Primark’s Post

“My youngest [child] had asked if I would become the CEO of Greggs when Roger left, and I said no. My kids all looked at me completely horrified. My daughter said to me: ‘Mum, you’ve always said that when a door opens, you’ve got to be brave and take the opportunity!’ When the role came up, their words were ringing in my ears." I love this quote from the recent article about Greggs and their CEO Roisin Currie. 😊 After 19 years with Asda in senior HR roles, Currie joined Greggs as Group People Director in 2010. Roger Whiteside, the then CEO handed her an expanded role in 2017, giving her responsibility for the chain’s outlets. She added property to her remit in 2021 and was appointed CEO in 2022. I love to see progression like this. It's a high-profile role and it would have been very attractive to external candidates. The chairman responsible for her appointment said “She’s a team player with little regard for ego and played a great role promoting those values at Greggs." Last year pre-tax profits came in at £188.3 million on sales of £1.8 billion. A long-standing bonus scheme means workers with more than six months’ service share 10 per cent of those profits. 😊 Curious if there are other HR professionals turned CEO's like Roisin. Share your thoughts! #successionplanning #HR #leadership The story of Greggs’ success and what’s coming next, by the boss. https://lnkd.in/eZH7Q75F

In light of the recent events at #TedBaker, we stand in solidarity with those affected during these uncertain times. Sainsbury's and Argos are here to offer a beacon of hope and support to anyone seeking new career opportunities 🙌. We're proud to offer diverse roles for talented individuals, from customer-facing positions to managerial roles that steer our stores and teams across the country 🌟 Dive into our world and learn more about our assessment process, the benefits we provide, and the culture that makes us unique through the links below: 🟠 Assessment Process - https://lnkd.in/gnsV5X2R 🟧 Benefits - https://lnkd.in/gvZTH9ZE 🔶 Interview Tips - https://lnkd.in/gKd_Sz66 🧡 Values & Culture - https://lnkd.in/gzQRcw6J 🍊 Our Colleagues - https://lnkd.in/gxFnnYnC 🚀 It's exhilarating to be part of our journey as we embrace significant changes within our business. There's never been a better time to consider a career with us. All current vacancies are listed on Sainsbury's Jobs, and we're here to answer any questions you may have! #CareerOpportunities #JoinOurTeam #RetailJobs #Sainsburys #Argos #NowHiring #MakeADifference

Early in my career I was 21 and somehow trusted with a brand new shiny store of my own. I had 10 days to staff a new store opening. I staffed the HELL out of that store. Then we opened. I had a sinkhole from poorly poured concrete directly in front of the only toilet. Think like the snake pit in Indiana Jones, but like right in front of the toilet. I found out through another employee that two of my employees had been stealing shoes every night in the trash they took out. Our windows leaked, our shipment was 3 days delayed and showed up right before we opened for a fun 24 hour day of work. I was friends with everyone and that backfired ENTIRELY (I'm not the boss I'm the COOOOOOL boss!). Made horrendous schedules that put the absolute wrong people together for sales success. Had no idea how to manage (or really even read) a budget, P&L etc. (that English degree was not high on the "how to run a P&L skillset") I mostly went home crying every night and thought every day that I would never hack it in leadership. I eventually figured it out thanks to incredible leaders and learning how to hire an awesome team (Steve Madden Crew I know some of you are still out there) I got there. It wasn't pretty and it was a gradual process but we became one of the top stores and CRUSHED our plan that first year, but also I barely survived. I was a complete failure in those first two months and I almost quit and made everyone happy who didn't understand why I loved retail so much. I just want to put this out there because I was watching something on Failure Friday with the amazing Reshma Saujani, and realizing we should all share our failures more. Think about it and then share your failures. No one gets to success without a LOT of failure (I could maybe caveat that with: unless you are wildly independently wealthy or somehow avoid all things that involve risk). #failurefriday

Today, Marks & Spencer takes a bold stride with an investment exceeding £30m into their London stores. This financial year, their commitment to growth is not just a boon for the economy but a beacon of employment, promising roughly 100 new jobs. 🌟 As a Specialist HR Search Partner, the scale and impact of such investments are close to my heart. It speaks to the heart of multigenerational hiring, where businesses can thrive through diversity - from the vigour of youth to the wisdom of experience. #MarksAndSpencer #LondonInvestment #HRStrategy

KING OF CSO This weekend it will be #King's Day in the Netherlands. An occasion to spotlight the King of CSO for once: Dennis Wijnstra Travelling all the way from the far north of the Netherlands, we had Dennis visiting us during our induction days. Alongside the regular team of Bente van den Bomen Peter Gronenschild Jordy Verdaasdonk Vaia Mesitsa Killian Nally Andreas Amukugo and, of course, our LP toppers Annemiek Verstegen Vincent Jansen Yanir Francisca en Robert Spitse, Dennis was present to tell a bit more about his work at The TJX Companies, Inc., Inc. Central Store Operations (CSO).   In 2016, Dennis started his retail career at TK MAXX as a Teamleader in #Groningen, under the inspiring leadership of Henk van der Spek. (today lead by amazing Hayley Gauna)   He was then promoted to Assistant Store Manager and worked in the Almere and Arnhem shops. Eventually, he moved to a position in CSO.   In this role, he is the business partner for all digital communications for our TJX Europe shops. The CSO Helpdesk is also one of his responsibilities. What exactly does that all mean? In a nutshell: If a department within TJX wants to communicate something via our Internal Associate Engagement App, this department tries to make that possible. I personally find this app a great medium, as it keeps me informed of all the fun things happening in the shop, such as parties, promotions and holidays. And there are quite a few of them. CSO s is the heart of all (digital) communication. This is also where all questions are answered as proactively as possible, everything you need to know on how to operate in a store. That is why it's important everyone has the app. Now, we recently hired a lot of new colleagues. That's why Dennis came especially to the south of the country, for a nice presentation and also to personally activate everyone in the system as part of our introduction day. Dennis had never done anything other than retail before, and was keen to know what else was behind this huge organisation. The opportunity at Central Operations gave him access to the operational heart of the organisation, where he was directly involved in implementing changes on the shop floor. For all communication issues and solutions but also operational questions that, for example, the manager cannot answer, Dennis and his team are there to save the day. Dennis is proud to work for TJX Europe: It is fantastic to notice how well we do in creating and maintaining the right working atmosphere. But also the diversity and development opportunities that TJX have are exceptional. It's fantastic to see that in such a large organisation we have a very open door approach, in the sense that everyone is equal, you dare to express your opinion, but above all you dare to be yourself. That is what is essential to us.

