CREDIT Jonathan Pow | 07901 617571 | [email protected]
StyleNest take five minutes with the sisters behind Mamas & Papas, Amanda and Olivia to find out whats in store for the future.
We talk to both Design and Development Director Amanda and Brand and Creative Director Olivia to find out what it’s like to work in a family business as well as how splitting work and family time.
Inspired by their first daughter Amanda, Luisa and David Scacchetti founded Mamas & Papas in 1981 when they were unable to find good quality and stylish nursery items. In the strive for finding such, Mamas & Papas was born with their first store opening in Huddersfield. Still home to their Head Office, Mamas & Papas has now grown, being sold across 49 countries and 64 retail stores in the UK. A family owned business, daughters Amanda and Olivia, know the importance of family needs being parents themselves and deliver a personal touch to the business.
Mamas & Papas has grown from one shop in Huddersfield. How do you manage to keep it a family business with so many units to run?
Olivia: As a family we are very close and we spend a lot of time outside of work together (going on holidays and big family meals at weekends) but we also have a great team of people who have helped us to grow the company. There are over 1500 people working for Mamas & Papas across the world and many have been working for the company for more than a decade so it very much feels like one big family. The most important part is that we all sign up to a set of core values that we all believe in, this keeps us consistent.
Amanda: We call them ‘colleagues’ and many have been working for the company for more than a decade so it very much feels like one big family.
You have revolutionised family shopping forever, what are Mamas & Papas plans for the future?
O: Well, we aim to be the world’s favourite nursery company, not the biggest or the best, but the most loved. We will continue to grow worldwide. Amazingly we are in the process of opening 100 stores in China, a new website in the US and many more stores elsewhere around the globe. We also want to make it easier for parents to buy from us so we have launched a new mobile site, as well as improved our customer experience by having new features like a click and collect service with delivery to store from 1 hour via our online channel. We are giving more parents one-to-one consultations; bump fitting, baby essentials checklist, expert advisers on anything from car seats to furniture, a baby wish list service and a gift box service.
You have come a long way and achieved so much, personally and professionally. What has been your ultimate achievement?
A: It’s got to be creating a new nursery product that we are happy for our own children to use. It’s also a real buzz when friends recommend a baby or infant product not realising its from Mamas & Papas. Then we know we are definitely doing something right.
CREDIT Jonathan Pow | 07901 617571 | [email protected]
As inspirational businesswomen, what advice would you give to our readers who want to set up their own business?
A: Make sure you have a good idea to begin with and then stick with what you believe in. There will always be those who say it cannot be done or isn’t needed so you have to overcome a few knocks. Remember that most successful entrepreneurs only properly succeed on their third attempt.
O: Give yourself time and space to be creative and bring a strong team together around you who believe in your values. Stand for something different and unique, and keep it simple.
Working together as sisters, have you ever encountered any difficult moments when opinions have clashed?
O: All the time. But it’s part of the process by which we sense check our decisions. You need someone you can push and pull against and still get on with afterwards. By working together we seem to come to our best decision.
How do you keep your relationship professional and your personal life at bay?
A: Although we see each other most days at work, we actually spend more time together out of work enjoying family life. We also know when to draw the line and to keep it professional.
When you are not busy working, what do you enjoy doing?
A: Walking the Yorkshire Moors and kick boxing.
O: I love yoga and spending quality time with the kids.
What advice would you give a new mum when shopping for essentials for her new family?
A: Check out the Baby Basics list. We actually created it to help prospective parents work out what they need for the first few months. It’s got 21 items on it and they collectively come to £717. That includes pushchair, cot, car seat, feeding equipment, clothing and everything else…so it’s very good value. We know having a baby can be expensive, so we wanted to bring together everything parents are looking for into one place.
How will the Mamas & Papa’s brand evolve from here?
O: We are introducing a new logo, new store interiors, a new consumer magazine and new packaging – so it’s all go. The key thing is to keep listening to young families and what they want. We will never be a pile it high retailer, having a baby is one of the most important things in the world and we want the shopping experience to be exceptional. However big we get we will always have families at the heart of everything we do.
What are the benefits of working as a family and what are the negatives?
O: Well we all have complete and utter trust amongst us and we get to see a lot of each other. We also share one vision and the same values. But sometimes the passions that exist in a family become part of the management process…but maybe that’s not a bad thing. It can make for fireworks around the decision table.
Click here to visit www.mamasandpapas.com.
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