14 minute read
The First Impression Counts
The number of vacancies in the fashion retail trade is rising, not only in countries like Germany with low unemployment. Even in areas where young people in particular are affected by unemployment, fashion retailers are still struggling to find the right talent. Carefully selected examples from all around the globe prove that it is, nevertheless, possible to find excellent salespeople. These examples set precedents.
Text: Isabel Faiss. Photos: Stores
7 Owner Chichi Meroni is style icon and role model for her L’Arabesque store in Milan. Her demands on her employees are high. 1 At L’Arabesque, Chichi Meroni blends the current vintage look with the style of the 1950s and 1960s.
L’Arabesque, Milan In Competition with Online
www.larabesque.net
Labels: among others Agl, Bata Limited Edition, Bensimon, Fessura, Furoshiki, Operà de Paris, Paraboot, Porselli, Robert Clergerie, Scarpe, the Cambridge Stachel Company, Teva, Weejuns Bass, Whiting & Davis, Whole Love Kyoto, Zespà
Chichi Meroni: “Italians are born surrounded by beauty, but this isn’t enough. So yes, it isn’t easy to recruit qualified staff in Italy at the moment. We are proud of the fact that almost all our employees have been with us for a very long time. When a new member joins us, he or she is surrounded by experts who not only provide technical training, but also convey our values. We are like a family. The future of fashion retailing is, as it always has been, about selectivity. Today, we have to face the reality of an ever-growing online business. More than ever, retail staff are required to cultivate lasting relationships with customers - built on trust, good taste, and excellent service.”
3In their Zurich-based concept store A Simple Story, the sisters Ivana Herrmann and Andrea Lazic combine their claim to style and product sustainability - two aspects that are inseparable in their eyes.
5 The siblings Ivana Herrmann and Andrea Lazic have a demanding staff profile, even more so as employees need to cover all areas of the multi-channel store.
A Simple Story, Zurich Allrounders Wanted
www.asimplestory.ch
Labels: among others Antik Batik, Basic Apparel, Cowgirlblues, Cossac, Etc.Etc, Lou & Friends, Louizon, Machete, Ria Menorca, Soulosophie, Swedish Stockings, Teixits Riera, Viva’s, Working in the Redwoods
Ivana Herrmann and Andrea Lazic: “We are an e-commerce business with a showroom in a trendy area of Zurich. As we are still in the early stages of our business, we need people that can take on several key roles. Besides providing service in the store, we require staff who have technical skills for an e-commerce platform, are well-versed in social media, and have knowledge regarding logistics and operations to ensure swift delivery of goods and services. Content drives sales in our business. Our audience needs to connect with and be inspired by our content and products. Much of our customer experience is rooted in social media, so traditional customer service skills have to be adapted to a digital environment. Emotional intelligence and communication skills are just as important as product knowledge.”
1 Kristian Ulriksen is aware of the high service standards his customers demand. He’s also aware that it hasn’t become easier to find employees who can satisfy them.
5 For his Kyoto store, Kristian Ulriksen seeks out people who stand out from the crowd and understand that the store itself is the brand.
Kyoto, Copenhagen The Store is the Brand
www.kyoto.dk
Labels: among others Acne, APC, Andersen Andersen, Arrk, Axel Arigato, Colorful Standard, Dockers, Fred Perry, Libertine-Libertine, Maison Kitsuné, Nike, Our Legacy, Selected Femme, Selected Homme, Sportmax Code, Whyred
Kristian Ulriksen: “What kind of experience do I want to offer my customers? That’s the question I base my recruitment policy on. It’s all about knowledge, commitment, charisma, and good old gut feeling. Today’s competition is tough and working in a fashion store isn’t as popular as it may have been in the past. My advantage is my brand and the name I have made for myself within the industry. It makes it more interesting to work at Kyoto. But besides all that, I believe it is essential to involve employees as much as possible. It allows them to gain an understanding of what we are doing, thus becoming part of the journey.”
3 Part of the Kyoto family: Kristian Ulriksen allows his team to be part of the journey.
Modern Society, Los Angeles Find a Good Cross-Section
www.themodernsociety.com
Labels: among others Alighieri, An Organised Life, Baserange, Beck Jewels, Carne Bollente, Casa Chiqui, Copson, De Castro Moda, Georgia Alice, Hai, La Soufflerie, Le Kasha 1981, Lou Dungate, Mars, Meneghini, Modern Society, Reliquia, Respiro Studio, Sandy Liang, Sleeper, Susan Alexandra, Terrapin Stationery, Trademark, Valet Studio
Modern Society: “Our sales staff are integral to the smooth running and daily operation of Modern Society. We’re very lucky to have a cross-section of employees in both our London and LA stores, who have extensive knowledge about our selection of brands. Thus, they ensure precise customer communication.”
