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Halfway through the year, we proudly and humbly observe that 2019 has been rich in openings, emerging ideas and ongoing projects. But unprecedented news has thrilled the mailboxes of our 6,000 collaborators on June 25th: SMCP is in exclusive negociations to acquire De Fursac. A new challenge that the brand is about to entrust to the Group. But June is also a key period for business: summer sales. Shops, affiliates, corners & partners, it's up to you. The new FW19 collection is coming weeks after weeks and the crushes of our customers are in your expert hands. May the summer inspire you with motivation and passion! Editorially yours.
From the 3rd to the 7th of June, the Green Week took place at Claudie Pierlot’s. This week’s goal was to raise awareness among our collaborators about the challenges of sustainable development to help reduce our negative impact on the environment and adopt a Green Mindset on a daily basis.
On the menu, readings, lectures and practical workshops on the sorting of waste, food consumption, all to awaken the spirits and above all TO BE AWARE! Paris headquarters and the European retail network have had the chance to participate in this Green Week to become more responsible passionate entrepreneurs.
Since October 2018, SMCP has traveled from city to city to recruit its talents. Paris, London, Amsterdam, Madrid, Rome, Berlin, Hong Kong (and soon Dallas), had the pleasure to meet our HR teams on site and spent a moment of exchange with candidates. A total of 140 participants attended the event, of which 38 were identified as potential talents with a record reached in Hong Kong (8 offers extended on D-Day). 100% of them said they will be reapplying for SMCP in the near future. For the happiness of HR & Group!
For the first edition, Sandro organized a week of Quality of Working Life in its Parisian headquarters. Every day, a pleasant was planned for the collaborators of the house: meditation, form & vitality workshop, day of kindness and finally, a musical lunch in the sun.
Founded in 2008 by José Neves, a Portuguese entrepreneur, Farfetch is a must-have British fashion site specialized in the sale of designer brands and delivers wherever DHL moves. Its customer base currently covers more than 190 countries.
Since June 2019, Sandro has joined the platform and offers its collections alongside prestigious Maisons such as Saint Laurent, Balenciaga or Chanel.
"I find the combination of the cool side of the jeans jacket and the studio 54 glitter super interesting!"
"It is a timeless piece of our collections, I have always liked it since the first prototype received more than 10 years ago now. It feels like you wear nothing when you put it on, it's pleasant in these periods of heat."
My favorite piece for this summer is the Ruffle dress. It's a new shape of dress that makes you want to party!
The iconic Angela bag is my favorite piece this season. Revisited in a natural canvas version with marine borders, it is the perfect companion for a chic and summery silhouette.
Since 2010, the Group's objective has been to become a leader in the global ready-to-wear and accessories market by inspiring Parisian chic around the world. To increase the value and potential of our already existing business, strategic thinking is required!
Lorraine joined Elina’s teams (Strategy & Development Director) in 2017 after several years in a renowned consulting firm, the Boston Consulting Group. She shares with us: “At SMCP you do not stop at the recommendation, you go further, you engage with the teams in the implementation of the project and the long-term follow-up, and you see the concrete result! That’s what I liked about the job. “
Their role is to work on projects on different topics: either by identifying them within the team, or the BU challenge us with issue. She and her teams are requested for their analytical skills, the creation of action plans and to accompany change.
Lorraine says: “For example, we did a study on the French retail park to optimize it. First, we analyzed the performance of the stores and their location in relation to the competition. Then, we talked with the Brands’ Retail Directors and the Development team to get their field vision on the stores.
From these two inputs we defined with the Development team a plan over 3 years to renovate and optimize the mesh of our park. We were able to close a men’s store and a small-scale women’s store to open a larger and mixed store. Once the action plan is completed by the entire project team, we present to the CEOs and Artistic Directors who have the last word “.
More specifically within the team, Lorraine focuses on Retail & Innovation topics to improve the store sales experience. From the identification of the need to the implementation of the solution, Lorraine collaborates with the Retail and IT teams in order to improve the tools available to the sales teams in the stores.
The best example is certainly the Dashboard project led by Lorraine and the IT team, which affects all of our stores around the world. “This project was really initiated and driven by our team says Lorraine. Indeed, following their repeating field visit and hours of conversation with the teams, it became clear that they were in need of performance indicators that would help them to better manage their performance.
Lorraine thus defined with the Retail Directors the KPIs and the vision that we wanted to give to this tool. Subsequently, the project launched with the IT teams, the Shop Managers and Retail Coordinators, culminating a few months later in a nice Dashboard that will continue to evolve and serve our teams around the world!
The second part of her missions and beyond projects, Lorraine also plays a role of strategic leadership within the Group. She works with each BUs as part of the QBR (Quarterly Business Reviews), BP (Busines Plan) launches or Strategy seminars. “We are looking to offer a time when management teams get out of their day-to-day to share market trends and benchmarks, giving them time to think about new issues: to test a clothing rental activity? to launch a perfume?” Explains Lorraine.
The ideas for participating in the Group’s continuous improvement come from the field, from the outside or from the exchanges with the teams. These different levels of interaction give her a wealth of reflection and allow her to acquire the global vision she needs to remain a source of ideas and initiative.
She says: “I prefer to go see the Brands physically, their headquarters are so nice, phone calls are a bit austere, but it’s not an option with North America and Asia. Popping by in the office when you go to a meeting creates a link that helps to identify things to improve together, to have support when launching a project.” The important thing for her is to recall the nature of the exchanges with the BUs: a partnership role where there is challenges, trust and mutual enrichment. “Sometimes we are the ones who guide them, and sometimes they are” she concludes.
