Annual Report 2009/10 Excellence in Retailing - Douglas Holding

18 DOUGLAS HOLDING AG
Mission Statement
Letter to the Shareholders
Executive Board
Corporate Governance
Report of the Supervisory Board
DOUGLAS Share
Impressions
Human Resources
ENTHUSIASM DRIVES SUCCESS
The DOUGLAS Group is synonymous with supreme customer and service orientation and therefore considers
the professionalism and enthusiasm of its over 24,000 employees paramount. The human resources work centers
on carefully planned training and personnel development programs which once again proved a key component
of the 2009/10 financial year. But the DOUGLAS Group also focused heavily on preparing for impending
challenges – ensuring its capacity to operate successfully in the future.
Highly qualified training
When it comes to training employees, the DOUG-
LAS Group is one of the most active retailers in Germany.
With a share of apprentices that has comfortably
exceeded 10 percent for years, it offers numerous
graduates the chance of professional training. The
start of the 2010 training year brought a new record,
with some 670 young women and men launching their
careers with the Group – the highest figure ever and
a good 200 more than 12 months earlier. All of the
subsidiaries intensified their training activities; most
notably, the Douglas perfumeries which – with 337
new apprentices (previous year: 205) – again supplied
the majority. But Christ jewelers and the fashion store
AppelrathCüpper also invested more vigorously in
training. A total of 25 trainees began apprenticeships
at Hussel (previous year: 15), 38 at AppelrathCüpper
(previous year: 18), and 119 at Christ (previous year:
65). At September 30, 2010, the DOUGLAS Group had
1,526 apprentices on its books in Germany, the majority
of them pursuing a qualification in retailing. At
just under 13 percent, the proportion of trainees was
still well above the German retail industry average
of 8 percent.
In addition to the prescribed training, apprentices
in the holding company and subsidiaries had access to
attractive optional courses designed to broaden their
horizons. Apprentices at AppelrathCüpper, for example,
hold get-togethers with their counterparts at other
retail companies to discuss their experiences and
training. And third-year apprentices learning wholesaling
and foreign trade in the holding company can
apply to spend four weeks at a foreign subsidiary.
The instructors in the DOUGLAS Group are also
rewarded for their dedication. Their charges are regularly
awarded outstanding grades in examinations,
with many of them being honored by local chambers
of commerce and industry. On average, 70 percent of
successful apprentices enter permanent employment
with the DOUGLAS Group and go on to develop their
careers at programs in the various subsidiaries.
High-appeal training programs
Yet again, numerous employees in the DOUGLAS
Group subscribed to attractive HR development programs
on an array of technical, managerial and social
topics during the 2009/10 financial year. In the
Perfumeries division, some 60 candidates graduated
from the Douglas Academy – a program designed to
impart sales management skills. The tried and trusted
“PROMIs” training scheme at Christ pursues similar
goals for jewelry professionals, with over 20 young employees
completing the course during the year ended.
As part of its succession planning program, the Perfumeries
division focused throughout Germany on
identifying potential candidates for regional manager
positions. Since this year, sales management personnel
have also been offered a new opportunity: from a
range of training modules they can select those that
match their individual requirements and most effectively
foster their development.
Employees
09/30/10 09/30/09 Change
Perfumeries 14,834 14,611 223
Books 5,186 5,151 35
Jewelry 2,173 2,025 148
Fashion 751 757 – 6
Confectionery 1,141 1,097 44
Services/Holding 570 549 21
DOUGLAS Group 24,655 24,190 465
national 15,164 14,761 403
international 9,491 9,429 62