Dear Retail Team,
As we step into the new year, I want to take a moment to reflect on our incredible performance throughout December and to express my heartfelt appreciation for each and every one of you. Your hard work, dedication, and commitment to our customers have truly shone through, and it has not gone unnoticed.
December was a remarkable month for us, filled with achievements that are a testament to the Van Doren spirit. Your ability to connect with our consumers, understand their needs, and provide exceptional service has made a significant impact on our success. It’s wonderful to see that we’re still experiencing some positive momentum in January, and I am confident that together we can continue this trend.
WEST END STORE
A highlight towards the end of the year was the highly anticipated reopening of our new West End store in London, now re-imagined as an innovative concept store that promises to redefine the shopping experience. The transformation has bought together cuttingedge design and a curated selection of products that reflects our direction as a brand. With Paris joining the landscape in 2025 as well, it really is an exciting time for us as a business.
As we move forward, let’s maintain our focus and keep the acceleration going. Each one of you plays a critical role in our mission, and I urge you to look for every opportunity to serve our consumers. Whether it’s engaging with customers on the sales floor, offering personalized recommendations, or ensuring a seamless shopping experience, every effort counts.
Remember, every consumer walking through our doors deserves our best, and together we can create memorable experiences that reflect the values of our brand. Ultimately, expert selling isn’t just about the individual sale, It’s about cultivating a deeper understanding of our consumers needs and preferences and guiding them towards choices based on those. By doing this we can transform a single purchase into a significant value-driven transaction as you can see from some of these pictures.
Your career is in your hands and the learning and development tools available to you are designed for you to reach new heights. I encourage you to embrace these opportunities whole-heartedly, dive in with both hands, explore, learn and apply the knowledge you gain.
Warm regards,
Natalie
The skills you develop today will shape your future and open doors to new possibilities. Together, team, we can build a culture of growth Let’s carry this energy into the coming months and make 2025 a year to remember.
Thank you once again for your hard work and dedication I am proud to be part of this team and excited to see what we can achieve together
4,23
A new section dedicated to our teams. We will try to add all the in our EMEA stores.
Hello guys,
my name is and I am the Supervisor of the Vans store on Via del Corso in Rome!
My experience in this wonderful brand, which is first and foremost a passion for me, began not too long ago, about a couple of years ago.
Two intense years, full of upheavals, changes and satisfactions, gratitude. My adventure in Vans began at the Castel Romano outlet, it was a short but intense experience, so intense though that it made me understand how much difference there is between an outlet store and a full price store, in all aspects.
I started working in retail when I was very young, over the years I became passionate about this profession, so much so that it led me to open my own business here in Rome and to carry it forward with pride for about ten years! Then I got back into the game and here I am, exactly where I would like to be!
In this article we thought to talk about the , as they are the main visitors to our store on Via del Corso, throughout the year.
Coming from the outlet, I can't help but say that I noticed clear differences between the foreign customer of Via del Corso compared to the one who organizes a day to shop at the outlet.
The foreign outlet customer has a very specific goal, it's as if he arrives with clear ideas, knowing he will find a convenient price everywhere and knowing right away which store to go into, he seems already organized knowing he has limited time.
The foreign customer of Via del Corso, on the other hand, is the classic tourist who walks through the streets of the city centre, who doesn't have particular timing problems, who will probably come back to us the next day and the day after that, before deciding what and whether to buy, often they do it even a few hours before leaving, with their suitcase in hand.
All this obviously totally changes the customer experience, and the way of managing the customer between outlet and full price, even when it comes to a foreign tourist.
Having said this, in this article we thought we'd tell you a little more about the experience that our customers live in the store of Via del Corso and we want to share it with you, to make sure it becomes everyone’s!
We would like to receive feedback, to know if you too find the same difficulties as us and if the fact of having told our experience, can be helpful!
As already anticipated, 90% of the clientele of this important street, is represented by foreigners from all
Rome is one of the most touristic cities ever, every month of the year there are people who from any part of the world, take a plane and land in the eternal city. Most of them also set aside time for shopping, and today we will talk to you specifically about them, about their characteristics and also about their differences by comparing various nationalities.
when we find ourselves welcoming a non-local customer, such as:
Thank you guys and enjoy in Rome!
• : We understood that adapting to the customer's language is often an extra weapon to be able to reach that level of confidence that puts the customer and ourselves at ease; we should never take for granted that everyone understands or has fluent English, in fact, this is often not the case. In our store we have customers of one nationality or another at certain times of the year based on the months and seasons, trying at least to adapt to their language, even with a few words, is appreciated and helps.
• : Often during their stay they come back to the store to visit us several times, considering that those who come from overseas, in most cases, stay in Rome for an average of four/five days. Obviously, the type of approach we adopt between customers of different nationalities changes a lot, not everyone has the same energy or propensity. In that case our approach must necessarily be softer, less energetic especially at the beginning, we initially try to understand what they need and we make sure to make them feel at ease. Knowing how to be chameleonic, attentive and a little brave, allows you to establish that relationship of trust with the customer that in my opinion becomes fundamental in this job
• : Another thing we enjoy doing during our customer's experience in the store is asking questions, such as whether they are becoming passionate about the city, whether they have already eaten "carbonara" which is one of our typical dishes, whether they have already visited some important monuments and whether they are having fun. We often find ourselves recommending non-touristy restaurants, streets of Rome known only to us Romans and they feel important, pampered, they feel unique. And this makes the difference with this type of clientele.
