Reprioritising Channel Strategy to Unlock Profitable Growth across Fashion and Apparel Retail

DIAGNOSIS

In 2023, a Fashion and Apparel retailer was seeing growth of certain Key Accounts, particularly within eCommerce, while traditional outdoor independents declined. They recognized the need for a different commercial skillset, moving away from relationship selling to meet needs of professional buyers, requiring a blue chip FMCG approach. The European commercial team with over 60 people across UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the Nordics, including Regional Directors, Country Manager and Key Account Managers all had differing approaches brought from previous employers such as Adidas, Nike, The North Face, etc. This resulted in inconsistent ways of working, fragmented language, and a lack of clarity. Ultimately the commercial team's plans and capabilities were not aligned with the changing customer landscape, and there was no unified "Brand X Way."

DESIGN AND DELIVERY

Working alongside the European Commercial Director and HR Business Partners, Sellex designed, built and delivered a three-module programme:

  1. Key Account Management: Key account planning, investing for value - Terms & Conditions approach, and negotiating for value
  2. Category Management: Principles and how to deploy, and talking Category with customers
  3. Customer Relationship Development: Influencing internally and externally, persuasion techniques, and presentation and communication skills

Each module was delivered across the European markets as a highly interactive 3-hour Teams sessions, facilitated by Sellex, with practical tasks to complete after each session.

Commercial capability

DURABLE OUTCOMES

Fashion and Apparel (Columbia) compressed-4

A consistent language and approach were established across all markets, creating clarity around the “Brand X Way” and setting clear expectations for how teams engage with every customer. Key account plans were completed, presented and agreed ahead of the financial year, with growth opportunities and actions clearly mapped and reviewed quarterly. Relationships with Key Accounts strengthened - both in practice and perception - driven by a more systematic approach to relationship building, selling, negotiation and T&Cs management. The programme became a key enabler in achieving the European sales growth targets and was subsequently adopted in the United States.

"Sellex helped us create a clear, consistent way of working across a diverse European commercial team. Their FMCG-led approach gave our teams the structure, language and confidence needed to engage professional buyers more effectively and played a key role in delivering our European growth ambitions."

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