Arcadia Group

Well, when I did my rotation, my buying rotation was in Topshop, so as a little junior.

So wait, was that when it was Burton Group?

Yes.

When the-

you know the family's ready that you know you know we're about to sail so to speak so um it's certainly i was eyes wide open in the in the in the weeks before that it was going to be a serious rescue mission but there was a business to rescue and i think i met you in my in my first week and i remember that i remember we had we had a great chat and there really was a business to save there was a really good customer demand around around the brands um but unfortunately the model i the model just wasn't optimum you know there was goods being made in China getting shipped to the UK and then getting shipped back to Australia as Patrick's commented on we weren't necessarily getting the best range and we were getting some of the sort of leftovers or the last season stock that hadn't sold in the UK and that was getting shipped to Australia so there was a lot of There was a lot of, you know, behaviours in the model that just weren't working for the customer.

We did have a plan to change it, but unfortunately, just due to the powers that be in an Arcadia group, there wasn't the appetite and they saw a different path.

But that all ended up in tears for the broader Arcadia group.

So it's a shame because it was a really good business with some really great people.

But unfortunately, because of probably the main individual involved in the UK, it was just mission impossible, unfortunately.

And he invented Topshop pretty well.

He built the Burton Group.

And at that time, they had just bought Dublin's.

and I was asked to go and see him, or did I want to meet him? I said yes, and he went along.

I mean, going to Debenhams was a bit of a career change, bit of a risk.

It was

a big risk and it actually wasn't a very pleasant experience the first 12 months because the Burton Group had bought a bit of a dog.

And it was a rescue job with a few other people.

I, I took a bit of a stand.

I was really lucky that when I was studying, I used to work part-time, um, with the Arcadia Group, for Debenhams, Topman, Topshop.

Um, so I was really fortunate while I was studying, I did a, a management program with them as well from a retail perspective.

So I managed to get a job in Topman, Topshop, um, as a, as a manager and, um, I worked there for a few years.