HAMPERSAND IS AN IDEA whose time is now. The charismatic and dynamic founder, Julian Brown, a self-confessed ‘tech sales guy’ with over 25 years’ experience working for the likes of SAP and Salesforce.com, calls Hampersand his very own “war on cellophane and salted peanuts”; referring to the traditional hamper market as “outdated and often insulting”.
JULIAN RECENTLY RECOUNTED to this writer an example of how not to thank a client with a settlement gift: A close associate of his recently settled on a property, paying an agent’s commission of over $60,000. The vendor received a settlement gift from the agent: a black cardboard hat-box with a ribbon on it, containing a bottle of warm generic white wine, a tin of coffee, a bag of tea and some biscuits. Brown says that “in an industry where personal brand, referrals, and stock are everything”, he believes this is “inappropriate, under-cooked and really not a lot of wow-factor.”
Born off the back of this relatively common generic gift, Hampersand was created as a product of new-generation thinking, and has been quickly embraced by some of the trail-blazers in real estate, some of whom have in excess of $1B in properties sold to their name. Brown believes that these clients of his “have long understood the value of their personal brand, and what it takes to build and maintain that eminence and prestige”.
“These agents aren’t gifting Hampersand because of their success; rather they understand that a Hampersand Luxury Gift is an appropriate gesture in a transaction of importance, and reflects on their brand.”
So what makes Hampersand gift different? When Brown describes Hampersand you can almost feel the passion. He tells us that “Hampersand comes in a handcrafted wooden box that can only be opened by the 18ct gold-plated mini crowbar inlaid in the lid, and are delivered chilled anywhere in the country, often by Uber Black. The hampers start at $250 and the top end Luxury Hamper ($850) contains chilled Cristal Champagne, sumptuous Truffle Honey, Truffle Mustard, Chocolate Enrobed Figs, sensuous Certified Organic Skin Care products from Jamie Durie, Hand-Conched Chocolates, and many more luxurious delights”. Most importantly for Brown is the donation in the recipient’s name to Youth Off The Streets. (Hampersand pays a 10 per cent Annual Dividend to Youth Off The Streets, and Father Chris Riley, CEO of YOTS, is on the Hampersand Board).
When asked what’s next, Brown smiles and says “Well, we do own the .com domain as well, but let’s see what we can do in Australia before we get ahead of ourselves.”
