Five Minutes with Simon Naga, Managing Director of Al-Futtaim Group (Inditex Brands) - Augustman
Augustman Logo
Style
Culture
Gear
Food & Drink
Travel
Wellness
AM Select
E-Magazine
Most Trending
Five Minutes with Simon Naga, Managing Director of Al-Futtaim Group (Inditex Brands)
Most Recent
Five Minutes with Simon Naga, Managing Director of Al-Futtaim Group (Inditex Brands)
Most Trending
Keeping Time: Here Are Our Watch Resolutions For 2021
Most Recent
Lance Patterson, CEO Of Penhaligon’s, Shares All About The Brand’s Timeless Heritage And Success
  • Fashion
  • Watches
  • Grooming
Most Trending
The Tokyo Olympics Will Be Held This Summer But Some In Japan Aren’t Too Keen On It
Most Recent
Shattered Faith. Broken Alliances.
  • Design
  • Events
  • Art
  • Music
  • Film & TV
Most Trending
Samsung Galaxy S21: The Details On The New Flagship Smartphone
Most Recent
Automotive Technologies That Will Help Drive The Cars Of The Future
  • Tech
  • Motoring
Most Trending
The Brave Newer World Of Wines… And Other F+B Notes
Most Recent
Glenfiddich celebrates a prosperous Chinese New Year
  • Dining
  • Drinks
Most Trending
More Air Travel Bubbles (ATB) We’d Like To See
Most Recent
Detourism: Can The Past Year’s Lessons Teach Us To Become Better Tourists?
  • Travel Guides
  • Hotels & Resorts
Most Trending
Razer Has Created A Futuristic Face Mask Equipped With Built-In Microphones And Lighting Effects
Most Recent
Free Workout Apps That Will Help You Smash Your 2021 Weight-Loss Goals
  • Fitness
  • Health
Most Trending
AUGUSTMAN Singapore: Free Digital Issues For The Next 3 Months
Most Recent
Uncover Mindful Living with AUGUSTMAN x LIFESTYLEASIA
  • Men of the Year
  • MVMT
  • A-Listers
  • Hit List
  • sg
    • MY
    • SG
  • Search
Five Minutes with Simon Naga, Managing Director of Al-Futtaim Group (Inditex Brands)
Sort & Filter
Close Filter
Sort By
Date
Relevance
Filter By Category
All Categories
All
Style
Culture
Gear
Food & Drink
Travel
Wellness
AM Select
Apply
Filter By Location
singapore
All Countries
Style
Lance Patterson, CEO Of Penhaligon’s, Shares All About The Brand’s Timeless Heritage And Success
Style
Keeping Time: Here Are Our Watch Resolutions For 2021
Style
Luxury Watches To Welcome The Year Of The Ox
Augustman Logo
sg
Five Minutes with Simon Naga, Managing Director of Al-Futtaim Group (Inditex Brands)
Back
All  Style
  • Fashion
  • Watches
  • Grooming
Back
All  Culture
  • Design
  • Events
  • Art
  • Music
  • Film & TV
Back
All  Gear
  • Tech
  • Motoring
Back
All  Food & Drink
  • Dining
  • Drinks
Back
All  Travel
  • Travel Guides
  • Hotels & Resorts
Back
All  Wellness
  • Fitness
  • Health
Back
All  AM Select
  • Men of the Year
  • MVMT
  • A-Listers
  • Hit List
E-Magazine
  • Malaysia
  • Singapore
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
Sort & Filter
Close Filter
Sort By
Date
Relevance
Filter By Category
All Categories
All
Style
Culture
Gear
Food & Drink
Travel
Wellness
AM Select
Apply
Filter By Location
singapore
All Countries
Style

Five Minutes with Simon Naga, Managing Director of Al-Futtaim Group (Inditex Brands)

Terence Ruis
31 Jan 2018
Article Hero Image
Trending Now
Automotive Technologies That Will Help Drive The Cars Of The Future
GearRead More
Lance Patterson, CEO Of Penhaligon’s, Shares All About The Brand’s Timeless Heritage An...
StyleRead More
Samsung Galaxy S21: The Details On The New Flagship Smartphone
GearRead More
Keeping Time: Here Are Our Watch Resolutions For 2021
StyleRead More
What's up in the world of fashion, jewellery and watches? Sign up to receive it all.