With two stores in London and Los Angeles, the Modern Society team focuses on an extraordinary brand mix.
www.uebervart.de
Labels: among others A kind of guise, A.P.C., Acne Studios, Aspesi, Call me 917, Calvin Klein, Comme des Garcons, Chinatown Market, Escentric Molecule, Fucking Awesome, James Perse, Lacoste, Norse Projects, Oliver Spencer, Polo Ralph Lauren, Porter Yoshida, Soulland, Stone Island, The North Face, Uebervart Selected, YMC London
Daniel Steindorf: “I wholeheartedly disagree with the all-encompassing lamentation within our industry. There are a lot of young, motivated people out there. However, it requires experience, investment, and a spot of luck to choose the right ones. Some of my employees were excellent in the beginning. I’m quite good at recognising the respective strengths of people. That allows us to emphasise these talents and be more successful together. It’s like with customers. If you have awesome, hot products, everybody wants them. So it’s up to me to make Uebervart attractive enough (inside and out) to ensure that people want to work for me. One more thing: if you pay peanuts, you attract monkeys. That’s also a decisive factor.”
7 Daniel Steindorf doesn’t agree with the whining about the lack of motivated young people for the fashion retail trade.
5 Daniel Steindorf’s Uebervart has become an institution for upper casual and high fashion menswear. His concept is progressive and fast forward.
Biffi Boutiques, Milan We Prefer Young People
www.biffi.com
Labels: among others Alanui, Alexander McQueen, Ambush, Bottega Veneta, Canada Goose, Chinti and Parker, Comme des Garcons, Diadora, Duro Olowu, Emilio Pucci, Fendi, Gianluca Capannolo, Golden Goose, Gucci, Hogan, J Brand, Lanvin, Loewe, Marc Jacobs, Marni, Moncler, Redemption, Rokha, Stella McCartney, Tod’s, Tommy Hilfiger, Tory Burch, Yuzefi
Rosy Biffi: “Our company is a family business, which means that job interviews are conducted by family members. Alongside actual skills, an empathetic affinity is essential. We prefer hiring young candidates and invest in their training to allow them to grow within the company. Sometimes natural kindness, honesty, and a sincere can-do attitude count more than the acquired experience and skills.”
3 The founder and owner of Biffi Boutiques, Rosy Biffi, prefers to conduct interviews herself. She focuses more on empathy and enthusiasm for fashion than on experience.
1 High-quality menswear and made-tomeasure clothing are SBU’s specialities. This requires a deep knowledge of both brand and fashion on the part of the sales staff.
Strategic Business Unit, Rome One Needs Luck, Like in Love
www.sbu.it
Labels: among others Strategic Business Unit
Cristiano Perfetti: “We prefer hiring young people who have no experience in the fashion industry, because we want to train them right from the start to familiarise them with the know-how and spirit at the heart of our brand. For the young generation, money is more important than the job. This approach makes it difficult to motivate them. For this reason, it is essential that more experienced colleagues and the owners lead by example. Professionalism, loyalty, honesty, and competence are not pure theory, but must be lived on location and gradually internalised.”
5 Patrizio and Cristiano Perfetti jointly manage the Strategic Business Unit store in Rome. It predominantly offers SBU’s own menswear brand
13 The five-strong Leeda team in Prague has known each other for a long time. Erasmus students and interns help out regularly.
5 Lucie Kutalkova believes that customer proximity is just as important as employees capable of taking personal responsibility. The first employee she hired after launching the store in 2003 is now store and brand manager.
Leeda, Prague Erasmus & Co
www.leeda.cz
Labels: Leeda
Lucie Kutalkova: “Leeda is a well-known brand in the Czech Republic and that helps a lot. We cooperate with the Erasmus programme for foreign students and hire at least one intern per year. We also offer short internships for high school students. We remain in touch with the most skilled and dedicated ones and cooperate with them on a long term basis. However, it’s hard for us to find skilled and reliable tailors. Fortunately, there is an Academy of Arts Architecture & Design in Prague. The fashion design students are usually keen on opportunities that allow them to gain some experience in building a fashion brand. And because we are such a small team, we can provide them with valuable insights. A personal approach to both customers and sales assistants is important to me.”
5 In their More is Love store in Tbilisi, owners Nino Eliava and Ana Mokia have noticed that an increasing number of salespeople are pushing for managerial roles.
