WORKING FOR OUR BRAND

WELCOME TO OUR

I AM DELIGHTED TO INTRODUCE RIVER ISLAND’S EMPLOYER BRAND ‘WOW FACTORS’. AS A COMPANY, WE CONTINUE TO DEVELOP IN ALL SORTS OF NEW AREAS, BENEFITING FROM A UNIQUE FAMILY BUSINESS CULTURE AND INVESTMENT FOR THE LONG TERM - AND OUR REPUTATION AS AN EMPLOYER IS NO DIFFERENT.

As we find new areas of growth, develop our infrastructure, strengthen our fashion credibility and recruit more full time staff, a strong employer brand is essential to our success.

I believe that our WOW FACTORS will not only help us attract the right people to every area of the business, it will act as a guide for our thoughts, actions and behaviours.

This book will tell you all about our WOW FACTORS. What they are, why they matter and the part I want you to play.

BEN LEWIS, CEO

WOW FACTORS

WHAT ARE OUR WOW FACTORS? 1-2

MADE IN BRITAIN: THE RIVER ISLAND STORY 3-4

INSPIRATIONAL DESIGN WITH A GLOBAL REACH 5-6

FIVE WAYS OF WORKING 7-18

WHAT’S IN IT FOR RIVER ISLAND? 19-20

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU? 21-22

WHAT’S IN IT FOR OUR CUSTOMERS? 23-24

HAVE YOU GOT THE WOW FACTOR? 25-26

WHAT’S IN THIS BOOK?

1

OUR WOW FACTORS MAKE UP THE FOUNDATION OF OUR EMPLOYER BRAND. THEY’RE THE FIVE WAYS OF WORKING THAT DESCRIBE WHAT IT’S LIKE TO WORK HERE.

WHAT ARE OUR WOW FACTORS?

EMPLOYER BRAND?Just as the River Island name pulls customers in off the high street and inspires them to buy online, our employer brand will turn the heads of talented people, inspiring them to join, stay and grow with us. We’ve always had an employer brand, just as we’ve always had a brand famous for stylish, affordable fashion. Now that we’ve grown into an international retailer, it makes sense to put it all into words.

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BRITAINWITH MORE THAN 60 YEARS OF HISTORY IN THE BAG, OURS IS A BRAND WITH AN IMPRESSIVE HERITAGE.

WAR-TORN LONDON TO 60’S FASHION HOUSE

From the remains of a North London bombsite, our founder Bernard Lewis, opens ‘The Wool Shop’. Growing into a 70-store empire by 1965, ‘Lewis Separates’ transforms into Chelsea Girl, the UK’s first fashion boutique chain, fusing bold fashion statements with 60’s pop.

UK FASHION LABEL TO INTERNATIONAL BRANDBernard’s son Leonard launched a menswear range ‘Concept Man’, then rebranded the whole business in the early 90’s under the guise of up and coming fashion label, River Island. Today, it’s one of the biggest names on the high street, with a reputation that’s growing worldwide.

THE RIVER ISLAND STORY

MADE IN

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INSPIRATIONAL DESIGN ...WITH A GLOBAL REACHStyle is well and truly in our blood. Our West London in-house design team is renowned for nurturing new talent, we’ve sponsored Graduate Fashion Week, helped to create London Fashion Week’s FASHION FILM Festival and had global star and style icon Rihanna design her very own collections. Just

a few examples of our fashion heritage.

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Our brand is represented globally through our multichannel approach with stores in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Asia. We are accessible to the rest of the world via our e-commerce and m-commerce sites, apps,

affiliates and digital marketplaces.

...WITH A GLOBAL REACH

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River Island is full of different people doing different jobs. So how can one employer brand speak for everyone? We talked to people right across the business to get a general consensus on what life is like here.

We then put together our WOW FACTORS. Five unique Ways of Working at River Island.

Think of them as two-way promises – what you can expect from us and what we can expect from you.

• WE’RE GOING PLACES• WHAT YOU DO MATTERS• WE KNOW WHAT WE’RE DOING • WE LOOK OUT FOR ONE ANOTHER• IT NEVER GETS BORING

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N 1O

…and you’ll need to have a sense of ambition.

