Fashion house Noni B has revved its focus on manager training and customer-service initiatives in an effort to prepare the company for the major expansion ahead.
In an exclusive interview with Ragtrader, and following a general company announcement covered on
ragtrader.com.au, Noni B joint managing director David Kindl revealed the brand is investing heavily in staff development and personalised customer service strategies. Kindle said this would support the business’ “great strengths” ahead of a significant revamp.
The latest initiative includes a fresh training program to provide every store manager with a Certificate III in Retail Studies by November 2011 as part of a partnership with Wiseguy Training (RTO). The program consists of 12 modules and includes face-to-face tuition to equip senior staff to “manage their business during these difficult economic times”.
“Personalised service is one of Noni B’s great strengths,” Kindl said. “We recognised during the global financial crisis that we needed to continue to invest in the knowledge and skills development of our store staff in order to maintain the loyalty of our customers. After considering a number of options, we’ve formed a partnership with Wiseguy Training (RTO) and the participation rate is [to date] is extremely high.”
Kindl also provided an insight into the company’s strategy for market research, which is ongoing and will eventually determine the location of new stores set to launch across Queensland and Victoria.
“Our loyalty club database of over one million names is another of Noni B’s strengths. We started two years ago to communicate with them by email, and have extended this recently to sms contact, Facebook and Twitter,” he said.
“This follows research into how often our customers want to hear from us and what information they would like to receive. Engaging with our customers this way is strengthening our bond with them. All email feedback is then circulated to our management team, so we can respond promptly to the issues that matter to our customers.”
The company, which currently operates 214 stores across Australia, recently suffered a drop in net profit to $231,000 for the 2011 financial year from $3.9 million in 2010, with Kindl citing heavy discounting in response to weaker consumer demand as a factor.
Despite this, the Noni B business has forged ahead, with Kindl announcing a raft of new initiatives late August, including plans to expand its retail network across Queensland and Victoria, introduce new product lines and launch a dedicated e-store for the brand.
