DM 3.0: “It is nice to have a closer relationship with our District Manager”

More time in the stores and more digital solutions are some of the new updates in the DM 3.0 role that was fully implemented in December 2019.

Great cooperation between a District Manager and a Store Manager is essential to provide customers with attractive and well-run stores. To further improve this cooperation, Retail recently redefined the District Manager role.

In order to see what this new definition actually means in everyday life, GOJYSK.com went to Gdansk in Poland. Here, we followed District Manager Alia El-Azzeh to see how the updated DM role unfolds in her daily operations.  

Personal feedback and Skype calls

First stop is the JYSK store in Gdynia. Entering the store, we are welcomed by Store Manager Ewa Adamska who has been with JYSK for almost 20 years.

After Alia and Ewa have been through the Attractive Store, I get the chance to talk to Ewa about the updated DM role.

“I like that I am able to have more contact with my DM Alia. The fact that she is more present in the store is good for me and my employees because we are now better able to get feedback from a person that knows us well,” says Ewa.

One of the new additions to the updated DM role is the use of Skype calls in-between the store visits.

“The Skype calls help with a better communication flow between the Campaign and Follow-ups, because they allow us to continuously evaluate on the KPI’s that we need to focus on,” says Ewa and adds:

“I am also able to hear from other Store Managers, because they are able to join the Skype calls, which means that we can share Best Practice from our individual stores with each other.”

Easier to spot potential

While on the road to the next task, Alia and I have time to discuss what she thinks about her new role.

“Since I started in JYSK, I have been trying to find more time to visit stores, so I am very much a fan of this new focus on being more present for our store staff. It also makes it possible for me to get to know some of our customers, which is a plus for me,” says Alia.

The next store on Alia’s schedule is one of the first in Poland. It was recently rearranged with our new  store concept. On the way, Alia explains to me how she uses her phone to do the Campaign and Follow-up and Attractive Store visits. 

“It makes it easier and faster for me to follow up on the last visit I have had in a store and gives more precise feedback, because I now get a better overview of the potential of the store.”

Closer to our new store concept

It is dark and cold when we arrive late in the afternoon at the store that just got rearranged. But Deputy SM Mikolaj Placzek is the one to welcome us into the warm and cosy store. 

After the rearrangement of the store, new processes have emerged. Processes that Mikolaj is now able to discuss with Alia on a more regular basis in person.   

“After our store has been rearranged, questions about the new concept sometimes pop up. With Alia more frequently in our store, we have already achieved a better understanding of the new concept,” says Mikolaj and adds:

“I think it is nice to have a closer relationship with our DM, because it makes it easier for us to communicate about things that are going on with the store but also on a more personal level.”

From strategy to actions

The decision to renew the DM role was launched on the retail seminar in Bucharest in September 2019 and has now been fully implemented. Retail Operational Director Michael Olesen believes it is important to keep adapting.

“The DM role in JYSK has always been an important part when it comes to linking strategies with the daily operations in our stores. The updated version of the role allows our DM’s to be more available in the stores and makes it easier to focus on the personal development of the store staff,” says Michael.  

He believes it is significant for our DM’s to be more available for the store staff in order to be closer to the customers as well.  

“One of the new initiatives is Campaign and Follow-up which takes place minimum once every two weeks. This new action gives a better understanding of how often our DM’s have to visit a store. I think we have found a good solution to be even closer to our personal and customers,” says Michael.