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 Austin company positions itself as a discounter - a supplier of economy-class goods. What are the most noteworthy facts about this corporation? What do the employees and customers of this trading network say?
Brand Overview
Before exploring the opinions of the Austin brand, reviews of employees and customers about it, we will study the basic information about the corresponding corporation.
This company is a supplier of a wide range of clothing, as well as accessories for it, for buyers of various categories. Now the Austin chain of clothing stores operates in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, China, and Ukraine. The brand in question belongs to the Sportmaster holding, another well-known Russian brand in the clothing market. Austin Corporation has been developing since 2003. It is positioned as a discounter - a clothing supplier at low prices.
The first store of the chain in question was opened in Yekaterinburg. The products of the Austin store are most often represented by the following main categories of clothing:
- everyday;
- denim;
- youth;
- premium class;
- nursery;
- top.
Also, clothing accessories are a separate category of goods. Another criterion for classifying products under the Austin brand is the division of the relevant products into 3 groups - Collection, Core, and Basic. Clothing sold in stores of this network is mainly produced in Asia.
Sales formats
The Austin clothing store chain operates in two main formats - Supermarket and Discount. Both types of points of sale involve the use of a retail space of about 500 square meters. meters. The main difference of the “Discount” format is that the stores of the corresponding type sell goods of the current as well as past seasons, as a rule, with a significant discount - about 70%.
Main markets
Moscow is the main market for the Austin brand (the addresses of stores of the corresponding distribution network are present in various regions of the Russian capital). In total, there are about 57 stores owned by the corporation in Moscow. Also, a significant share in the revenue of the corporation market in the Moscow region. A large number of Austin stores operate in St. Petersburg.
A significant role in the business of this corporation is played by the Ukrainian market - about 21 stores operate in the neighboring state. In Kazakhstan - several times less.
Prospects for the development of the Austin network
It is assumed that the Austin store in one or another trading format will actively expand in the Russian regions. The priority will be the placement of points of sale in shopping centers with an area of ​​about 15-20 thousand square meters. meters. A model of sales organization is considered to be very promising, in which both the largest brands of Sportmaster Corporation - the corresponding network of sportswear stores, as well as Austin outlets - will be located nearby. A similar sales format in Sportmaster and Austin (feedback from employees and customers may indicate this) is characterized as sufficiently effective.
Having studied the basic information about the corporation, we’ll study what employees and customers tell us about it.
Work in Austin stores: employee reviews
How do sellers rate their experience at 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 fame of the brand in question. Sellers' feedback on how they worked at Austin can be divided into the following several varieties:
- opinions on salary;
- bonuses;
- assessment of career prospects;
- opinions on working conditions in stores.
We will study them in more detail.
Reviews about Austin stores: salary
The salary in many retail chains, including the Austin store, consists of salary and bonuses. Depending on the specific position of the person working in the company, his earnings depend mainly on the first or second source.
Those specialists whose salary depends mainly on the salary evaluate their work on the basis of its value 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, reviews can be more diverse: firstly, in terms of assessing the prospects of receiving a large premium, and secondly, in terms of its potential value. According to sellers, O'Stin store offers employees good conditions in both aspects of earning. With good work, it is quite possible to achieve a prize, moreover, presented in a decent amount.
Reviews about Austin stores: career prospects
We’ll now examine how sellers assess career prospects at Austin. Feedback from employees in this case depends on the actual position they occupy. For sellers at entry-level positions, obviously, they have high expectations in terms of career growth. Employees planning to work on their positions for a relatively short period of time - several months - often expect an increase, which can be expressed, for example, in appointment to a leadership position.
The policy of the Austin brand - reviews of corporation employees can confirm this - in terms of building a strategy for promoting employees along the career ladder, it is generally similar to that which characterizes the activities of many other companies in the retail clothing market. If a person has the necessary personal qualities to be a leader, and in the course of work, he quickly gains experience in terms of knowledge on clothing, the corporate structure of the company, the specifics of the interaction of a particular store with suppliers and partners, then he has good chances to grow.
In this sense, working at Austin is not too different from working at other corporations that operate in the retail industry. Any business needs competent specialists, and if they manage to grow them 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, this approach is actively practiced in the development strategy of the Austin brand. On the Internet, there are remarkable success stories of employees of this corporation who were able to make a career from the position of seller to manager in a responsible position.
Feedback on work at Austin: working conditions
Another noteworthy aspect of the research of the corresponding brand in the retail market is the conditions of employment at Austin. Employee reviews in this case can be classified:
- those that evaluate the work schedule in the company;
- opinions on infrastructural conditions for the implementation of labor activities;
- those that assess the level of comfort in work from the point of view of building relationships with colleagues and managers.
Regarding the work schedule at Austin: it is obvious that it is compiled taking into account the emerging market trends. If competitors work, for example, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., the company will have to keep its outlets open during this period. Actually, if we look at the Austin store in this context, its operating mode in Moscow most often corresponds to the marked interval. And employees can rate it as quite comfortable. In the Russian capital as a whole, the approach to building a work schedule is considered quite widespread, according to which a person arrives at work at 10 or finishes it at 22 o’clock. In this sense, the hours of labor at Austin are consistent with those used in the retail market.
