THE BEST RETAIL LEADERS ALL STARTED SOMEWHERE

PROSPECTUS 2013

WELCOME TO THE 2013 OXFORD SUMMER SCHOOL

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FOUNDATION

ACADEMY

MASTERSOxford Summer School now helps you develop through your entire retail career.

contents

Introduction 4Who should attend 5What makes OSS di�erent? 6OSS Foundation 8OSS Academy 10OSS Masters 12Case studies 14Group Directors 16Scholarships 18Partnerships 19Testimonials 20How to book 22Booking forms 23

The Oxford Summer School is truly an unparalleled learning experience, changing lives and transforming the careers of retail professionals from their first steps in retail management right through to board level director.

The list of retail companies that entrust us year on year with developing their very best sta� is testament to the training that is received at Oxford Summer School.

The programme content is devised by retailers, for retailers, acting as our programme and group directors. Previous keynote speakers include Charlie Mayfield (John Lewis), Ian Cheshire (Kingfisher), Joseph Wan (Harvey Nichols), Marigay Mckee (Harrods), Nick Robertson (ASOS), Martijn Bertisen (Google) and Dame Ellen MacArthur.

We take pride in aligning your sta� with the development they need to put your company at the forefront of the retail community, so we look forward to working with you and your future retail leaders at the Oxford Summer School.

Dominic Prendergast, Managing Director

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A 90-YEAR HERITAGE OF RETAIL EXCELLENCE

It’s like going to the Top Gun School for retailers; the best training

and development experience of my working life. John Rimmer, Matalan

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OSS FOUNDATION

1 - 5 July 2013St Catherine’s College, Oxford

PAGE 8

OSS ACADEMY

17 - 23 August 2013 Keble College, Oxford

PAGE 10

OSS MASTERS

18 - 21 February 2013Egrove Park, Oxford

PAGE 12

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Established in 1923, the school’s long-standing values of commitment, respect and integrity are central to its continuing success.

Retailers from across the industry come into a protected environment to learn together and from one another. It’s this unique mix of retailers large and small, combined with the historic Oxford setting that

makes the whole experience so e� ective.

The work programme is determined by the schools’ committees of retailers and continually evolves with trends in the retail market to ensure the content is current and relevant and complements retailers’ own learning and development programmes.

COMMITMENT > RESPECT > INTEGRITY

Smaller Independents:Newly appointed director, independent owner/manager or second in command Larger Organisations:Senior store managers, regional or district managers.

“Understanding your market and developing strategies”

“Understanding the business”

“Understanding yourself”

Middle managersThose in line for more senior management positions

Graduate retail managersFirst appointment managers Head o� ce department managers Store department managers Supervisors in line for promotion

OSS DELEGATES COME FROM THE ENTIRE RETAIL SPECTRUM INCLUDING:

3G > American Golf > Argos >

Asics > Asos > Aurora Fashions

B & Q > Betty’s & Taylors of Harrogate >

Boden > Boots > Brantano > Brighthouse

> British Heart Foundation > Carphone

Warehouse > Clinton Cards > DCK

Concessions > Debenhams > Diesel > Ede

& Ravenscroft > Evans Cycles > Fat Face

Fenwick > Fortnum & Mason > Furniture

Village > Glasswells > Harrods > Harvey

Nichols > Historic Royal Palaces >

Hoopers > House of Fraser > Ikea >

Jaeger > John Lewis > Kurt Geiger

Le Creuset > Leekes > Liberty >

M & Co > Marks & Spencer > Massey &

Sons > Matalan > Maureen Cookson >

Molton Brown > Morleys

Stores > Mulberry >

Net-a-Porter > Nike > New Look >

Notcutts > Oldrids > Perry Ellis

> Paul Smith > Polo Ralph

Lauren > Russell & Bromley

> Ryman > Sainsbury’s >

Scarlet Shoes > Schuh >

SCS Upholstery > Shop

Direct Group > Signet >

Sodexo > Specsavers >

Staples > Steamer Trading

> Store Twenty One >

Swarovski > Tesco >

The Disney Store >

The Mall Corporation

> The Perfume Shop

>The Red Cross >

The White Company

> Thorntons > TK

Maxx > Waitrose

> Warehouse

JO’S EXPERIENCE

Oxford Summer School is a development programme built for retailers, by retailers.

Places are limited, with just three highly demanded schools per year, and limited by company too, to ensure that there’s a really strong mix of types and sizes of business in each group.

Those who earn their place really appreciate the privilege and take advantage of the ‘money-can’t-buy’ opportunities to learn new skills shared by some of the very best in the retail industry.

