Clothing retailer advises employees to give ear to exact customer needs
Paying close attention to what the customer wants and attending to his needs is the best form of customer service, Ms Hung Wai-yan of Esprit Retail said.
Ms Hung, who won the Fashion and Accessories Category award, said that if one understood what the customers really wanted, it would not be difficult to meet their needs.
The sales executive, a former kindergarten teacher, said her friends working in the retail industry looked happy with their jobs, and so she decided to try her hand at sales.
It was not easy at first, as she found it difficult to meet people. But Esprit, the clothing retailer, gave her plenty of training in customer service, and eventually she gained confidence.
Ms Hung is adept at making customers happy, which is the company philosophy. She has also acquired the knack for providing a level of service that meets the customer's expectations.
Esprit is now moving to sell its garments and other goods through the Internet, especially in the United States.
Ms Hung said she was happy to represent the company in bagging the coveted prize.
Esprit Holdings, which has 24 shops in Hong Kong, said sales in Hong Kong rose about 40 per cent in the year to June 30 after expansion.
The move to bigger stores at the height of Hong Kong's worst recession in decades allowed the company to increase sales to offset higher rentals.
Esprit Holdings recently reported a 6.98 per cent increase in net profit to $460 million for the year to June 30.
Its turnover rose to $7.27 billion from $5.99 billion the previous year.
The Hong Kong-listed company saw operating profit jump 40 per cent to $871 million after finance costs.
Despite the tough operating environment, Esprit is keeping costs down and margins up.
Retail sales started the year with strong growth but have since begun to slow as consumers remained cautious over the pace of the economic recovery.
Clothing and footwear sales in May showed a 19 per cent volume growth year on year.
The company plans to open four mega stores of between 8,000 and 10,000 square feet in the mainland next year, with projected annual sales of $1 billion within two years.
The company operates one million sq ft of retail space globally, with 360,000 sq ft in Europe, and 600,000 sq ft in Asia.
Esprit said it had set aside $450 million for capital expenditure for the coming year, with 60 per cent earmarked for Europe and 40 per cent for Asia.
The company is looking at additional retail space in London and Japan.