Regarding the infrastructure of work at Austin: this can be assessed by employees as being the most modern, since, as we noted above, stores that are part of the corresponding retail network are most often located in large shopping centers. Most of them are fairly new, and therefore the best infrastructure solutions are implemented in them. For example, at the corresponding facilities, in order of things, ensuring the operation of spacious parking lots, equipping buildings and structures with escalators, elevators, providing premises with bright lighting, installing modern communication technologies available for employees and visitors.
Again, due to the fact that Austin stores — employee reviews can confirm this — are located in large shopping centers, corporation employees always have the opportunity to use the services of nearby restaurant and entertainment services. Thus, from the point of view of infrastructure accessibility, labor at Austin has every reason to receive high marks from the employees of this corporation.
The next most important aspect of work in firms operating in the retail sector is the level of comfort in the interaction of employees with colleagues and managers. The fact is that in a number of corporations not too much attention is paid to providing, in particular, informal, which allows to quickly solve current problems, employees interacting with superiors. In order to agree on a particular issue, sometimes a person may need to leave his workplace.
Judging by the opinions on the Internet, modern retail industry corporations, such as Austin, have debugged a very effective interaction scheme between employees and superiors, which allows resolving emerging issues in a short time. And it can impress many employees of this company.
Shopping at Austin: what do store customers say?
We will now examine the opinions of customers about Austin stores. Customer reviews in this case can also be classified into several varieties. Namely:
- opinions on the assortment;
- reviews of prices;
- opinions on the quality of service;
- assessment of the interior and other indicators of the convenience of shopping in stores of the trading network in question.
What do Austin customers say about the assortment of goods available at various retail outlets? We noted above that there are two main formats for the sale of products in the distribution network under consideration - Supermarket and Discount. The Austin store, which operates according to the first concept, will probably have an assortment that differs markedly from the work of outlets of the second type. Therefore, customer reviews in this case, it makes sense to subdivide those that are related to the format “Supermarket” and “Discount”.
It is worth noting that Austin customers, adjusted for differences in assortments, are inclined to evaluate the set of goods offered for sale in stores of the corresponding distribution network as being quite consistent with modern market trends. Which is completely unsurprising, since the assortment is among the main competitive advantages of brands in the retail sector.
Regarding prices: Austin Corporation, as we noted above, refers to discounters in the retail market, as does Sportmaster. Therefore, the pricing policy of the company in question is initially positioned as democratic. But apart from the fact that the price list for goods is compiled taking into account the need to maintain the brand’s reputation as an economy class supplier, Austin, as its customers may note, often practices discounts on various goods and regularly organizes clothing sales.
This approach, according to buyers of the Austin chain, allows the store to create an assortment that allows a person who is in need to buy a new type of clothing at an affordable price, come and choose the best option for himself at any time. That is, an Austin customer is a customer who, even if he does not have large revenues, can come to one or another retail outlet of the network in question and choose a product at an affordable price. Of course, it is quite possible that this will not be the most ideal option - for example, the type of clothing from a non-new collection, however, in terms of basic consumer parameters and, of course, in price, it can be very suitable for a person.
Regarding the quality of service, the Austin chain of clothing stores, like most other modern brands in the retail market, is trying 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. As customers may point out - indeed, in this aspect, the Austin network looks quite competitive.
Another significant aspect of the formation of customer opinions about the brand is the convenience of shopping in the respective stores. In this case, the interior of the outlets, their area, the level of illumination, the appearance of the goods present on the counter, matter. From the point of view of each of the noted parameters, buyers tend to rate the comfort of shopping at Austin as sufficiently high. Which, probably, again, may be due to fairly high competition in the retail sector and the need for brands, as a result, to carry out a large amount of work in ensuring convenience of shopping in the store for customers.
Where are the Austin stores located (Moscow, St. Petersburg)?
It will also be useful to consider the specifics of the geography of the Austin brand. The addresses of the stores of this trading network, if we talk about the largest markets for the presence of the brand - Moscow, St. Petersburg, are located in various cities.
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 Sokolniki shopping center, on ul. Rusakovskaya, in possession of 37-39. Directly in the center of the capital is the classic Austin at 16 Ovchinnikovsky Lane.
Where are Austin outlets in the northern capital? Shops in St. Petersburg, which are part of the trading network in question, are also in many areas of the city. If we talk about the central part of St. Petersburg, then the store in the “Discount” format can be found here at 32 Volkovsky Prospekt. Not far from it there is a large classic store “Austin” - at 3b Efimova.
Before heading to a particular outlet in the network in question, you can visit the O'Stin online clothing and accessories store and select an interesting position, orient yourself by price. As a rule, the company’s website also contains information about interesting and discounts and promotions of the brand.