During these turbulent times for bricks and mortar retailers, I have reflected upon the characters who had a positive impact on my career in Retailing.
My stand out and most accomplished Leader is Sir Terry Leahy.
I vividly recall a Town Hall meeting in Poland, where Terry addressed his entire Polish team. He left us with two bold statements to put into practice.
“Love the Customer“. This is all about getting to know your customers and understanding and to be preemptive of their needs and desires.
“Kill the competition“. Not literally of course, but get to know and analyse your competitors strengths and weaknesses. Analyse the opportunities and execute without delay.
Sir Terry Leahy is a magnificent person and retailer. He taught us so well and his legacy is there for all to see.
So who is your favourite Retail leader and what would they bring to today’s challenging retail landscape?
Is the customer still king and should we obsess about our competitors or in today’s digital world are these business principles redundant, like so many of our Retail colleagues?
Richard Worth