Page 4 - April 2021

who’s who in retail

MEETS

Eric Erhardt

President eMeA – MCM WorldWide

Q. Given the current market conditions, have you had to alter that expect confident shifts and movements, which are generated
or re-evaluate your key objectives over the coming 12 months? internally and that feels natural.
A. We began 2020 with great excitement as it held so many interesting
activations, ideas, creations and projects across the brand, which, due to Q. What do you make of social media and its prominent rise
the ever-evolving nature of this unprecedented time, we had to carefully in importance over the last few years, and how important do
navigate and decide to embrace, adjust or pause. One such example you feel e-commerce and online activities will continue to be?
was the expansion of our retail network, which as markets become A. Social media has provided an important invitation to the world of our
more predictable in 2021 and beyond, we can hopefully look-forward brand, showcasing the links of connectivity to our renowned heritage,
to revisiting expansion later this year. We are pleased to have entered as well as valuable routes to our future, which has been embraced
2021 with a dynamic and very busy year remaining, filled with a mixture by our highly devoted and engaged community, globally. In response
of traditional and non-traditional creative partnerships, brand landmarks to this current time and need of less formal connectivity, we have
and a renewed embrace of digital cross-connectivity speaking to the core launched the ‘Creative Minds Series’, amongst other social activations
brand values and DNA. such as the MyClosetMonday hashtag via social channels, which allows
unprecedented access to our Creative Director and select artists with
Q. How would you say the Covid-19 outbreak has affected and for our Community, via approachable dialogues and conversations,
your business in the last weeks and months, and will it affect which explores fashion, culture and art. There has never been a more
your plans moving forward? inclusive environment to celebrate creativity and to launch ideas. Cross-
A. Inevitably, Covid-19 has forced fashion brands to reflect and act swiftly. platform inter-play and synergy continues to be central to MCM for
We too made strong-impacting practical decisions and relevant structural 2021 and beyond and sees us collaborating with digital platforms and
solutions. Traditional formats with specific limitations have provided a interesting formats for ecommerce. Social Media is a wonderful way to
moment to pivot to digital where possible and accelerate our immersive spotlight products as well as brand narratives and continues to be an
programs. Inherently we are a very global cross-rooted company and important vehicle towards transactional success for us.
so, as the varying regional and national regulations of Covid-19 have
developed, it has meant that we are implementing a ‘glocal’ approach to Q. What would you consider to be your career highlights?
our strategies. We are focusing on supporting the specific rhythms and A. I am pleased to say that I have had the honour of working with
needs of our teams and their domestic consumers. talented and wonderful people in this creative industry across the fashion
music and art sectors. Through these exciting and unique projects, I have
Q. What key leadership skills do you feel are the most enjoyed the opportunity to build meaningful and successful teams, with
important in the current retail climate? many members who have since become close friends. The industry
A. Despite the climate of adversity, 2020 has still marked celebratory notoriously moves at an impressive pace, it continues to be a very vibrant
achievements for our globally targeted independent retail networks. and extensive industry, so it has been fantastic to explore extended
March saw the opening of our first flagship store in the Dubai Mall, which regions, new retail platforms and global sectors, all the while creating
was a brilliant example of systematic planning and careful implementation. uniquely valuable memories.
Investing in strong-working relationships within your team is paramount,
with careful listening and connectivity at the forefront. Creating flexibility Q. How are you personally feeling about the 12 months ahead?
within our annual approach has always been very important, but it has A. While no doubt the next months will see continued adjustments and
never been more valuable than now. While balancing the short-term challenges, it will also hold exciting and rewarding new horizons, which
structures of the business, we need to remain calm and focused on we all need to keep focused on. The storm is not eternal. We are in a
the bigger and broader picture and our overall long-term strategy. It is time of acceleration but it is important to move forward with purpose
important not to lose sight of this. and creativity.

Q. As a leader, when you are making key strategic decisions, Q. Do you have any words of warning for the industry as we
what proportion of the decision do you feel is fact-based and head into unchartered territory?
what proportion is instinctual? A. Instead of words of warning I would like to share a development of
A. A balance is important and a holistic approach is a part of the encouragement and growth happening within the industry currently.
process certainly, however we are not afraid of instinctual vision at Moving forward is a collective process and not an individual motion.
MCM, this is a message instilled by the Chief Visionary Officer and This period has led to company and brand-leaders sharing their
Owner, the Global Creative Officer and all those in core leadership success and also their struggles in a way that has not been engaged
roles. As an established luxury brand we are fortunate to have a previously. It has opened the door for a new level of transparency,
wealth of knowledge to base our decisions, but we are also poised connectivity and dialogue, which is a unique moment for pioneering
and driven by a new era of connected Gen-Z/Millennial consumers approaches to building solutions into the future of luxury.

04 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL APRIL 2021