Sphere
#39
2015
13
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their trust in those selling both perishable
and durable products. Moreover, the retail
experience should be fun, so uniforms also
need to communicate vibrancy and energy.
Staff feel it when they suit up and this is
conveyed to the shoppers. A staff member
in uniform is a staff member in character,
feeling their role. Customers feel it too.
Shoppers also want to know who they
can trust with their specific needs at that
moment and uniforms help them. When a
customer walks into a Watsons in Asia, they
can tell who they are dealing with by the
message communicated by the uniforms.
The pharmacists look suitably ‘medical’ in
their white, lab-coat inspired uniforms that
tell you they are there to take care of your
health. In the same venue, stylishly attired
beauty ambassadors have a little flair
added to their outfits. Subtle touches, like a
waist-level pocket with detailing, display the
tools of their trade in a manner that inspires
confidence in their level of organisation and
expertise.
PARKnSHOP, the retail group’s leading
supermarket chain in Hong Kong, also has
uniforms for its staff according to their
duties, for example, cashier staff, store
service staff, meat cutters, and more.
Fresh food counter staff are required to
wear name badges identifying them as a
‘Qualified Fresh Food Handler’ that has
undergone training and health examination,
another contributor to customer confidence
and assurance.
Functionality is not forgotten. All meat
cutters have gloves made of metal mesh to
protect them when chopping food, while
operators in the brand’s food laboratory
have lab coats. They not only have to be
good at their jobs, but also carry a sense
of professionalism that is reinforced
among colleagues through action – and
the uniforms. PARKnSHOP’s frozen food
warehouse workers must wear freezer
suits, which is particularly important in
places like Hong Kong where the difference
in temperature inside and outside the
warehouse could be huge.
Workers in bottled beverage manufacturer
A S Watson Industries’ warehouses are
freed from the inconvenience of wearing
safety jackets on top of their uniforms
following the introduction of uniforms which
now have light-reflective patterns built in.
Even the Watson’s Water carboy promoters
wear windcheaters made of recycled
materials to emphasise the brand’s green
image – a prime example of combining
green initiatives with a marketing strategy.
The choice of colour and style in design is
vital; it must connect directly to brands.
Examples include: pink and blue-green for
Drogas in the Baltics; pink and black for
ICI Paris XL in Belgium; red for Kruidvat in
the Netherlands; and purple and black for
Marionnaud in France. Management consult
with staff, a vital part of the design process.
Frontline staff who will actually wear the
uniforms make suggestions and have a
significant influence over the final choices.
Uniforms are refreshed every four to five
years to ensure they are as up to date as
the organisation’s discerning clientele. Staff
step out on the fashion-conscious stage of
European retail to proudly represent the
finest that Europe has to offer in health
and beauty.
Safety features and comfort are top priorities for engineering professionals’ uniforms.
SA Power Networks
The committed experts in
CK Hutchison have their
professionalism in their
hearts – and their uniforms
show it.
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