Apparel Group launches ambitious Training and Development Program to build competitive advantage in the region

Global Management Consultants, the region's leading consultancy firm in retail training, will be responsible for the design and delivery of 6 months training initiative.

Said Nilesh Ved, Apparel LLC. Group's Managing Director, 'Apparel Group's (representatives of brands such as Nine west, Dune, Jennifer, Bossini, BookPlus, Naturalizer, and Alain Manoukian) strategy is clearly to capture market share and niche through its people, because in today's world everything can be copied, except the spirit of people and their attitudes which they manifest towards their customers. As such an ordinary training program cannot address our needs. We have gone for a unique formula where each one of our employees will attend a training workshop every month for next 6 months, where they will be intensively trained on teamwork, culture, customer service and selling skills.'

In order to ensure that Apparel had its people buy-in secured for the training, the training program was formally launched this week, with fan-fare at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dubai. The keynote address during the Launch was by Mr. Fuad Sharaf, Chief Coordinator, Dubai Service Excellence Awards.

'Designed to guarantee positive results and improvement in people skills, this type of approach towards the development of people, has been tried before with other leading retail brands in the marketplace.' Added, Saira Azhar, Project leader & CEO, Global Management Consultants. 'Apparel's business challenges are ambitious. Therefore, it is imperative that the Apparel people are systematically stitched into their business fabric.' This requires intensive training and honing of skills. We have carefully designed the 6 months program with an upbeat over all theme 'Customer First, Rite Here Rite Now' to address these challenges.

Mr. Govind Bharwani, General Manager of Apparel Group, also laid out extensive development and expansion plans of the company where the above program is going to support the growth. He said, 'We are aggressively expanding our current brand portfolio in markets such as Poland, Singapore, Delhi, India. We are also going to acquire brands such as Kenneth Cole, and Alain Manoukian, Athlete's Foot. With all this expansion all the more reason that we invest in our People, as they are the key to our future growth and success.'