RETAIL
Making luxury feel personal
Cartier, Dita and Dior... Premium is not merely a price point: it's a perception. Directing a mix of luxury department stores, shopping malls, street doors, outlets, I focused on training, storytelling and human connection. Because the secret behind our successful commercial performance rested upon the connection between products, Guests and Teams. One result I am grateful for? My smallest store reached #5 across Benelux, Nordics & UK region for volume of the new META gen-2 AI glasses. Thanks to my A-Teams, we were also awarded for the best cross-selling performance in the region, combined with an industry-leading 0.2% shrinks. Because, as I learnt at Nike: teamwork makes the dreamwork.
From interactions to service
650.000 visitors a year; 1.000 sqm ca; from the lowest score in EMEA to #3 At Nike, I was brought in to help turn customer service from a transactional interaction into a genuine culture of service. We introduced the new customer-service SOLE programme in a high-traffic outlet with the goal to make "elevating" a habit. The result? The store moved from the bottom of the ranks in the EMEA region to #3 for conversion rate & UPT (and sick-leaves dropped by 50%). Great service isn't something we "add" to the experience: it is The Experience.
From "cheap glasses" to the Olympics
When I joined polette as General Manager, the brand was addressing potential customers with claims such as “Only idiots pay more” and “Stop getting f*cked by the optical industry.” The challenge was to shift the brand’s positioning from cheap glasses to distinctive design; to build desirability while stopping insulting potential clients, or denigrating other players. I started with reorganising departments -design, production, creative, marketing, retail, operations, customer care, showrooms, HR and finance- and processes, then I focused on refreshing artistic direction, and rethinking the retail experience. While expanding the network of showrooms, we develop the new e-commerce proprietary platform, while bringing new categories to life — including ski goggles that eventually made their way to the Winter Olympics. We also launched running, cycling, and the world's first 100% biodegradable acetate frame — a product that went far beyond the shelf and found its way into Harper's Bazar, The Financial Times and Vogue.
My first general manager role
At RL I learnt something I still carry today: teamwork is like rowing. All on the same boat, striking together, at sync, towards the same direction. After forming an A-Team of 11, we created and delivered installations across more than 600 stores throughout EMEA for Nike-JD. Alongside this anchor account, we included in our portfolio other international iconic brands, such as Heineken, Converse, DAF and Punkt . The Amsterdam office became the most profitable in the global network, and turnover grew 30% above budget. Why? Of course because we had fantastic talents in our Team. And especially because the office-vibe indicator constantly scored above 9/10.
Crafting tangible emotions
Everybody likes to bring back home a piece of their favourite experience. At Key Merchandise, I helped a phenomenal Team to build retail-experience propositions, primarily for the Heineken Experience. We also developed products for new clients, such as Walibi, Naturalis, Madurodam, and launched I Love Holland, developing its licensing with the Netherlands Board of Tourism.
Turning merchandise into memories
One of my Mentors -Mr. Francesco Isoni, owner of ISCO- taught me: before selling, buy... trust. At ISCO, I worked at the intersection of merchandise, leisure and marketing — helping attractions turn their stories into products people could take home. From Gardaland and Sigurtà to new business development across Europe, I worked on the creative and commercial sides of this wonderful company.
LEISURE
Unleashing pirate spirits
Not a tour. Not an adventure... Another dimension. Costumes. Characters. Food. Music. Seafaring. Spiced rum. A little danger. A lot of suggestion. At TPE pirate enthusiasts slide back in time, entering into another world.
Working with Jim Pattison Jr.
2.000 sqm; 5 floors; main Amsterdam square: what do you do when the doors aren't even open yet? You build the experience before the first Guests arrive. Exhibits. Branding. Activations. Distribution. Advertising. Training. Operations. I loved helping to take a new attraction from set-up and opening through to stable, profitable operations. And the opportunity to work and learn with Jim Pattison Jr. himself...!
The magic behind the mistery
Sherlocked is a little jewel. I joined them during a critical phase of growth and helped stabilise the Team and the two existing venues, then launch and operate the third experience. With Victor and Francine, I reshaped the Team, developed training and knowledge management platforms; I wrote a guest-experience manual, I worked with suppliers, property, maintenance, F&B and commercial partners. Occupancy grew; revenue grew, reviews above 4.8/5. And yet... what I treasure the most is what Guests don't see: 22 extra-ordinary game masters creating fantasy worlds for them.
shaping a new corporate identity
From a constellation of consulting companies to a Group consolidating all of them. From a fairytale logo to a new global visual identity: logo, claim, pictures, website. TAA GROUP shaping emotions
My first strategic repositioning
Parco Giardino Sigurtà was famous a quiet place for elderlies. In a couple of years, it became a destination loved by families, cyclists, and cosplayers. After conducting a market research validating my intuition, we developed new brand identity, CRM, advertising, roadshows, merchandising, and events. We first targeted families with children, expanding the fruition of the garden with new services: hospitality, F&B, rentals, guided tours, bike tours, and retail. The new claim "Una meraviglia unica al mondo" encapsulated the essence of our new strategy: wonder. The results were amazing, beyond goals and hopes: higher attendance, higher revenue, higher profitability. Growth doesn't necessarily come from selling more of the same. It can come from changing what people perceive you are.
My initiation into theme parks
People are not merely interested in the rides, the shows, the cast members. People anticipate and enjoy the atmosphere, thrill, story, food, merchandise, moments to take home. At Mirabilandia, I worked across marketing, events and retail — learning how to link attraction, communication and commercial opportunities around one core: the Guest experience.
HOSPITALITY
Members' club: private events
Members' Club: private gala
Guest experience
Guest experience
RECRUITMENT &
DEVELOPMENT
RECRUITMENT
Skills can be learnt; right mindset not.
Personality, mental attitude and energy are precondition of a successful fit with teams, values and clients. The human factor in Retail, Leisure and Hospitality is still essentials: because strategies, tactics, and plans don't execute by themselves. People do.
TRAINING
Success is a mental attitude
I teach how to transform simple interactions into memorable experiences, turning "serving" and "caring" into competitive advantags translating into sales conversion. I design tailored programmes for Retail, Leisure and Hospitality where I connect customer service and Sales to advanced concepts and techniques such as: - buying trust - "undivided attention" - active listening - mindful communication - going the extra mile - selling-for; - "impression of increase".
COACHING
From unconscious to conscious
The unconscious mind stores experiences and memories; controls thoughts, emotions, habits, decisions and behaviours; influences our daily life without us even realising it. First, I help the understanding of Paradigms, the mental programs dictating our self-image and how we perceive the world around us, determining in the background our dominant thoughts and feelings, attitudes and eventually results. Then I support the overcoming of the Limiting beliefs -personal and/or professional- and the expansion of self-awareness through a series of practices based on constant spaced repetition which lead to embody a new perception of the Self.
