover]: Absolutely. It's a great example and probably go under the radar a little bit too in the retail community, don't they? Number three, which retail fad do you wish was history?
Gabby Leibovich: Wow, Nathan. It's quite sad to say, but I find it really hard to understand what those tiny little shops on side Streets all around our neighborhoods still do. You know, shopping centers like Chadstone still have a future. E commerce is here to stay. But every time I go for walks around the neighborhood and I walked past those little tiny stores that sell nothing and get one and a half customers a day, how do they still stay in business?
[Voiceover]: Number four, can you recommend a book or a podcast that are that our listeners should immediately get into? I got a feeling I know what book you're going to recommend here.
Gabby Leibovich: I don't think so. I don't think so. Okay, okay. I'm. I'm Israeli. I love to talk about the Israeli startup scene, and I found Israel to be super entrepreneurial and super inspiring. I listened to a lot of hit podcasts in Hebrew. The book that I recommend is called the Startup Nation. It's probably about 10 years old and it explains to everyone why Israel, a country with 9 million people, has more startups on the Nasdaq and why Israel? Last month, during September, Israeli companies managed to raise $1.2 billion. I really recommend that book.
[Voiceover]: That's great. I don't think a lot of our listeners would have read that before. So that's a really great recommendation and I will do the plug for you. If you haven't checked out Catch of the decade, go check it out as well. That's Gabby. Gabby's story around Catch story and everything else that went with it. Last one I've got for you. Finish this sentence. The future of retail is
Gabby Leibovich: social E commerce.
[Voiceover]: Beautiful. Do you want to elaborate a little bit?
Gabby Leibovich: We all spend so much time on social. I spend a lot of time on LinkedIn. I spend a lot of time on Facebook. My kids are on TikTok and Snapchat and everything else. I'm not even on Instagram, but I believe that there's a whole different world on Instagram. That's where transactions will be taking place. They already are, but it's just going to get bigger and bigger.
[Voiceover]: Beautiful. Agree. Gabby Leibovich, thank you very much for your time today. It's been such fun talking to you and can't wait to read Catch of the decade.
Gabby Leibovich: Thank you, Nathan. See you soon.
[Voiceover]: Add to CART is hosted and distributed through acast, the home of podcasting. It wasn't until I started this podcast that I realized how powerful podcasts are in creating real connections with listeners. I love when listeners contact me and speak to me like we're lifelong friends. And I know this carries over to our advertising partners. My relationship becomes their relationship. And because I value my listeners above all, I only partner with brands I'd recommend as a friend. It's kind of like influencer marketing, but without having to see me in a swimsuit. So if you're looking to explore the power of podcast advertising for your brand, you should check out Acast. Acast hosts over 20,000 podcasts, a mix of amazing local and international content, and can deliver credible mentions to an engaged listener in an uncluttered environment. Check out Acast Advertising on Google today. To hear more from Gabby, jump back into episode 28, where we speak with Gabby about his early days of sourcing unwanted products for a little website no one cared about, running a business with his brother, and how he managed to get a free wedding in front of 50,000 football fans, something only a true entrepreneur would be able to do. Thanks for listening, and until next time, keep adding to cart.
