Just within two years of its launch, Retail Employees’ Day has managed to generate global interest with Turkey’s Boyner Holding celebrating the day in 2013 across all its 480 stores and 7 e-commerce sites, and touching lives of 12,000 employees.
He rightfully deserves the salutation of a ‘Retail Revolutionary’. Talk about B.S. Nagesh and you will be presented with an enviable list of innumerable feats achieved by him – from setting the ball rolling for modern retail in India to Shoppers Stop being a proud member of the Intercontinental Group of Department Stores (IGDS), all this at a time when retail in India was still at its infancy. The most important feather in his cap has been that of launching the Trust for Retailers and Retail Associates of India (TRRAIN) – a foundation for retail employees in India – and that of celebrating Retail Employees’ Day on December 12 every year – an event eagerly looked forward by the retail community in India and now internationally too. Just within two years of its launch, the Retail Employees’ Day has garnered international interest with Turkey’s Boyner Group celebrating Retail Employees’ Day with enviable enthusiasm and fervour.
Elaborating on what led the group to take interest in this, Nagesh reveals: “The third World Department Store Forum (WDSF) was held on 30 and 31 May 2013, in Istanbul, Turkey, organised by Intercontinental Group of Department Stores (IGDS) in partnership with Boyner Department Stores. A total of 347 international retail executives and stakeholders, including business leaders from 45 department stores, attended the event. During the two-day forum, titled ‘Taking Performance to the Next Level’, 16 retail specialists and CEOs presented their vision on how to drive performance to the next level. It was here that I presented the concept of TRRAIN and Retail Employees’ Day to the members present.” Elaborating further, he says: “Since Boyner Holding strongly believes in people practice and is always trying out innovative ideas and ways of marketing their company, they decided to celebrate the day uniquely with their employees and customers. Uniqueness of idea, innovation and possibility of impact are the key reasons for their interest generation in the concept of Retail Employees’ Day.”
A 15-minute presentation by Nagesh on TRRAIN and Retail Employees’ Day gave all the members present at the forum, the ideologies and philosophy behind celebrating Retail Employees’ Day. As part of the presentation, he also shared a few epic celebrations of Indian corporate houses like Raymond, Titan, Shoppers Stop Ltd., Lifestyle, etc. Since IGDS was held in Turkey, post the presentation, Simon Susman, President, IGDS and Cem Boyner, Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Boyner Holding contacted TRRAIN to discuss the way forward on the idea that was presented and right on cards was the first ever celebration of Retail Employees’ Day.
To ensure that the essence of the day was well understood by the group, a detailed presentation was shared with them to understand the guidelines of the celebration and a couple of past presentations of celebrations in India were shared. Nagesh adds: “With everything in place, Boyner had an on-ground celebration in its 480 stores and an online celebration on its seven e-commerce sites. What perhaps is worth mentioning is that the idea was so well accepted by the group that they even created a website for the day and the celebration that took place. TRRAIN is very proud of having adopted an idea and a concept born in India and gave the credit the credit for it to the country stating ‘INSPIRED by HINDUSTAN’.”
Citing the learnings from Boyner’s celebration of the Retail Employees’ Day for retailers in India, Nagesh shares: “Usage of technology to connect its 12,000 employees on one day is an inspiring move by them. Also, the application that they created helped the employees to create personalised certificates of Retail Employees’ Day, which carried the signature of the CEO of Boyner Group.”
