In her role as Buyer at high-street retailer Argos, Amy Hollington is not afraid to push the boundaries. “Part of my ongoing strategy is to broaden customer appeal, and I have successfully launched a number of brands that Argos wouldn’t historically have been known for, driving up our average selling price and increasing our presence within the fashion market,” she explains.
But, as she also recognises, it’s not just a case of ‘build it and they will come’. “We are no longer selling to all customers in the same way, but allowing each individual customer to shop with us however he or she chooses. I have therefore had to ensure my strategy is aligned to the change in shopping behaviour from traditional bricks and mortar to online, and this requires a different way of thinking and working.”
Pictured in the surroundings of Bletchley Park, close to where she grew up, Amy finds inspiration in strong female role models such as the Second World War codebreakers.
“My mum’s determination in life has also taught me to take responsibility, not to rely on anyone else and never to give up,” she adds. “She and my nan are both very mild-mannered but have a quiet strength that I admire – I try to carry myself like them and have an inner strength to deal with whatever life throws at me.”
A mother of two herself, Amy relies on her organisational skills, sunny disposition and self-discipline. “Being a full-time working mum is a juggling act, and from the moment I wake up in the morning my feet don’t touch the ground!” she laughs.
But team working – both at home and at work – is also key, and as part of Argos’s focus on growing skills she is keen to support the development of each individual on her team. “I always strive to unleash people’s true potential and find that providing opportunities to allow them to grow is the best way to achieve this,” Amy explains.
