Rod Duke has been selling things since he was 16. First shoes, then appliances, and eventually homewares and sportswear.  

Born in Adelaide, Duke came to New Zealand in 1988 to spruce up a flailing Briscoes for sale. Two years later he scored the best Briscoes deal ever, he bought the whole company himself for $2.  

He ended up with 12 shabby stores, where dusty wine glasses were sitting on the shelf for $2.71 each.  

But it didn’t take long for Duke to turn the business around.

Today, there are almost 100 Briscoes and Rebel Sports stores around the country, and Briscoes is a listed company that’s been defying the odds of the economic downturn. 

The Briscoes boss unpacks it all with Kerre Woodham on the latest episode of Bosses Unfiltered. 

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