Supermarket boss accidentally reveals his surprising hobby in a social media post announcing a new business relationship
- Drakes Supermarkets director John-Paul Drake, 45, has a collection of toy cars
- In a recent LinkedIn post he revealed part of his large model car toy collection
- Mr Drakes has collected 718 model cars and displays them in his Adelaide office
- Favourite cars include Orange Lexus LFA and Hot Wheels Super Treasure Hunt
The director of one of Australia’s supermarket chains accidentally shared his toy model car collection he stores in his office.
Drakes Supermarkets director John-Paul Drake, 45, shared a photo to his LinkedIn last week that showed part of his large model toy collecition.
The post was focused on a handwritten note he recieved from PepsiCo ANZ’s chief executive Kyle Faulconer.
He praised Mr Faulconer for wanting to ‘understand his customers and our goals – and not just push the PepsiCo agenda’.
And while many people were appreciative of the note, it was the wall behind him which drew the most attention.
Drakes Supermarkets director John-Paul Drake, 45, told The Advertiser he has built a collection of 718 toy model cars including Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Tomy Tomica, and Majorette
Mr Drake has worked at the family business for 32 years and seen the independent grocer build 60 locations in South Australia, the Northern Territory, and Queensland
People in the comments were amazed by Mr Drake’s collection and asked for more detail.
‘Are you going to post this whole thing and not tell us anything about that collection behind you?,’ one person asked.
‘Wondering do you have the boxes for all those toys?,’ another wrote.
His impressive collection is on full display in a custom-made ‘art installation’ in one of Mr Drake’s Adelaide offices.
‘I’ve loved cars ever since I was a kid,’ Mr Drake said.
Mr Drake’s impressive collection is on full display in a custom-made ‘art installation’ in one of Mr Drake’s Adelaide offices
‘I can’t buy all the cars in real life, but I can buy the diecast models. There’s no way my wife would let me have that display at home.’
He told The Advertiser he has built a collection of 718 toy model cars including Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Tomy Tomica, and Majorette sets.
Drakes is an independent grocer in South Australia, the Northern Territory, and Queensland with over 60 locations.
His favourite cars include an Orange Lexus LFA and a Hot Wheels Super Treasure Hunt model he found last week.
Mr Drake said one of the perks of working for the family business the last 32 years is having easy access to his hobby.
Mr Drake is on a mission to fill the last 73 slots on his display wall, including one he has hopefully reserved for a Hakosuka GTR
‘I have a tendency to scour our shelves when I’m visiting a store. I’m really looking for the models of cars that I like or dreamt of one day owning as a kid,’ he said.
Mr Drake is on a mission to fill the last 73 slots on his display wall, including one he has hopefully reserved for a Hakosuka GTR which are worth anywhere from $50 to $100.
However said it’s unlikely his collecting will stop when the display is full and will swap out his older models for new finds in the future.