Shanna and 14 other stars are ready to shine
On Wednesday 9 February 2022, a group of JYSK talents passed the Retail Manager Traineeship. The internal JYSK traineeship has made them ready to take on the position as Retail Manager.
“We like to develop our employees in JYSK. But remember, this is just a start. We can always continue to develop – also me at the age of 62.”
These were some of the words from President & CEO in JYSK, Jan Bøgh, as he congratulated the Retail Manager Trainees (RMT) after they had passed their exam at JYSK Head Office in Brabrand on Wednesday 9 February 2022.
The traineeship has taken place over the last year and consisted of six modules in cities such as Gdansk, Prague and Valencia with different tasks, exercises and learning that have prepared them for the job as Retail Manager in JYSK.
Retail Manager Traineeship
- Every year, JYSK starts a new team of Retail Manager Trainees to secure the pipeline for the future, where JYSK will need even more Retail Managers due to the continuous expansion.
- This year, 15 JYSK colleagues participated in the six modules that took place in different locations all over Europe.
- Every year among the RMT’s an ”RMT of the year” is awarded. This year, it was Christoph Hein, Retail Manager in Germany.
From Logistics Responsible to Retail Manager
The continuous development is what characterises all participants in the traineeship, and this is also the case for Shanna Hoefnagels. She started in JYSK in July 2013 as Logistics Responsible in a store in the Netherlands. After three months, she became Deputy Store Manager and after a year Store Manager.
But her rapid development did not end here. Because of great results and her ambitions, Shanna was admitted to the first District Manager Traineeship in the Netherlands, and soon afterwards she became District Manager and had the chance to be the first District Manager in Belgium, as JYSK opened the first Belgian stores in 2017.
Now, Shanna has finished her traineeship and has been appointed Retail Manager in France.
“It is amazing for me to take this step. I think this is the perfect example of the pipeline in JYSK - ‘Bring dedication, meet possibilities’ is really true. I did not know that I would come that far. I set a goal when I started that within 5 or 6 years, I wanted to be District Manager. I never thought that Retail Manager would be an option,” says Shanna.
A new mindset
The RMT has given Shanna and her colleagues a new group of close colleagues that they can share best practice with. And the best practice sharing will definitely be needed, says Shanna.
“It is a new role on a very different level. As a District Manager, you are really focusing on your stores. As Retail Manager, you are a part of the Country Management Team, and you must reset your view to the whole country and region. It is much more in the helicopter view. Without the RMT, it would be a lot more difficult,” says Shanna.
And Shanna has marked what Jan Bøgh said: You can always continue to develop.
“Right now, I want to grow as a Retail Manager. But maybe one day, I will make it to Country Manager. I am only 33 years old, and I know that I will work for a lot of years. I know that everything is possible.”