WOW FACTOR

WE’RE GOING PLACES

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OUR AIM IS TO BECOME A LEADING, MULTIMARKET, MULTICHANNEL FASHION BRAND FOR THE MID-PRICED MARKET. WE RECRUIT THE BEST TALENT TO ENABLE US TO DO THIS AND TO COMPETE AT A WORLD-CLASS LEVEL. OUR TEAM IS PASSIONATE ABOUT OUR BRAND AND THEY ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPAND AND GROW OUR BUSINESS. THEY HAVE A PERSONAL LEVEL OF AMBITION THAT MATCHES THIS.

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N 2O

…so we’ll be relying on you and expectations are high.

WOW FACTOR

WHAT YOU DO MATTERS

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WHATEVER YOUR ROLE AND WHEREVER YOU WORK IN RIVER ISLAND, YOU HAVE A BIG PART TO PLAY IN OUR SUCCESS. WE BELIEVE THAT EVERYONE SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR DECISIONS AND ACTIONS, ACTING ON BEHALF OF THE ENTIRE COMPANY TO DELIVER RESULTS. YOU’LL BE TRUSTED TO GET THINGS DONE AND MAKE AN IMPACT.

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…and expect you to keep learning and inspire others.

WOW FACTOR

WE KNOW WHAT WE’RE DOING

N 3O

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WITH EXTENSIVE FASHION RETAIL EXPERIENCE, OUR INDUSTRY EXPERTS KNOW THEIR STUFF AND DELIVER THIS KNOWLEDGE THROUGH STRONG LEADERSHIP CAPABILITIES. AT ALL LEVELS WE STRIVE TO KEEP LEARNING NEW WAYS TO IMPROVE OUR OWN PERFORMANCE AND CONTRIBUTION TO THE BUSINESS, AND TO HELP OTHERS ACHIEVE HIGHER STANDARDS TOO.

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…and depend on you to work as a team to get the job done.

WOW FACTOR

WE LOOK OUT FOR ONE ANOTHER

N 4O

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WE ARE QUICK TO LOOK FOR WAYS TO HELP SUPPORT OUR CUSTOMERS AND COLLEAGUES AND WE ARE PRO-ACTIVE AND POSITIVE IN HOW WE DO THIS. WE ENJOY WELCOMING NEW FACES TO THE TEAM AND WE ARE TRUSTED TO HELP OTHERS WHERE NEEDED TO GET THE JOB DONE, NEVER SAYING: “THAT’S NOT MY JOB.”

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N 5OWOW FACTOR

IT NEVER GETS BORING

…but you’ll have to be up for a challenge and hard work.

1818

EVERY DAY IS NEW, SO WE ALL NEED TO EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED. WE THINK ON OUR FEET AND ARE FLEXIBLE TO CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES. WE’RE OKAY WITH UNCERTAINTY AND THRIVE ON THE CHALLENGES THAT MIGHT COME OUR WAY. WE LIKE TO BE BUSY AND KNOW HOW TO MANAGE THIS.

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WHAT’S IN IT FOR RIVER ISLAND?

It’s an exciting time to be part of River Island. We’re all on a journey as a business, to bring stylish, affordable fashion to the world.

Our WOW FACTORS will help us to build an even better reputation as an employer, making talented new faces want to join us and existing team mates want to stay and develop with us.

It’s all about creating a real sense of identity that stands out just as much as the River Island brand itself – so we know who we are, why we’re here and where we’re going.

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WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

Our WOW FACTORS will show you what’s expected every time you come into work. And make sure we’re holding up our end of the bargain. After all, we have to stick to our five Ways of Working just as you do.

It’s also good to know what to expect from the rest of your team, especially when new people are joining us.

A clear employer brand also lets you know you’re doing the right thing, acting in the right way and delivering the right kind of experience for our customers. Perfect for measuring your own performance and development.

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WHAT’S IN IT FOR OUR CUSTOMERS?

Our customers come to us because they love the twist we put on the latest trends, the range of products we stock and the passionate service they get from people who love their fashion.

Whether it’s creating a friendly energy in-store, enhancing the online experience, speeding up distribution, inspiring a new collection or managing our global strategy, our WOW FACTORS will help us inspire customers the world over.

In other words, the more we live our WOW FACTORS, the more we can wow our customers.

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Now that you know all about our WOW FACTORS, it’s up to you to bring them to life.

Whether it means being flexible and up for the challenge, helping the business grow, making more of a personal impact, developing your expertise or supporting your colleagues, everything you do helps people look good and enjoy their shopping.

So let’s do even more to give them the WOW FACTOR, each and every day.

HAVE YOU GOT THE

WOW FACTOR?

©RIVER ISLAND 2014