“Hi all,
I hope that the new year is going well for everyone!
Thank you so much for your donations for our charity event before Christmas where old Vans sample shoes were recycled and made into decorative items. The project took place at a charity called JUNO, which is an organization for female refugees and their children. The aim of the charity is to make the women feel a sense of community in Germany.
The event was a tremendous success! “
Theworkshoplastedaround3hoursand approximately20childrentookpart.Thechildren wereallowedtotakethedesignedshoeshomewith them;theyarenowusedasdecorativeitems,pencil holders,etc.WewouldliketothankMs.Willisforthe greatideaofcontinuingtousethesamplesinthis sustainableway.
Theofferwasverywellreceivedandwasaspecial experiencefortherefugeechildren.”
Hello Vans Family across EMEA!
I’m Gareth, and I have the privilege of being one of the store managers at Vans West End. My journey with Vans has been nothing short of transformative, filled with challenges, growth, and countless moments of pride.
It all started 4.5 years ago at the Wembley Outlet (huge shoutout to Team Wembley!). Joining during the height of COVID was a whirlwind retail was evolving rapidly, and stepping into a new role during such uncertain times felt like jumping into the deep end. But it was also an adventure, and I quickly learned to navigate this new landscape with determination and grit.
Not long after, I transitioned to Vans Oxford Street (now West End). This was a turning point for me, both professionally and personally.
It was here that I developed my management style, embraced new challenges, and truly began to understand what it means to lead. Those early days in Oxford Street remain one of my proudest milestones.
Fast forward to today, and I’m proud to co-manage Vans West End where no two days are ever the same.
My role spans across operations, inventory management, planning, Events and most importantly creating unforgettable store experiences for both our team and customers. It’s a lot to manage, but that’s exactly what makes it so rewarding!
I’m lucky to work alongside an incredible leadership team, including my co-manager Alex who runs the commercial side of our store the “Yin” to my “Yang” and other key players like Lewis "my right-hand man", Matt our VM wizard, Alice our passionate ASM, and Riaz, our inspiring GM. Together, we form a dream team, but it’s the entire store team that truly brings the magic to life.
But what I really want to shine a light on is my incredible team.
We had to say goodbye to our old store/home and during a 3-month refurbishment, we were split up across different stores, adapting to new environments and challenges. When it was time to come back, their passion and energy were unstoppable. In just 72 hours, we transformed a construction site into a fully functioning store, ready to welcome our customers. That level of dedication is what makes this team so special.
Looking back on these past few years, I feel lucky to be part of the Vans family. Every day brings new opportunities to grow, connect, and make a difference. I’m excited to see what the future holds and to keep building something special with this amazing team.
As Kobe Bryant once said: "It’s a constant quest to try to be better today than you were yesterday and be better tomorrow than you were the day before."
HiFamily,
I’m Rossana, District Manager Italy South-RSM and Greta’s mother, she is 23 and she is my best success in this life. I am the first District Manager Woman hired in my Country.
But I started as part-time sales specialist in Timberland in 2008.
I worked hard everyday to do my best. Many time I felt tired. Many time I wondered if it was the right way. It was hard to find a balance being a woman, between my life
HI Vans family!!
I introduce myself, I am and with my partner Lara García we work in the Vans store located in El Corte Inglés in Tarragona.
It is a small store, but very welcoming for us and our customers, when you enter you know that you are immersed in the world of Vans.
I have been working for two and a half years and my experience with my colleagues, my bosses (Irene, honorable mention) and the firm was more than incredible, to summarize, I recently had surgery and they supported me and helped me in everything they could, among a thousand other things. clearly. These details, plus the work environment and the comfort of wear yours Old Skool and going to work without any problems, make it an excellent place to grow as an employee and gain experience applicable to your daily life.
Hi Family!! writing!
As my colleague said, we are located in Tarragona, a store with a good vibes and very cool one.
This year I turn 10 years old in the company and for me Vans is already a lifestyle.
When I get ready to go to work I don’t feel lazy because I love the place where I work because I can be totally myself.
It's a delight to be able to work like this, to be honest. I would like to thank all the managers, especially mine… Irene Albericio, who I have worked for so long, she is always there to help and support you in everything. Also to my partner, with whom I have shared these last two years giving the best of us at all times and complementing each other so well. Vans is a part of my life in every aspect and I'm thrilled to be able to say it.
Thank you all for being a part of this and for continuing to grow together. ¡¡I feel more than grateful!!
The customer in the picture visited The Netherlands for a couple days with their family and is a huge Vans fan. He visited the store 2 days in a row to get some Vans gear and briefed us about his skating experience and how our brand fits his activities.
Our sales employee Edoardo had a very pleasant sales experience and enjoyed getting to know our customer, where he's from, what he does and that's how his new gear will suit him.
We gave him a little extra surprise with a new skate deck to be fully in Vans style!
And now be ready for the wonderful pictures from Germany.
Here the first two photos from Berlin!!! Both have a freat outfit and the deck is for sure well deserved!!!!
But it’s not over, in Berlin we have very passionate Vans-friend that are huge fans of our Brand and so….. What’s better that a brand new Vans deck?!
Let’s meet them nect page!!!
, used to skate when he was "younger" and came in for a reclamation we could solve to his full satisfaction and was super excited about the board!
, a store regular. He bought 3 pairs of shoes at two , is a skateboarder with German/ South American heritage. He will take the board back to Colombia.