Your employees are experts in what they do in your business, but OSS expands their expertise through sharing of knowledge within the industry.

WHAT MAKES OSS

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“It’s an opportunity to be influenced by others

and have your thinking challenged whilst

putting into practice your learning in a safe

environment. This allows personal growth in

a way you can’t experience on a day-to-day

basis.”

DIFFERENT?

For added assurance, our courses are professionally accredited by City & Guilds.

The successful results of the schools depend on the right calibre of person attending the right school, so we work closely with all of our delegate companies to determine this.

Integrating the OSS into your existing learning and development programmes is key to achieving the best outcomes.

Pre and post school briefings within your business are available to help teams to prepare, get the most out of the experience and to translate their learnings into

tangible results when they’re back in their everyday role.

The OSS is cost-e�ective professional retail-specific talent development and this is the reason so many companies, large and small, subscribe to the schools year on year.

OSS has been nurturing talented retailers for 90 years; many of the OSS team are retailers themselves and care passionately about the future of retail.

WE’RE OBSESSED WITH ROI

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OSS FOUNDATION

ST CATHERINE’S COLLEGE

LEARNING OUTCOMESCOURSE OBJECTIVES

Working in small teams, delegates will:

• Plan for success - Analyse their personal business objectives and work through a personality profile which identifies their own individual leadership style and the impact it has on others.

• Set direction - Define personal vision and objectives and align them with that of the organisations to ensure they are the face of the brand and enable the customer to receive the best experience.

• Engage their people - Gain an appreciation of how to engage their people to influence high performance by introducing the benefits of coaching and feedback.

• Communicate and sustain direction Experience change and develop a personal tool kit to support them in managing it both on a personal basis and with the people around them.

• Make it happen for real - Make sense of the key learning points across the week and transfer them to workplace improvements.

DURATION / FEEFive-day intensive residential programme accredited by City & Guilds.

£1895 +VAT per person

• Increased self awareness and confidence.

• Understand how to apply di�erent leadership styles to achieve the best from their team.

• Develop ability to engage, energise and inspire others.

• Ability to prioritise and achieve business objectives more e�ectively and improve productivity.

• Understand what is expected from a team so they can work without supervision.

• The ability to achieve high performance and increase sales through customer experience.

• Respond to customers’ changing expectations and understand how to lead the team e�ectively through these changes.

• A realistic strategy to achieve success on returning to work.

The purpose of this programme is to build confidence and competence in the first line retail manager.

It will enable delegates to gain an understanding of their role within the wider business, whilst helping them to develop the skills vital to ensuring their team delivers to the organisation’s standards, targets and expectations.

PROGRAMME CONTENT

St Catherine’s College, Oxford

1 - 5 JULY 2013

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

“UNDERSTANDING YOURSELF”

Graduate retail managers, first appointment managers, head o²ce department managers, store department managers, supervisors in line for promotion or equivalent.

OSS ACADEMY

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PROGRAMME CONTENT

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Middle managers; those in line for more senior management positions.

17 - 23 AUGUST 2013KEBLE COLLEGE

COURSE OBJECTIVESThe Academy is designed to deliver an inspirational experience that challenges and develops retail managers. It will expose delegates to some of the problems, decisions and challenges involved in running a retail business.

The content will provoke delegates to consider how they can more successfully a�ect the retail environment in which they work; specifically their own performance, the performance of their team and their ability to influence the commercial performance of their part of the company.

DURATION / FEESeven-day intensive residential programme accredited by City & Guilds.

£2395 +VAT per person Keble College, Oxford

This school concentrates on enhancing the delegate’s understanding and management of the five key retail resources: People, Money, Marketing, Merchandise and Retail Space.

Delegates will cover:• People - Defining team roles and

leadership characteristics, utilising a feedback model.

• Money - Analysis of cash flow forecasts, profit and loss accounts and interpreting key financial indicators.

• Marketing - Devise and present the marketing strategy for a new retail business.

• Merchandise - Participate in a merchandising exercise, which highlights the importance of getting the right stock in the right place at the right price.

• Retail space - Devise the business proposition, layout, presentation and sta²ng of a new retail outlet and prepare a complete five-year sales and profit profile.

“UNDERSTANDING THE BUSINESS”

LEARNING OUTCOMES• Releasing the potential of yourself

and your team by developing e�ective management styles.

• Switching conscious competency back on and understanding how you influence your team as a leader through your behaviours.

• Understand how you can more e�ectively influence the four key retail levers of sales densities, stock

turn, profit management, and cost control in your retail environment.

