Celebrating women's achievements this International Women's Day, Ragtrader asks retail leaders, 'what's the proudest moment of your career so far?'
Erica Berchtold - The Iconic CEO
Without question, my proudest career achievement has been steering The Iconic through the turbulence of the past two years - arguably the most tumultuous two years ever for the retail industry.
Having reached our milestone tenth year of operation in-market last year, I’m incredibly proud and humbled to be standing at the helm of a company that continues to define the future of shopping in ANZ.
When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit our shores, we knew its impact would be disruptive (and in some cases, devastating) for our customers, partners and people if we didn’t act fast.
For a business like ours that emerged shortly after the GFC, navigating disruption is built into our DNA, so thankfully, we had the processes and infrastructure in place to mobilise and move quickly.
To stay ahead of the curve, we had to assess the initiatives and innovations that we had previously, and in some instances reprioritise (or increase the priority!) to ensure we could meet customers changing needs and wants through the pandemic.
We made sure we continued to evolve with our customer, bolstering our assortment across in-demand categories such as activewear, sport and loungewear.
In late 2020 we launched our beauty and wellness categories - something we had planned to do before COVID, but in the world we found ourselves in, we ran at that much faster and harder and launched that category in months rather than years.
In the second half of 2021, we also proudly launched our home category, giving locked down shoppers an opportunity to shop for their wardrobe and living spaces in one.
During this time we also expanded our ever popular kids and toys categories.
We adjusted our delivery offering in response to customer needs, collaborating with Australia Post to launch a first-to-market, same-day Saturday twilight service for our Sydney metro customers.
Actually we did that to give our customers, that were enduring extended lockdowns, a little bit of Saturday night fun and joy!
Despite the disruption, we stood firm on our commitment to sustainability, diversity and inclusion.
Last year, we launched our dedicated Iconic Adaptive Edit, a move which saw us become the first major ANZ retailer to launch a tailored shopping destination to better serve the one in five Australians and one in four New Zealanders living with disabilities and other access needs.
What’s more, in late 2021 we pioneered a first-of-its-kind partnership with Australian re-commerce platform, AirRobe, which saw us become the first major online retailer globally to integrate one-click functionality that allows customers to extend the life cycle of their pre-loved fashion items, without having to do any heavy lifting.
I guess what I’m saying is that while the last two years have been challenging, this period has made me enormously proud to lead an organisation that is so agile, an organisation that is so customer obsessed, and an organisation that is so full of purpose.
And to continue creating the future of shopping in 2022 and beyond will be an even prouder moment of my career.
Mary Poulakis - Harrolds MD
After many years of courting the brand, securing the Tom Ford brand for Harrolds in 2010 was a proud moment for me.
Then launching Tom Ford womens with the opening of our first female boutique in 2015 and the same week attending the first runway presentation in Los Angeles for Tom Ford and meeting the man himself – anything is possible in retail!