ROOTS MVP OF THE MONTH
It takes special qualities to be a successful store manager. For nearly a decade at Roots, Aran Pamplona has been demonstrating what it's all about
September 2006

To manage a store is to be the captain of a ship. It takes many attributes and skills, especially a keen ability to motivate people, to ensure things stay on course. You need to be highly attentive to both customers and staff, all the while staying true to the values and culture of the brand.

At Roots, each store and its team are indispensable to the success of the company. While reflecting Roots, each store also has its own personality that begins with the manager. In Montreal, store managers must also contend with an extra challenge - interacting with customers and staff in Canada's two official languages, English and French.

Montreal has always had a special place at Roots. It's where Roots opened its second store in December 1973 in the early days of the business. Since then, Roots has enjoyed great support and loyalty from Quebec customers.

The flagship store in the province is known as Roots Centreville. As its name suggests, it's located in the heart of Montreal next to the well-known intersection of Peel and Ste. Catherine. It opened in 1999, and Aran Pamplona has been at the helm ever since.

Aran never seems to tire of her work, which includes sales, customer service, hiring, training, coaching, visuals, merchandising, motivating the staff, and resource protection in addition to assisting, when needed, Quebec Regional Director Ginette Fillion.

When you work as a manager in retail, your customers and staff count on you to be on every day. "After more than 20 years of retail experience," says Aran, "the biggest challenge I find is retaining qualified staff. Most don't plan a career in retail sales. It's just a temporary stage in their working life."

Not the case with Aran who seems to thrive in the retail environment. She joined Roots in early 1997 as the manager of a smaller store in Montreal after working as a Store Manager at Femme de Carrière (business attire for women) for seven years.

Born in the north of Spain, Aran and her family immigrated first to Boston in 1975 when she was a child. A year later, they moved to Canada. Today she lives in Montreal in an area called Le Plateau at the base of Mont Royal.

"It's easy to explain why I've been committed to Roots for so many years," says Aran, 41, whose first language is Spanish. "It consists of three main reasons:  the values that Roots represents, my great relationship with Ginette [Fillion], and being able to communicate easily with [Roots Co-Founders] Don and Michael."

Ginette echoes the sentiment of respect and appreciation. "Aran demonstrates a professionalism that is a great example for our other employees," says Ginette. "She is a real model of determination in the best sense of the word. I know I can always count on her dedication, no matter what the task is."

Aran reluctantly agreed to be the MVP of the Month, saying she feels almost embarrassed to be in the spotlight. We convinced her to make an exception this one time after all her years at Roots.

"Aran is a lovely woman and a terrific manager," says Michael Budman. "She understands what Roots is all about, especially from a retail perspective. Her loyalty and hard work have contributed to the success of Roots in Montreal and elsewhere in Quebec. We look forward to working with Aran for many years to
come." - R.S.

Back