“The opening day is a little bit of a blur”

JYSK will open the first stores in Ireland next year, and preparations are already underway. “My future colleagues are in for a real adventure,” says Yannick Ellen, one of the first Store Managers in JYSK Belgium in 2017. 

In April 2019, JYSK will open the first stores in Ireland, and JYSK is already busy looking for new colleagues to join the team.

It is a large operation to open stores in a brand new country. But thanks to JYSK’s rapid expansion, there are a lot of international colleagues, who made the same journey, that you can turn to for help and advice.

Hectic but really fun

One of the people who knows what it feels like to introduce JYSK to a new country is Store Manager Yannick Eelen. In April 2017, he opened one of the two first stores in Belgium.

“The opening day is a little bit of a blur. I remember in the morning, one or two hours before the store opened, we thought, is anyone coming? We were not sure, but five minutes before the opening, a lot of people had gathered outside. From the moment the doors opened, I do not remember anything from the next two days because we were just so busy. It was quite hectic, but also really fun,” says Yannick, who is 25 years old.

Apart from the opening day, he also remembers the time leading up to the launch.

“One of the best experiences was the great training I got before the opening. It was in the Netherlands, and I met some great colleagues, who helped me get ready and give me the background information on JYSK to get to know the company,” says Yannick.

JYSK = 100% teamwork

As Store Manager, he was in charge of the team, but he emphasises the fact that he was in no way alone with the store.

“What I remember most from the first period in the new store is the teamwork. Working at JYSK is just 100 percent teamwork. There is not one guy or one girl doing anything on their own. We are all together in managing the store,” says Yannick, who is now Store Manager at a new store in Olen.

And his best advice for the future employees in Ireland?

“It takes a lot of work and time, but it is also a lot of fun. And if you want to give it all for the company, you get something in return,” says Yannick and adds:

“There is going to be a moment when you think, oh my god, we are never going to make it. But trust me, you will make it.”