When Laura Tenison started selling JoJo Maman Bebe out of her parents’ garage in Wales in 1993, she never imagined that 20 years later her line of Breton-inspired duds would line shelves in 54 countries worldwide. And it’s clear the British brand is focused on expansion in the U.S. and Canada, having this year added […]
When Laura Tenison started selling JoJo Maman Bebe out of her parents’ garage in Wales in 1993, she never imagined that 20 years later her line of Breton-inspired duds would line shelves in 54 countries worldwide. And it’s clear the British brand is focused on expansion in the U.S. and Canada, having this year added 24 sales reps to tout its line of clothing and accessories for infants, children and moms-to-be from coast to coast. Tenison jetted around the Americas this month for a whistlestop tour visiting each rep she recruited. Here, she shares a snippet of what she got up to.
DAY ONE–A FALSE START
Missed my flight to Montreal by two minutes because of security issues at Heathrow Airport.
DAY TWO–NEW YORK
My first trip to New York is the perfect gateway to the rest of America. This is a real city with nothing shiny about it; a fantastic place, a miracle of multicultural hotchpotch all living and working in an engineering genius of an island with the most extraordinary architecture and culture. New Yorkers are kind and thoughtful, happy and helpful. Their manners are impeccable and customer service is a given.
DAY THREE–MONTREAL
Our company reps in Montreal are a father-daughter team. They kindly pick me up from the airport and take me back to their cozy suburban house for a gastronomic feast they work together to create. This bodes well that they can work together to build and grow a business which echoes the JoJo brand values and ethos. They are a perfectly suited team, each with their own responsibilities and talents which, when pooled, deliver amazing results.
DAY FOUR–TORONTO
At first glance, I fear Toronto looks a bit too edgy for JoJo but I have a lot of confidence in our rep, Judi. She has 27 years of experience, having jumped ship from fashion buying to sales, and buyers make fantastic sales people. Like poachers turning gamekeepers, they understand the psyche of their clients.
DAY FIVE–VANCOUVER
We Brits appear to have quite a bit in common with Vancouver, possibly more than I felt we had in Montreal or Toronto. Good taste, lovely local shopping streets and, of course, our obsession with the weather.
DAY SIX–L.A.
I land in the U.S. in the middle of the government shutdown. What on earth are the Republicans thinking? There are other ways of reducing the national debt, including reducing your defense bill, dealing with obesity problems and litigious culture.
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