Macy's plans to close 150 stores over the next three years as it works to strengthen the business for the future and fight off a take-private bid from Arkhouse Management and Brigade. Store closures are not new for Macy's — it shut an additional 85 stores between 2020 and last year — but this marks an acceleration and shows the need to better prioritize real estate. Read more here: Analysts in recent years have called out Macy's for messy stores and poor merchandising. I'll be watching to see which stores remain and how the retailer improves its strategy. https://lnkd.in/eKUsv9xj

A new era is dawning in #Americanretail as Macy's announces the closure of 150 stores, out of about 500 across the U.S. The suspense is building in many communities (including my hometown), as we don't know which stores will close or how soon. Most will rightfully consider this the latest chapter in the #retailapocalype as online shopping takes away #brickandmortar business. That's part of the story, but there are broader economic and societal trends at play too. Stores such as Macy's, Nordstrom and JCPenney went on an expansion frenzy in the late 20th century and first decade of the 21st century as the shopping mall became ubiqutous in American communities. The shopping mall was a symbol of the dominant #middleclass that was the norm in the U.S. Now, with the middle class shrinking, there is still a market for high-end retail in upscale markets such as West L.A., South Coast metro, Silicon Valley, Manhattan, Chicago and Texas' major cities. And value-based retail is thriving for the millions of Americans in the lower class or the inflation-squeezed working class. But mid-market retail is in a sharp and seemingly irreversible decline. Because not as many people are living the stereotypical middle class life anymore. The stores closing are taking with them many jobs that didn't require a college degree but had relatively good working conditions and opportunities for advancement. More and more, it's getting hard to have a full-time job with benefits in a decent work environment in America if you don't have a bachelor's degree at least.

Macy's Inc. is making some major changes to its leadership and operations in 2024. The department-store chain is laying off around 2,350 corporate staff members — 13% of its corporate workforce — and closing five locations in an attempt to streamline costs and refocus resources on enhancing the consumer shopping journey, The Wall Street Journal reported. Macy's overall workforce will see a 3.5% reduction, excluding seasonal hires, as the company looks to introduce more automation to its supply-chain operations and outsource some roles to third-party providers. Additionally, tiers of management will be reduced to improve efficiency. https://lnkd.in/eRz3-Af3

Abercrombie & Fitch. I spent half of my career to date there. [50% x 22 yrs = 11 yrs 😲] It’s hard to believe it’s been 9 years since I left. Those 11 years shaped my career. At A&F, you had as much responsibility as you could handle. [sometimes more] Back then, the culture was … unique. [Netflix documentary ‘White Hot’ is worth the watch] But “unique” things aside, it was the right place for me then. Two things happened there which are reasons why I’m consulting now. 1. I got my start in parcel [2008] Jumped in headfirst, out of necessity. I had to manage a $40M spend by myself. [for 1 year] So I had to learn everything about parcel. That’s when I knew I wanted to start my own consulting business. [it just took me 11 years to make the jump] 2. I failed in my last role there To clarify, it wasn’t a complete failure. But my standards it was. I was in an ecommerce role. A role I chose over building a supply chain career. And I never felt comfortable in it. It was valuable experience, but it wasn’t for me. I didn’t have a clear path back to Supply Chain. [at least not in the short-term] So I left, to get back to doing what I loved. If I hadn’t taken that role, I might still be at A&F. So, in hindsight, it was the right decision. Because I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now. ----- ‘How Abercrombie went from America’s most hated retailer to a Gen Z favorite’ This article triggered the trip down memory lane. A&F is very different than during my 11 years there. I’m glad to see them crushing it right now. And I’ll continue to root for them from the sidelines. #career #retailing #ecommerce #entrepreneurship

Today, I got to shop at Costco. Since we moved last summer, the closest store is 45min away. We reluctantly joined Sam’s trying to tell ourselves it was “the same” but after a few visits, we realized it was not. I found that the comparison of these stores align with my job searching efforts & some of my work experience with different companies. On the outside, they seem similar. They provide the same services. Only when you peel back the curtain and start to look around, you realize that the quality is drastically different, how the employees are treated are drastically different & the overall experience is drastically different. As job seekers (& shoppers), we can be picky. Do yourself a service, save yourself some heartache & find your Costco! Ask the hard questions, find the culture & quality that you align with. #teamcostco #boujie #dontdiscountyourself