‘Dion’ things differently and succeeding beyond expectations

“Ignore others who say it can’t be done. It usually can be done if you’re determined,” Dion Friedland told the audience on receiving the 2024 Absa Business Icon Award on 17 November.

This octogenarian business stalwart, who founded Dion Stores, and multi bodybuilding champion emphasised that “successful people never stop learning. Unsuccessful people know everything, or at least they think they do.”

He told the Absa Jewish Achiever Awards audience he was grateful for being remembered as “someone who contributed to South Africa”.

“South Africans are remarkable people,” Friedland said. “We have the talent and tenacity to make it big all over the world. I’m just one example of so many South Africans who have been successful in the international business world. Natie Kirsh is another. South Africa is both a land of opportunity and a breeding ground for world-class talent.”

Friedland said he thrived on impossible challenges.

“He has more energy than anybody you’ll meet in the rest of your life,” said Stephen Pistner, the former chief executive of Target Corporation, who recruited Friedland to work as an executive at Target, the second largest retailer in America. “Now that sounds like an overstatement, it’s not. He doesn’t turn it off like the average person does. His ideas never stop flowing.”

Harvey Mackay, the chairperson and founder of MackayMitchell Envelope Company, marvelled that Friedland was the one person he knew who could follow someone into a revolving door and still come out ahead of them.

Said Pistner, “He’s the one guy I couldn’t keep up with, and I’m high energy. But there was never an end to what Dion would do in the day and the night. There’s never an end to his desire for achievement, the ability to accomplish it, and the pleasure that comes from actually achieving what the average person can’t even dream about.”

Said Mackay, “I already know what should go on your [Dion’s] tombstone. Real simple: ‘Second is last.’”

Winning is second nature to Friedland. “I’ve been World Bodybuilding Champion 16 times; Mr Universe 22 times; Mr Europe 25 times. Life goes on. I’m 81, I’m still healthy, I’m still bodybuilding.”

In the business realm, he said he had learned a huge amount from Kirsh, the first of two investors in Rave Stores, Friedland’s predecessor company to Dion Stores.

Said Friedland, “Dion Stores changed the retailing landscape in South Africa in many ways. Much lower prices, extended shopping hours, and weekend shopping on Sundays and Saturday afternoons are some of the changes I brought about despite numerous fines imposed for trading after hours. Plus, threats of prosecution for breaking resale price maintenance. At that time, manufacturers set the retail price, so they wouldn’t sell directly to me because I was drastically undercutting the retail prices they set. Dion guaranteed that we would refund customers the difference and give them a free bottle of champagne if they found a lower price elsewhere. As a result of manufacturers not supplying me, initially I had to pay cash to buy merchandise through third parties. However, with success came buying power. So eventually, even the largest brand of televisions in South Africa couldn’t refuse an order for 10 000 television sets.”