Achieving Success in the Retail Industry
Simon Mifsud
Name:
Simon Mifsud
Profession:
Head of Retail
Industry:
Retail
Adjectives to describe yourself:
Funny, foodie and definitely a people person
What do you like to do for fun?
Travel, Eat and Socialise
Favourite Quote:
‘Every day is game day!’
Favourite Food:
Anything Asian and spicy!
A person you admire:
Aldo Bensadoun
A book everyone should read:
On Making Smart Decisions by Harvard Business Review
A movie/series everyone should watch:
I would say ‘The Social Dilemma’ documentary on Netflix, followed by ‘Inventing Anna’ - to understand how big social media companies manipulate our lives every single day and how it’s portrayed in real life - changes everything.
With twelve years of experience under his belt, Simon Mifsud has a solid background in the retail industry. His career took off back in 2010 when he started working in sales on a part-time basis at Marks & Spencer Food store in Bay Street. Following that, he moved to one of the top brands of the company ALDO while reading for his Bachelor of Commerce degree. He graduated in Banking, Finance and Management and continued to pursue his Hons Degree in Management. Theory was complemented with practice, as during that time he took over management of the flagship store of ALDO in Malta to enhance his experience in management.
Passion, commitment and dedication took him through the next few steps of career – moving onto Sales & Operations Manager for the ALDO brand within Retail International Group in Malta and Libya, winning 2 international awards in 2017 and 2018. This was a stepping stone towards a broader role encompassing the overall Sales & Operations Management for the group responsible for all brands under Retail International Group, in Malta and North African Territories. This was no easy feat, and he remarked that it “was one of the biggest challenges and great experiences at the same time, having to inflict all the great ways of work the ALDO brand instilled within its people across all the group for all brands namely Marks & Spencer, ALDO, Puntroma and more.”
Today, 12 years later, Simon Mifsud is heading the full retail division of the company, by providing strategic, commercial and operational leadership for the group and working closely with senior leadership team to manage all activities necessary for the efficient operation of all brands within the group through commercial practices, sales and operations, marketing and human resources.
Fascinated by his extensive experience, we were eager to learn more about his journey and his success which we are glad to share with you through this read.
Throughout your journey so far, what were three of the most defining moments of your career?
Winning Club Elite
Winning Club Elite, together with one of my store managers in Malta
Store openings within Libya, grooming successful teams in a different culture setting and growing the business throughout in this region
For anyone wondering what is Club Elite?, It is an international recognition programme by ALDO Group, Montreal, Canada whereby top performers around the world compete for best sales per square metre, country, region, best sales performance, best customer service with specified targets set at the beginning of the year.
Inspiration and motivation are essential, yet through the day-to-day struggles it’s not always as easy. What values do you hold at heart to keep you going especially when facing challenges or difficult times?
Love, Respect and Integrity. Love your job, and get excited every day you show up to work while respecting everyone around you. Having started from the role of a sales assistant while studying and climbing the career ladder step by step, gives me great respect for any level in the retail industry. Integrity within the business gives you a scope and purpose to achieve your goals every single day.
“People are the most important asset in the retail industry”
What kind of strategies and mindset are required to thrive in the retail industry?
‘Every day is game day’ – Conquer each day with the same strong energy every single day in order to overcome any challenges.
Our customers expect that we know them and their behaviours or preferences is something we already understand and as a professional in the retail industry you need to fine-tune your customer journey to make sure you always exceed customer’s expectations in order to be successful.
People are the most important asset in the retail industry, treat them well and your business grows. Give them the proper tools and resources in order to be successful. Motivate them every day in order to make a significant difference!
Sustainability in retail is an important concern for consumers and retailers alike. How true is this?
I believe it is important, especially when it comes to low-impact packaging for most of our products. However, we also need to keep in mind that at times we use more resources to become sustainable and this is detrimental to such practices.
What would be the key management competences for a successful career in this business?
Learning by doing! I truly believe and advocate such a process because I believe that in whatever level or grade you’re at, you definitely need to understand the full process of the business. Are you able to give a deadline within a good time frame? If you are not experienced in the field and haven’t done the job yourself, you cannot ask your people to achieve it in an impossible time frame. How can you cut costs, without understanding the full operation of the business? Understanding and listening to your team is of true importance in order to sustain and grow your business.
If you could go back five years, what advice would you give your younger self?
Trust your instinct and give yourself some credit because you know what you’re doing.
What are the failures that you most cherish?
More than cherishing specific failures, I cherish the ‘survival’ of any failure experienced and the chance of revising my strategy!
If you had to take a different career path, what would it be?
I would probably be working in the hospitality or travel industry.
What’s next? Are there any further dreams to be achieved?
Travel and see more of the world. We’ll then take it from there!
Throughout the interview, we couldn’t fail to feel the excitement and pride that Club Elite brings to Simon Mifsud. He describes Club Elite as one of the most elevating moments in his career that truly defines who he is today. If this is so, then it’s worth exploring what’s behind such a successful personality, perhaps it also serves as a source of inspiration to anyone in the industry.
“Club Elite is a big deal – it changed the way I go to work every day, helps motivate my teams more and gives you a sense of pride within your work ethic that you have never experienced before.”
Here is what Club Elite means and what the company offers for all top performers according to the below criteria as per Simon’s experience.
Only around 100-120 people can win this award every year from all around the world.
To win, in my case, as Sales & Operations manager, I had to reach top sales performance with specified targets in all 10 ALDO stores within Retail International Group (6 in Malta and 4 in Libya).
Only 4 operations managers are selected from Europe region.
I won Club Elite in 2017 and I also won Club Elite in 2018 and so did one of my store managers in Malta – Pama location for best sales performs for the year so it was an amazing experience to relive it all together with one of my managers.
The company flies you off to their headquarters in Montreal, Canada and a big ceremony is done with a huge entrance of all employees within the brand waiting to salute you before you enter for the awards ceremony.
The next 5 days, they fly you off to an all inclusive luxury getaway - during my time the destinations were Jamaica in 2017 and Riviera Maya, Mexico in 2018.