O'stin store chain ("Austin"): feedback from employees and customers, addresses, mode of operation

Among the most famous Russian retailers in the clothing segment is O'Stin. This brand is present in Moscow, St. Petersburg, many other Russian cities, as well as abroad. The company "Austin" positions itself as a discounter - a supplier of economy class products. What are the most noteworthy facts about this corporation? What do employees and customers of this trade network say?

General information about the brand

Before examining the opinions about the brand "Austin", feedback from employees and customers about it, we will study the basic information about the corporation concerned.

This company - a supplier of a wide range of clothes, as well as accessories for it for customers of various categories. Now the chain of clothing stores "Austin" is operating in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, China, Ukraine. The brand in question is owned by Sportmaster Holding, another well-known Russian brand in the clothing market. The corporation "Austin" has been developing since 2003. It is positioned as a discounter - a supplier of clothing at low prices.

The first store of the network was opened in Yekaterinburg. The goods of the "Austin" store are most often represented by the following main categories of clothing:

- Every day;

- denim;

- youth;

- premium class;

- child;

- the upper one.

Also for a separate category of products are accessories for clothing. Another criterion for the classification of products under the brand name "Austin" is a subdivision of the corresponding products into 3 groups - Collection, Core, and also Basic. Clothing, sold in the shops of the network in question, is mainly produced in Asia.

Formats of sales

The chain of clothing stores "Austin" operates in two main formats - "Supermarket" and "Discount". Both types of sales points assume the use of a trade area of about 500 square meters. Meters. The main difference between the "Discount" format is that in the stores of the corresponding type, goods of current, as well as past seasons, as a rule, with a significant discount - about 70% are realized.

Main markets

Moscow - the main market for the brand "Austin" (the addresses of the stores of the appropriate retail network are present in various regions of the Russian capital). In total, Moscow has about 57 shops owned by the corporation. Also a significant share in the proceeds of the corporation of the market of the Moscow region. A large number of stores "Austin" operates in St. Petersburg.

A significant role in the business of this corporation is played by the Ukrainian market - in the neighboring state there are about 21 stores. In Kazakhstan - several times less.

Prospects for the development of the network "Austin"

It is assumed that the store "Austin" in certain trade formats will expand actively in the Russian regions. In the priority will be the placement of points of sale in shopping centers with an area of about 15-20 thousand square meters. Meters. Very promising is the model of sales organization, in which the two largest brands of the corporation Sportmaster - the corresponding network of sportswear stores, as well as the Austin outlets - will be located side by side. Such a format of sales in "Sportmaster" and "Austin" (feedback from employees and customers can testify to this) is characterized as sufficiently effective.

Having studied the basic information about the corporation, we will study what employees and buyers tell about it.

Work in "Austin" stores: employee feedback

How do the sellers evaluate their experience in "Austin"? Reviews of employees about their work in stores that are part of this network are presented in quite a large number on thematic online portals. This is not surprising - given the prevalence and popularity of the brand in question. The sellers' comments about how they developed their work at Austin can be divided into the following several varieties:

- Opinions about the salary;

- bonuses;

- evaluation of career prospects;

- opinions about working conditions in shops.

Let's study them in more detail.

Reviews about stores "Austin": salary

Salary in many retail chains, including the store "Austin", consists of salary and bonuses. Depending on the specific position of the person working in the company, his earnings depend primarily on the first or second source.

Those specialists, whose salary depends mainly on salary, assess their work based on its size, proposed in the contract. In general, it is estimated by Austin employees as corresponding to the average values for the clothing brands market. In this sense, the corporation in question offers quite competitive conditions.

If we are talking about positions that depend mainly on premiums, then, of course, the reviews can be more diverse: first, in assessing the prospects for obtaining a large premium, and secondly, in terms of its potential magnitude. According to sellers, O'Stin offers employees good conditions in both aspects of the formation of earnings. With good work, it is possible to achieve a premium, and presented in a decent amount.

Reviews about stores "Austin": career prospects

We will now study how sellers evaluate career prospects in Austin. The feedback of employees in this case depends on the actual position they occupy. For sellers in entry-level positions, obviously, high expectations in terms of career growth. Employees, planning to work on their posts for a relatively short period of time - several months, - often count on an increase, which can be expressed, for example, in the appointment to the leadership position.

The policy of the brand "Austin" - feedback from corporate employees can confirm this - in terms of building a strategy for promoting employees on the career ladder, in general, it is similar to what characterizes the activities of many other companies in the retail clothing market. If a person has the necessary personal qualities to be a manager, and in the course of his work he quickly gets experience in terms of clothing knowledge, corporate structure of the company, specifics of interaction of a particular store with suppliers and partners, then he has good chances to grow.

In this sense, work at Austin is not too different from working in other corporations that function in the retail industry. Competent specialists are needed by any business, and if they manage to grow inside the company, without recourse to recruitment agencies, without trying to attract employees with good experience and qualifications from competing firms, then the corporation, of course, will prefer to use the appropriate resource.

Apparently, in the development strategy of the brand "Austin" this approach is actively practiced. On the Internet, there are remarkable success stories of employees of this corporation, who were able to make a career from the position of the seller to the manager in a responsible position.

Feedback on work in "Austin": working conditions

The next noteworthy aspect of researching the relevant brand in the retail market is the conditions for working in Austin. Employee feedback in this case can be classified:

- those who estimate the schedule of work in the company;

- opinions on the infrastructural conditions for the performance of work;

- to those who assess the level of comfort in the work in terms of building relationships with colleagues and managers.

