Zara was described by Louis Vuitton fashion director Daniel Piette as "possibly the most innovative and devastating retailer in the world."
In 1975, Zara opened its first store in a central street in La Coruna, Spain. The store featured low-priced lookalike products of popular, higher-end clothing fashions and proved to be such a success, that more stores followed. During the 1980's, expansion occurred throughout Spain and in 1988, Zara opened its first international store in Portugal. International expansion increased during the 1990s and beyond to the point where today, Zara has over 1,500 stores and a presence in over 73 countries.
So how did Zara achieve such success? By changing the process and by delivering fashion that customers really want. In this case study, Devangshu Dutta examines how Zara changed customer expectations and the fashion industry forever. See http://bit.ly/aCllNK
Gilead Systems wins the Triple Crown
Gilead Systems wins the Triple Crown – simultaneously improving revenues, reducing costs and enhancing service.
As Business Week puts it in the prelude to this years review of the top 50 performers in Standard and Poors 500 stock index “for many years pharmaceutical companies viewed the development of HIV treatments as a necessary – but unprofitable – public service. There was some logic to that view, given that the majority of victims lived in developing nations and were unable to pay what drug makers could earn from selling other products. But Gilead Systems had a different perspective." See http://bit.ly/a7zmwn
Towergate - How to create a £3 billion value business by focusing on your clients
You’ve been put in charge of a failing business, losses are mounting. It’s not clear where you should start or what you need to fix first. How do you think through your position to get back to profitability and growth?
Andy Homer is one of the pillars of the UK insurance industry, with a career that has included CEO at AXA Insurance UK, President of the Chartered Insurance Institute and now Group Chief Executive of the Towergate Partnership - an exciting growth business that is reshaping the provision of Insurance services in the UK.
In this podcast, hear how the BP Group and City Process Management helped reinvent the Insurance business for the benefits of clients, insurers and shareholders. See http://bit.ly/b362ou.
AOL Europe - Are you struggling to understand where all of your cash is disappearing to? Your business units claim they are making money and yet your cash and working capital is vanishing before your eyes.
Businesses set out to make profits, managers swear by them. It’s all too easy to have a situation where every business unit is claiming it’s doing a great job, but when you add it up in totality you are making serious losses and your cash life blood is rapidly draining away.
There are many great management methodologies and analytical techniques you could apply, from simple to complex. If you are the CEO, CFO or Business head, how do you get to grips with a business in need of a fundamental turnaround and your financial systems are unable to describe to you what’s really going on in your business?
Philip Rowley (President and CEO of AOL Europe) faced such a difficult situation when he took on the challenges of turning around AOL Europe – and who went on to achieve astounding results with his management team.
In this podcast, hear how the BP Group and Close Quarter succeeded in helping AOL Europe from losing over $600 million per annum to profitability within 3 years. See http://bit.ly/deB5bZ.
ILVA - Has market growth died in your business – how do you reinvent yourself to create new compelling customer propositions?
Is competition killing you in your market sector – with profits and growth evaporating before your eyes? Mature markets can get over-crowded, leaving you to battle to the death with competitors for what little value is left on the table. What can you do to turnaround your situation?
Martin Toogood has enjoyed a glittering career in retail including BHS, Habitat & Heals through to CEO of B&Q PLC.
In this podcast, hear how the BP Group and Close Quarter helped one of Europe’s leading CEOs in growing consumer facing businesses and creating compelling propositions to excite customers across Europe. See http://bit.ly/alinI8.