Topics Discussed and Key Points:

●      Launching Gap in Japan in 1994

●      Growing a retail brand in the pre-eCommerce economy of Japan

●      Recruiting the first management team for Gap in Japan

●      How Levis became an iconic global brand

●      Building loyalty around an athletic brand in Japan

●      Why Jeff’s involvement in Nike’s first campaign in Japan went global

●      How Nike does retail differently from the rest

●      Restructuring Sephora in Japan and reversing declining year-on-year comp store sales in under six months

Episode Summary:

Today on The Negotiation, we speak with Jeff Daggett, Founder and CEO of Aisonne, a brand and retail development & management company offering brand, retail, hospitality, and licensing management services and representation in Japan and the United States.

Since 2002, Aisonne has assisted a number of big-name retail brands such as Apple, Columbia Sportswear, Nordstrom, Shinjuku Takano, and NBC Universal.

Jeff’s background includes over three decades of experience at leading global companies in the Asia-Pacific, specifically in investment banking, real estate, retail operations, merchandising, marketing, and general management.

Listen in as Jeff reflects on his 30-year career in the retail business development world in Japan, beginning with an opportunity to launch Gap in Tokyo in the Summer of 1994. He speaks specifically about the challenges of localizing and growing an established foreign brand decades before the dramatic rise of eCommerce.

Asked how differently such an experience would be if he were to launch in today’s market, Jeff refers to the quote: “There are no overstored markets, only under-merchandised ones.” In other words, successfully establishing a brand in any foreign market largely comes down to telling a compelling story⁠, particularly via visual merchandising, ⁠around one’s product.

Jeff gives a few examples from his career to illustrate the power of “compelling merchandise, attractively presented”. He highlights his work on Nike’s first-ever campaign in Japan, which was so successful that elements of the campaign were adapted by other brands on a global scale.

Key Quotes:

“For anyone who works in retail, the store is company headquarters, and company headquarters is the back office.”

“A lot of folks will tell you that you have to change what you do to succeed in Japan, and this is true. But you can’t lose the essence of what you are.”

“There are no overstored markets, only under-merchandised ones.”