Regarding the schedule of work in the "Austin": it is obvious that it is made taking into account the emerging market trends. If competitors work, for example, from 10 to 22 hours, the company will have to keep its outlets open during this period. Actually, if you consider in this context is the store "Austin" - the mode of its operation in Moscow often corresponds to the marked interval. And employees can evaluate it as quite comfortable. In the Russian capital in general, it is considered quite common approach to build a working schedule, according to which a person comes to work by 10 or completes it by 22 o'clock. In this sense, the hours of work in the "Austin" completely correspond to what is used in the retail market.

Regarding the infrastructure of work in the "Austin": this can be estimated by employees as being the most modern, because, as we noted above, the stores that are part of the corresponding retail network are most often located in large shopping centers. Most of them are quite new, and therefore the best infrastructure solutions are implemented in them. For example, on the appropriate sites, in the order of things, the provision of spacious parking spaces, the equipping of buildings and structures with escalators, elevators, providing the premises with bright lighting, the installation of modern communication technologies accessible to employees and visitors.

Again, because Austin stores - employee feedback can confirm this - are located in large shopping centers, corporate employees always have the opportunity to use the services of nearby restaurant and entertainment services. Thus, from the point of view of the accessibility of the infrastructure, labor activity in "Austin" has every reason to be highly appreciated by the employees of this corporation.

The next most important aspect of working in retail companies is the level of comfort in the interaction of employees with colleagues and managers. The fact is that in a number of corporations, not much attention is paid to providing, in particular, informal, which allows to quickly solve current problems, interaction of employees with superiors. In order to reconcile this or that question, a person can sometimes be required to leave his workplace.

In modern retail corporations, such as "Austin", judging by the opinions on the Internet, a very effective scheme of interaction between employees and superiors is established, which allows solving the emerging issues in a short time. And this can impress many employees of this company.

Shopping in Austin: what do customers say?

We will now study the opinions of customers about the stores "Austin". Customer feedback in this case can also be classified into several varieties. Namely:

- opinions about the assortment;

- reviews of prices;

- opinions on the quality of service;

- Evaluation of the interior and other indicators of the comfort of making purchases in the shops of the trade network in question.

What do Austin customers say about the assortment of goods available in these or other outlets? Above we noted that there are two main formats for the sale of products in the trade network under consideration - "Supermarket" and "Discount". The "Austin" store, carrying out activities under the first concept, will probably have an assortment that differs markedly from the second-type trade outlet that characterizes the work. Therefore, customer reviews in this case it makes sense to subdivide into those that are relevant to the format of "Supermarket" and "Discount".

It is worth noting that Austin customers, adjusted for the difference in assortments, are inclined to evaluate the set of goods that are on sale in the stores of the corresponding trade network as fully in line with modern market trends. Which is not surprising, since the assortment is among the main competitive advantages of brands in the retail sector.

Regarding prices: the corporation "Austin" refers, as we noted above, to discounters of the retail market, like "Sportmaster". Therefore, the pricing policy of the company in question is initially positioned as a democratic one. But apart from the fact that the price list for goods is made taking into account the need to maintain the reputation of the brand as supplying economy class products, the company "Austin", as its customers can celebrate, often practices discounts on various goods, regularly organizes sales of clothes.

This approach, according to Austin customers, allows the store to create an assortment that allows a person who needs to buy a new type of clothing at an affordable price to come and choose the best option for themselves at any time. That is, the customer "Austin" is a buyer who, even if he does not have large incomes, can come to this or that trade point of the network in question and select the goods at an acceptable price. Of course, it is quite possible that this will not be the most ideal variant - for example, a kind of clothes from not the newest collection, however, according to the main consumer parameters and, of course, at a price, it can be very suitable for a person.

Regarding the quality of service - the network of clothing stores "Austin", like most other modern brands in the retail market, tries to maintain it at a stable high level. Along with the assortment and prices, the quality of services is the most important competitive advantage for corporations in the retail sector. How can customers celebrate - indeed, in this aspect, the network "Austin" looks quite competitive.

Another significant aspect of the formation of customers' opinion about the brand is the comfort of making purchases in the respective stores. In this case, the interior of retail outlets, their area, the level of illumination, the appearance of the goods present on the counter is important. From the point of view of each of the marked parameters, buyers tend to assess the comfort of shopping in "Austin" as sufficiently high. That, probably, again, can be caused by a sufficiently high competition in the retail sector and the need for brands, as a consequence, to carry out a large amount of work in ensuring convenience of shopping in the store for customers.

Where are the stores "Austin" (Moscow, St. Petersburg)?

It will be useful to consider also the specifics of the geography of the activity of the brand "Austin". Addresses of the stores of this trade network, if we talk about the largest markets for the presence of the brand - Moscow, St. Petersburg, are located in various parts of the city.

So, probably the closest to the center of the capital, "Austin" in the format of "Discount" is located on the street. Ordzhonikidze, 11. The store, presented in the classical concept and close to the central district of Moscow, is located in the shopping center "Sokolniki", on the street. Rusakovskaya, in possession of 37-39. Directly in the center of the capital is the classical "Austin" at Ovchinnikovsky Lane, 16.

Where is the "Austin" trade point in the Northern capital? Stores in St. Petersburg, which are part of the merchant network in question, also exist in many parts of the city. If we talk about the central part of St. Petersburg, then the store in the format of "Discount" can be found at Volkovsky Prospekt, 32. Not far from it there is a large classic store "Austin" - at Efimov, 3b.

Before you go to a particular outlet in the network in question, you can visit the online store of clothes and accessories O'Stin and choose the interesting position, navigate the price. As a rule, the company's website also has information about interesting and discounts and brand promotions.