• Ability to formulate actions that will improve business performance through a greater understanding, analysis and interpretation of key financial data and KPIs.

OSS MASTERS

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LEARNING OUTCOMES

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Forum delegates are senior individuals with a high level of responsibility at a career stage where their decisions impact or influence the business.

• Deeper insight into the interpretation and evaluation of the performance of a business.

• Understand the challenges facing retailing today and in the future, in terms of the economy, consumer, government, media, global expansion, technology and innovation.

• Develop a clear picture of retailing in the future.

• Provide all participants with a wealth of constructive ideas that can be applied to their own businesses.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

The Masters course has been designed to position senior employees for the boardroom. The course takes delegates beyond the day-to-day issues of running a business and grants them the opportunity to consider the broader picture, to network with other senior retailers and stretch themselves in a challenging, yet supportive environment.

The structure of the programme encourages delegates to look at things in a di�erent way; to find their own creative solutions to high level strategic issues during the week.

Experts are on hand to advise, including respected industry leaders and retail professionals, to whom delegates have full, unprecedented access.

By looking at threats and opportunities, which they can profit or protect themselves from, the course ultimately helps senior managers to become more e�ective.

18 - 21 FEBRUARY 2013EGROVE PARK

DURATION / FEEFour-day intensive residential programme accredited by City & Guilds.

£2495 +VAT per person

Said Business School, Egrove Park

“UNDERSTANDING YOUR MARKET AND DEVELOPING STRATEGIES”

PROGRAMME CONTENT

JAMES’S STORYMELISSA’S STORY

WORKS FOR: John Lewis

POSITION: Operations Manager, John Lewis Cheadle

WORKS FOR: Ambiance of Colchester

POSITION: Marketing and Communications Manager

John Lewis send only their highest achievers to OSS, so it was a privilege to attend and I was focussed on getting the most out of the experience. Learning from

inspirational speakers and the work hard

play hard ethos of the challenging programme meant it was an intense learning experience. And overall it

lived up to the hype!

On my return to work, I have updated my personal development plan, adding di�erent techniques and tools of training/support to help me achieve my ongoing personal development.

I have really drawn inspiration from the school and have already recalled information to steer my thinking.

Since leaving the school I am moving to a new position at JL Aberdeen so I can already see the impact it has had on the direction of my career.

To anyone hesitating - don’t! It is an experience that will place you outside your comfort zone in a good way. It is a week that will feature as one of the best in my retail career and has inspired me to achieve more; something you can’t put a price on.

Being an independent retailer there is often little opportunity to brainstorm and discuss with others - it can be isolating. But mixing with such a variety of retailers large and small gave me insight into the structures and formats which can be applied to more niche businesses such as our own.

Being more of a ‘creative’ myself, the no-nonsense plans we worked with as a team will be of great value to me and my business.

OSS really opened my eyes to the valuable role an e�ective team plays at every level of business and how that relates to results.

Since leaving the school I have increased my self-awareness, sense

of responsibility and confidence, all of which have helped my decision-making.

I very much doubt any other retail training programme o�ers such a high calibre, highly driven, well-balanced and holistic content as the OSS. It’s “ivory towers” meets professional bootcamp, with lasting relationships formed at turbo-speed; the term personal development barely scratches the surface!

UK YOUNG RETAILER OF THE YEAR 2012

James won a place at the Academy 2012 through an internal competition at John Lewis. Each

member of sta� had to present on why they deserve the opportunity to come to the OSS...

Melissa has been in her marketing role for the past 5 years but involved in the management of her family-owned

independent fashion store for over 15. She was awarded bira’s UK Young Retailer of the Year 2012, and her prize was a place at OSS Academy...

PREPPED FOR PROMOTION

GRAEME’S STORY

GROUP DIRECTORS (GDs)

BECOMING A GD

WORKS FOR: B&QCURRENT POSITION: Unit Manager

Possibly the most important role in the school is that of Group Director. Being a GD at the Oxford Summer School is both rewarding and challenging for the individual whilst being developmental to those undertaking this role.

Training and support is provided to the new GDs under the direction of the Chair and Vice Chair of the School.

This is an ongoing development position for those who have attended OSS and wish to continue their team

management development and pass on knowledge to

others.

Becoming a GD is just one of the ways OSS is dedicated to helping your team members fulfi ll their potential and continue personal development in the long term, improving their value to your business along the way.

If they return to participate as a Group Director, you’re

essentially doubling the value of your original OSS investment as

GDs are voluntary roles with no OSS

fees to pay.