2017 proved to be a difficult year for many fashion retailers. Even the Swedish brand H&M posted a fall in profits last year after a summer of aggressive discounting. Somehow though, Inditex, the world’s largest fashion retailer and owner of brands like Zara and Bershka, managed to a steady increase with regards to year-on-year profits. With Zara turning 15 in Singapore last November, we took the opportunity to speak to Simon Naga, Managing Director of Al-Futtaim Group (Inditex Brands), to  learn more about their direction for the year.

AM: So we hear you’ve been in the retail business a long time. How’d you get started?

SN: Well I’ve actually been in the retail business since 2001, so that’s just over 17 years now, and most people don’t know this, but I joined by chance. I never thought I’d be working here because my training and background was in marketing. One of the accounts I used to handle was Zara, and one day, after a long meeting with one of the brand managers, he came up to me and asked, “Simon, do you want to join Zara?” At the time I was very young and Zara was still new in the market, so I thought “Why, not?” The rest as they say is history.

AM: You stayed on and climbed through the ranks. What did you like so much about the job?

SN: When I was a store manager in Zara, many people came up to me with very inviting offers. People from banks, etc. I was never really interested in those offers, though. I was focused on Zara because I wanted to be different from those who would jump at any opportunity. I was enjoying the product, dealing with customers, and seeing the fruits of my labour.

AM: You’ve been in Singapore for a while now, how are you enjoying it?

SN: Singapore is a very interesting market and country. As you know, I was based in Dubai before this, and I must say Singapore is very similar to it in the multi-cultural aspect. I do not feel like a stranger here. I did not expect to get along with the team as easily as I did when I first got here. It feels almost like I’ve been here for 10 or 15 years.

AM: What about the differences in your role from when you were in Dubai?

SN: Well, Singapore’s market is not an easy one. It’s sensitive, but it’s full of potential. It gives me something extra to do *laughs*. Here, you really have to think outside the box. If you make a mistake, it ripples and becomes a very big issue. We have to be really critical so we go over our plans very carefully before we execute them. I firmly believe we have a good plan for the market, and we’ll share it with you once it’s confirmed.

AM: Last year was a tough one for fashion retailers. How does Zara constantly strive for improvement?

SN: Look, I’m not going to sugar-coat it. Last year was a very tough year. We had little growth for Zara, but we are working hard to increase this for the coming year. Then main strategy is to increase sales, and cut costs. We are never satisfied. We don’t rest on our laurels because we know there is more to be achieved. Of course, there are times to celebrate, like when we had our 15th anniversary, which is a great accomplishment for the Singapore team. Once that is done however, it’s back to the grind.

AM: Something relatively new for the brand is e-commerce in this region. How’s that going?

SN: E-commerce in general is growing quickly everywhere, and it’s helping us balance our business. It gives us access to new clients who only shop online. These people would have never have shopped in Zara previously because they’re too busy to head down to brick and mortar stores. Now, they can simply go online and make their purchases. Personally I prefer to feel and try the product I’m about to purchase, so I head go to physical stores. There are many people like me too. So like I said, e-commerce brings a balance to our business.

AM: One last question. Many brands are going into partnerships with market places like Aladdin and Lazada. Can we expect something like that in the future for Zara?

SN: Right now, I don’t think it’s something we’re looking at. Under our suite of brands, the leaders have to work with each other in order for the company to be successful. Right now, we’re working on that relationship because it’ll benefit us and the other brands.

fashion
zara
Simon Naga
Inditex
Terence Ruis
Talk to Me About:

Up Next For You

Shawn Stussy x Dior B27 Is The '90s Throwback Sneaker You Want Right Now
Richard Augustin
Style
Nike Has Released Its First Self-Lacing Air Jordan Shoes
Richard Augustin
Style
5 watches to look out for at JeweLuxe Singapore
Evigan Xiao
Style
Sponsored Content
Dive in with Seiko's new Prospex "Hawksbill Turtle"
Jamie Tan
Style
What's up in the world of fashion, jewellery and watches? Sign up to receive it all.
×
Where are you?
Tell us so we can display what you want to see.
  • Malaysia
  • Singapore
Malaysia Singapore
Advertise About Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions
© 2021 Copyright Augustman