More is Love, Tbilisi Trilingual Customer Care
www.moreislove.com
Labels: among others 0711, 22 11, Alix, Anna October, Annie Costello Brown, Anouki, Assel, Balmain, By Far, Copine Jewellery, Crystalline, Cult Gaia, Dalood, Edeline Lee, Eshvi, Evarae, Fella, Flow the Label, Foreo, Gatineau, Gaviria, Hansel from Basel, Ingorokva, Isa Arfen, Khaite, Kimhekim, Lalo x 0711, Le Mocassion Zippé, Le Monde Beryl, Masterpeace & J.Kim, Niomo, Roberti & Fraud, So Pure, Solid & Striped, Walk of Shame, Wonder me
Nino Eliava and Ana Mokia: “As our company is quite young and has talented staff, we do receive numerous requests for sales positions. Normally we would, however, only recruit staff on management level. A store is always as good as the people working in it. The atmosphere created by the salespeople in the store has a direct effect on sales. Customer care is our priority, as it drives revenue and promotes customer loyalty. The staff’s product knowledge is the foundation for a relationship of trust. In Tbilisi it may not be very difficult to find skilled employees, but the fact that we require talent capable of providing high-quality, trilingual customer care makes finding the right candidate for the job harder than usual.”
7 Nino Eliava and Ana Mokia jointly founded the boutique More is Love in Tbilisi. In Georgia’s capital, the big challenge is to find trilingual employees.
Rezet Store, Copenhagen At Least 100 Applications
www.rezetstore.dk
Labels: Adidas, Asics, Fila, Filling Pieces, H20 Sportswear, Han Kjobehavn, Helly Hansen, Hi-Tec, Jason Markk, Jordan, Laerke Andersen, Newline Halo, New Balance, Nike, Puma, Reebok, Retro Super Future, SneakersER, Soulland, The North Face, Wood Wood, Zanerobe
Kasper Mølgaard-Nielsen: “We have a very strong brand within the sneaker scene in Denmark. And since many younger people are into sneakers, we are lucky enough to receive many applications for open positions. We don’t think too much about employee branding, but we do use SoMe as a platform for our staff. We usually receive at least 100 applications when we post a job in one of our stores. Our Aarhus store has been around for 3.5 years. The team is almost unchanged from when we opened up. I think that’s quite unique and it’s something we’re incredibly proud of. They set an example for others. Luckily, almost all our employees are really nerdy sneaker aficionados. Given the importance of the social environment, we encourage our store managers to organise social events as often as possible. They’re really good at it too.”
7 Kasper Mølgaard-Nielsen places sales skills above expertise. His search never focuses on sales talents who happen to be sneaker nerds, but on people who fit into the Rezet universe.
5 With two stores in Copenhagen, one in Aarhus, and one in Odense, Rezet has become a sneaker institution in Denmark. Employees are primarily recruited from within the sneaker scene, which is an invaluable asset for the brand.
Studioteca, Florence Always on the Lookout
www.studioteca.com
Labels: Attic & Barn, Bastah Florence, Hay, Humility, Isabella Clementini, La Paz, Nice Things, Suncoo Paris u. a.
Matteo Querini: “I had the luck to find people who still work with me in a private context. That’s quite unusual, in a way. It’s important to me that employees know how to adapt, in every kind of situation. It’s obviously important to conduct a formal interview, but it’s equally important to observe people in other contexts. What I care about is the approach candidates take in terms of customers and products, which is why I invite them to visit the store for a trial of sorts. That’s why it’s vital to remain on the lookout, always.”
1 Matteo Querini believes he is unusually fortunate to have employees with whom he has been working together right from the start. As a matter of principle, he invites applicants to work trials.
75 Studioteca of Florence opened its doors to the public on the 1st of March 2019, after a comprehensive renovation overseen by Matteo Querini.
Luis Trenker, Salzburg Too Special for Superficiality
www.luistrenker.com
Labels: Luis Trenker
Michi Klemera: “We try to find the perfect employees for our own brand world. We attach great importance to our personnel being brand ambassadors. The Luis Trenker brand is simply too special for superficial employees. We don’t always succeed in finding young sales talents, but everyone we hire is dynamic and committed. Yes, I agree with our industry’s complaints about how hard it is to find new talent. I’m not really surprised. The sales profession isn’t perceived as cool enough. In addition, Saturdays are the most important days in terms of sales, which is - let’s face it - demotivating compared to the opportunities the market and the media highlight and describe. Everything sounds great and simple. Who wouldn’t like to sit in the front office and dream about fantastic salaries with little responsibility and time expenditure? I certainly would!”
13 The brand world of Luis Trenker is extremely authentic. “It’s too special for superficial employees,” Michi Klemera argues.
5 Michi Klemera’s (in the center) new Luis Trenker store in Salzburg enjoys a prime location. However, such a prominent address doesn’t make the challenge of finding the right employees easier.
