Whistling her merry tune...

Proving the old "like mother, like daughter" adage, Anne-Marie Gaganis has gone from managing her mother's boutique to operating several of her own. Assia Benmedjdoub unlocks the secrets behind her success.
Although many industry punters have taken turns in marking Melbourne and Sydney as the fashion capitals of Australia, Anne-Marie Gaganis believes Adelaide is well on its way to joining the bandwagon. In fact, the budding entrepreneur is so convinced; she's spent the past 12 years erecting a string of designer boutiques throughout the city's central business district. And, she adds tongue-in-cheek, it's paid off.
"When I opened my first store 12 years ago, there was definitely a demand for it in the city area because there was no where else to shop besides the department stores. There are now a lot more stores here in Adelaide so it is growing quite fast and customers have a good choice of where to shop."
With five locations throughout the city and two to three more openings on the horizon, Gaganis' journey began in 1994 when she pitched her first Whistles boutique in the Regent Arcade. Noticing the need for more designer shopping destinations in the area, the store went on to stock labels such as Wayne Cooper, Seduce, Bettina Liano, Sass and Bide, Manning Cartell, Miss Sixty and One Teaspoon.
"I didn't sleep for weeks before the first opening," Gaganis reflects. "I took a loan from the bank and nearly made myself sick from nerves. I worked in the store seven days a week along with one other staff member for the first year until I could afford more staff."
Now boasting 25 salespersons and managers, the business has expanded to include a clothing and accessories outlet in the arcade, a clothing boutique in the Myer Centre and Hyde Park and a men's and women's store in Rundle Street called WO+MAN.
"In 1995, the Myer Centre approached me with an offer I could not refuse to open my second location," she explains. "It paid for my entire shopfit to get me there. From there, I opened a store in Hyde park due to the need for a younger store in that shopping strip and WO+MAN to fill the need for casual and affordable men's clothing."
Before beginning her assault on the Adelaide fashion scene, Gaganis says she spent several years building on her business and marketing skills at Witchery, Trademarks and Showies boutique in Adelaide.
"When I managed my mother's shop [Showies], I was taught from the best. It was all about old school customer service where you basically bend over backwards for the customer to make them feel fabulous. I was also trained to do the buying for her store and this was the most valuable training I could have ever had."
Building on her mother's pearls of wisdom, Gaganis now runs her business on the principles of traditional good service and modern public relations.
"We invest a lot each season into marketing and advertising our stores. We advertise in local magazines and send weekly emails, SMS messages and seasonal catalogues using our customer database, which is in excess of 10,000 people. We also have a website that is updated regularly and customers are called weekly to be informed of new stock that they would like."
Alongside the growth of loyal customers, Gaganis credits her success to a good sales team which she motivates with goals, incentives and promotions.
"I have a passion for fashion which rubs off onto the staff. Management meetings are also held monthly to keep everyone up to date with what stock is coming in and we all brainstorm for new ideas. All managers have monthly budgets for their store in which an incentive is given to them upon reaching this figure. This helps keep them motivated at all times."
Now looking forward to expanding her business throughout South Australia, Gaganis says she hopes to maintain the interests of her customers.
"We try to have something for everyone. You can spend $50 on a top or you can spend $600 on a dress, so no matter what your budget is you can always find something to buy at Whistles."