Attending Oxford Summer School made me evaluate what I wanted in my career and to make changes to achieve that. So it has been a fundamental reason why my career has gone from strength to strength and why I am so happy in my current role with B&Q.

I came back to be a GD to go a step further with my development and to help others. It has been a privilege to be a GD and even though B&Q supports me enormously with the time to do it, I would still do it with holiday time if I needed to. Where

else would I get this experience? Nowhere. Being a part of the (OSS) team that delivers this fantastic course is motivation in itself.

I constantly use the skills developed at OSS to engage my team, to understand the stock purchasing challenges retailers face, the fi nancial aspect which is imperative in understanding P&Ls as well as better understanding my company’s brand. This allows me to develop my business and team by maximising gains in each area.

Graeme fi rst came to OSS as a delegate in 2009. He has now returned to the Academy three times (thank you Graeme!) as a voluntary Group Director. He is continuing to develop invaluable team managerial skills working with a range of people from across the retail spectrum. During this time his career has fl ourished with regular promotions and increased responsibility.

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PARTNERSHIPS

Your organisation’s involvement in the Oxford Summer School will demonstrate your standing in the international retail industry. There are a range of options available o� ering you an excellent opportunity to align key corporate messages with this crucial agenda.

The partnership packages are strategically divided into three key timelines; pre, during and post event to build longevity into the sponsorship campaign and thereby maximising return on key objectives. With di� erent levels of participation and involvement you can optimise your budget to get the best return on investment.

I applied for the Masters scholarship because I am

responsible for more areas of th

e business now

and felt I needed the skills to be able to ste

p out

and objectively review the business and gain the

confi dence to question how good we really are.

Lindsay Newton, Store Manager, Maureen Cookson, W

halley, LancashireOxford Summer School and it’s parent the British Independent Retailers Association (bira) work in partnership with the Retail Trust and others, who generously sponsor places to assist with fees and enable all types of retailers to access the Oxford Summer School at all levels. Our scholarships are designed to help small to medium sized retail businesses, to give their sta� much needed management training cost e� ectively.

The Scholarship gives young managers a unique opportunity to learn from experts in the industry and importantly the chance to network with managers from the leading UK organisations. The Retail Trust o� ers up to six

scholarships per school. Applicants must be employed by, or be the owner/manager of a small or medium sized retailer, with fewer than 1000 employees per organisation.

Other scholarships are often available. Information on how to apply for these scholarships can be obtained by calling 01295 713391 or emailing jeannie@oxfordsummerschool.co.uk

SCHOLARSHIPS

“Retail Trust is passionate about maintaining the talent in retail and that is why we sponsor a number of places to the Oxford Summer Schools.” Nigel Rothband, Retail Trust

Retail Trust’s Nigel Rothband with some of the 2012 scholars

OXFORD SUMMER SCHOOL - A PRESTIGIOUS CENTRE FOR LEARNING EXCELLENCE

I learnt more about myself and business in a week than I have in the last 5 years. Darren Russell, Staples UK

Such a memorable experience that was current, relevant and stretching, which will help me as an individual to embrace, respond and adapt to the ever changing retail environment. Amy Elliott, Marks & Spencer

Life changing - and I MEAN it! Peter Gibbons, Notcutts Garden Centre

Spending a week with like-minded individuals from the retail sector, sharing business experience and knowledge, as well as receiving guest lectures from the people at the very top of retail is an experience that is absolutely priceless. Andrew Massey, Masseys

A fantastic opportunity and a real sense of achievement; I am a better manager for it.Victoria O’Neill, Matalan

It hasn’t changed me just as a trainee buyer, but for the rest of my whole life!Sarah Green, The Perfume Shop

The single most valuable thing I have done in my life. A truly awe-inspiring combination of fabulous setting, fantastic tutors and amazing teamwork. I fell in love with retail all over again!Samantha Ackland-Jones, Steamer Trading

I was initially sceptical about the true value of what we would actually take back to the work place and how I would change. However, I have truly been blown away at the impact and lasting changes it will bring to me, my career and my store! Jason McShane-Chapman, Debenhams

HOW TO BOOK

KEEP IN TOUCH WITH US

Places at the schools are strictly limited and restricted per company. They often sell out by January each year, so to reserve your place(s), please contact us today.

Key contacts:

DOMINIC PRENDERGAST, MANAGING DIRECTOR t 07979 536027 e dominic@oxfordsummerschool.co.uk

JEANNIE WILLIS, OSS EXECUTIVE t 01295 713391 m 07825 205971 e jeannie@oxfordsummerschool.co.uk

For more information visit our website:

www.oxfordsummerschool.co.uk

@OSSretail