Study cases

The Romanian market challenge

The client, an international retailer decided to enter the Romanian market with the opening of a subsidiary in Bucharest and the development of a retail chain in major Romanian cities. Being the first time to do business in Romania, the client needed to better understand the market (retail locations, competition, market trends and consumer habits) and the local realities related to the workforce (salaries, people acquisition and retention, localized shop shifts structures, customer service etc). The management also needed a partner to assist understanding the local market and minimize possible risks arising from cultural gaps.

Solution:

With extensive experience in the retail sector in Romania, especially in the clothes and shoeswear domain, People First was selected as the ideal partner to assist in this project.  .

The project was split in two and teams of consultants from the Intelligence and Talent divisions were formed. The first team conducted a series of market and consumer surveys, analyzed the data and prepared a report that helped the client develop good understanding of the local market. The second team worked together with the client's representatives to define the ideal shop team structures and develop the shift plans. Following, it helped localize the existing HR system  and undertook the task of locating and recruiting the required workforce. Finally, the store operations procedures and manual was created and a system of personnel evaluation and reward, linked to the company's KPI's, was delivered.

Results:

Intelligence: The goal of the report produced by the intelligence division team was to help the client understand the local market realities, speed up decision-making and assist in building a strategy based on data and facts rather than assumptions. It is estimated that the time to market was reduced by six months.

Talent: With the creation of the ideal shop structure and shift plans the team developed a good understanding of the needs in personnel speeding up the recruitment process that was concluded successfully and on time. The store operations manual and the linkage of the store KPIs with the company's strategic KPIs helped the management align the new stuff faster and demonstrate how the everyday work of individuals participate in achieving company's strategic objectives. Finally the objective evaluation system assisted in developing a climate of objectivity and fairness within the personnel, which results in better retention rates.