With 6,000 employees in 70 countries, the ÏDKIDS community has a revenue of 928.5 million euros, with 9.5% of this generated from internet sales. Okaïdi, the ÏDKIDS community parent company, is a universal brand that promises to respect every child’s personality. This promise has helped it become market leader in over 70 countries. Okaïdi offers innovative collections that let children create their own style with modern flair. Following on from our look at careers overseas and in head office, let’s see what’s on offer in our stores.
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Nathalie, Okaïdi store manager in Laon
“There’s a strong focus on collaborative management”
In her previous life, Nathalie took care of troubled children. She developed a strong sense of empathy, which explains why she chose to work in the children’s sector. “I started off as the first sales assistant, then became co-manager and was finally made store manager a few months later. I moved quickly up the ladder — there are lots of opportunities if you have a good head for business.” Every week Nathalie reviews the previous week with her team, “then I kick off the new week by giving my team a joint weekly objective. What I really love about my job is the variety. Management is important, but you need to stay in touch with the customers. I also try to coach my staff to the best of my ability. Success doesn’t just happen and they need to be congratulated, paid attention to, etc.” Nathalie thinks she’s very lucky to be working in the children’s sector. “Taking care of children is a very emotional experience. You must have their best interests at heart. We put a lot of effort into our interaction with people and our relationship with our customers. This is in line with Okaïdi’s values of respect, sharing, willingness to make things work and growing together. There’s a strong focus on collaborative management. I’ve been here for 20 years and there’s a reason for that.”
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Martin Auvray, ÏDKIDS north-east regional manager
“We want to see our teams grow and thrive”
Following a career with an auditing firm, Martin Auvray worked for four years as an internal auditor for Kiabi before joining the ÏDKIDS group. He has been the regional manager for north-eastern France (covering Lille to Reims) for almost 15 months, with a stint in Charleville-Mézières. So, what does a regional manager do? “We are local managers who are there for our teams, supporting them and helping them achieve our objectives. We want to see our teams grow and thrive. We want them to enjoy their jobs. At ÏDKIDS we are all about initiatives. We are all committed to our global corporate initiative and working to make a better world for growing children.” Martin travels all around the north-east of France. “My car is my office and my telephone is my best friend. I want to stay in close contact with my teams, so I visit them frequently to listen to what they have to say. This gives them an energy boost and helps address any weak signals.” At the beginning of every week, he reviews the figures and performance levels from the previous week. In his opinion, to do this job you need managerial ability, business acumen and the energy to sell. “You also have to love people.” In his eyes, “affinity, the concept of beauty and high standards” are the brand’s essential values.
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Mallaurie, Okaïdi sales assistant in Louvroil
“No two days are alike”
Armed with her vocational administration qualification and executive assistant diploma, Mallaurie never intended to work in sales. But working at Okaïdi while she was studying was a revelation. “I really enjoyed sales and decided I didn’t want to work in an office every day.” After a number of temporary positions, she finally became a permanent employee at Okaïdi. She has now been working for 13 years as a sales assistant in Okaïdi, Louvroil. “The beauty of this job is that no two days are alike,” she explains. In the store, each sales assistant either works on the floor or “in the back room”, where they open and take inventory of newly arrived stock. As well as offering advice to customers, sales assistants are also responsible for merchandising, store window displays, etc. Mallaurie believes you can only do this job if you are “generous and empathetic. We are there to serve our customers. You need a ready smile and a can-do attitude.” In her opinion, you also have to “love people so that you always try to improve things and do your very best.”
