Trade Secrets: Christophe Cann

Since first opening its doors in 1858 in downtown Raffles Place, upmarket department store Robinson and Co has witnessed the passing of many eras in Singapore. While the city–state has transitioned from British colonial rule to Japanese occupation and a merger with Malaysia before finally achieving independence in 1965, the distinguished retailer has remained an island of stability amid a whirlwind of momentous change.

Despite the company’s celebrated heritage to draw upon, when Christophe Cann joined as Group CEO in 2014, he saw that "people were a bit lost with no proper direction." His first goal, therefore, was to make sure that everybody knew exactly the direction he wanted to take the company in. "As a team, we defined what our vision is and what our mission is."

Building on a strong heritage

The company’s history played a key role in determining the direction it would take under Christophe’s leadership and beyond. "People can think, ‘Okay. This is how it used to be, but let’s try something different today.’ That doesn’t work," says Christophe.

"You have to acknowledge the strong DNA, the heritage, and build upon those foundations, which is what we did. We included this DNA in our vision and mission exercise, which then naturally filtered through to the HR, marketing, and merchandising strategy."

You have to acknowledge the strong DNA, the heritage, and build upon those foundations.

This means you won’t find Robinsons chasing after the much-coveted millennial dollar, especially those in the demographic with an insatiable appetite for high-street designs. Despite being owned by the UAE-based Al-Futtaim Group, which also manages the Marks and Spencer and Inditex brands in Singapore, under Christophe’s tenure Robinsons has concentrated on increasing its appeal to a more discerning client base.

"The younger crowd is not Robinsons. We are known to be the most fashionable store in town, so we need to make sure we have the relevant brands and fashion offering for our customers." 

Consumer engagement

With a presence across South East Asia, however, Christophe acknowledges that the profile of the company’s consumer varies from country to country. Outside of Singapore, it has stores in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam and Hong Kong. "Of course, what our customers in Vietnam want is going to be completely different to the demands of our Singapore customer base," he says.

Christophe forecasts a future increase in significance for these offshore outlets in the company strategy. "We have to fight to survive. South East Asia is a very competitive market, and the cost of operation is very high in Singapore, so we will see more expansions in neighbouring countries where the cost of operation is much more affordable."

If you have a good relationship with your consumers, it goes without saying that they will be more likely to shop with you. – Christophe Cann

While he predicts some consolidation for its Singapore stores, neighbouring countries, especially Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, are "developing very fast and offer the opportunity to test out new concepts and new brands".

To attract and retain customers, Christophe emphasises, it is important to ensure the company’s offering is constantly revitalised. "We need still to bring in new fashion brands to refresh the retail scene, otherwise you get the same thing everywhere."

This engagement with the customer is key to the success of Robinsons. "If you have a good relationship with your consumers, it goes without saying that they will be more likely to shop with you," Christophe explains. Innovations he has introduced to the shop floor to encourage this relationship include personal shoppers. "We have invested a lot in their training and we are seeing this start to pay off. They are doing very well."

Communication & collaboration

Christophe joined the Al-Futtaim Group from Galeries Lafayette, the high-end French department store, where he was Deputy CEO. Before that, he oversaw the company’s Singapore operations in the mid 90s. When the opportunity arose to return to the Singapore retail scene with the Al-Futtaim Group, Christophe didn’t have to give his answer much thought. "I was delighted to have the chance to enjoy an interesting professional life in an environment which I like."

As a firm believer that people comprise a large segment of the company capital, Christophe led Robinson and Co to heavily invest in people training. Christophe himself leads by example, and it’s not uncommon for him to venture onto the shop floor to ensure the company message is correctly communicated. "We have a kind of roadshow that we take into the stores to explain to the sales staff who we are and what our mission is so they really understand what I expect from them."

Along with fostering an environment where his employees remain positive and focused, Christophe also stresses the importance of cultivating strong relationships and maintaining transparent communication with his vendors. "We let them know exactly where we are going and roughly what our sales projecting is for the following years so that they can, based on that, build their own 5-year plan." 

Its history also means that, in an environment where new competitors are joining the market with increasing frequency, Robinsons is viewed as a reliable and established partner with a proven record of contributing to a brand’s development. "We place a lot of emphasis on collaboration. Some of our vendors are giving us exclusive products or their best promoters, and we work really hard to ensure that their brand is recognised.

"Every year, we organise a special event for our best vendors: we have a lunch and a fashion show with them, and we outline the previous year’s results, along with this year’s budget and where we are going."

Christophe recognises that much of his mission has been to "instil a positive energy to fight in the very competitive retail environment" — to ensure that Robinsons remains an institution on the Singapore and South East Asian retail scene for decades to come.