A luxuriously decorated living room with modern touches and warm colors, unique pieces, soft armchairs and even a fireplace to make you feel comfortable and at home. We are in The Apartment, one of the private spaces reserved for VIP clients of La Roca Village, and where Elena Foguet, director of Value Retail for Spain, the company that manages this shopping destination, welcomes us to talk about the challenges , commitments and new shopping experiences and future strategies of La Roca Village, which this year celebrates its 25th anniversary.
He has just left a meeting and his agenda is full, but he faces the interview without any rush and speaks with clear and very organized ideas, with that same patience that the Barcelona villager has been distilling to seduce clients.
He has been leading the business management of La Roca Village (Barcelona) and Las Rozas Village (Madrid) for two decades, destinations that are part of the eleven villages of The Bicester Collection around the world. “I haven't had time to get bored,” summarizes the Catalan board. “I accepted the challenge because it was a completely different bet, to position these villages you had to have vision and conviction, but from the first day I was clear that the future of La Roca Village was to be a tourist destination and now with the differential value that we provide It will be an experience destination,” says Foguet, who had previously been an executive at Levi's and Nike.
Elena Foguet often likes to walk through the streets of the villages to pay attention to all the details, what happens and how clients experience each experience. “Although we have prepared and responsible teams in each area, you have to be on the field to see it and continue providing differentiation. It’s a matter of how you organize yourself,” she says. And she says: “Our obsession, mission and vision is that the client feels good.”
Could you give me three reasons to go to La Roca Village?
The first, the disconnection that allows you to walk calmly and safely in a very careful and pleasant environment. The second is that you can find brands, products, brands and surprises that awaken the desire to buy. And the third, the constant surprise that the outdoors produces, the creativity and the additional value found in the village, the art, the restaurants, the unexpected.
Shopping is one of the main entertainments in today's society. How do you try to contribute something more?
We start from a vision that involves moving from a transactional purchase to added value, which is the emotional part, we constantly think about what excites people, why someone will want to travel 40 km from Barcelona or from another city, and we work on what sensations we can give to someone so that they come and spend an unforgettable time or day.
Let him remember his time at La Roca Village…
Exact. We don't have open-air villages by chance, it's on purpose, because that's where what makes us different begins and what that experience is like that goes beyond shopping. When you are outdoors, you are connecting with everything it brings to you: the trees, the sky, the sun, the 30 degree heat, the rain, the wind... And that has an impact on how you are going to feel that day. Our villages are designed as a walk, and neither in La Roca Village nor in any of the others will you see a directory. It is a walk in which there is no signage because not having it implies the effect of discovery. We seek empathy with the client. Our obsession, mission and vision is that the client feels good.
And is it difficult to please customers?
It is difficult to please everyone, but we are never satisfied. Every day we are learning. We have a very wide variety of clients, from the city, from the country, and many international clients because we have wanted it that way. We are looking for an international client and that is why we invest every year in training store teams so that they know how to treat their clients better, whether they are Arabs, Indians or Chinese, for example. We offer attention to detail, we provide good service and we take care of every corner.
Tourism is basic
It is a key piece because we precisely address the international client, the traveler. The tourist, when he travels, disconnects from his daily life, has more time and will better remember his good or worst moments. That is why our vision is to dedicate ourselves to a client who does not come to make a purchase, but to enjoy this walk, the open-air village, the art exhibitions, the ephemeral stores, with a mix of top-level brands, luxury, premium, but also with a very important local flavor. Shopping tourism represents 7-8% of the total and has a very high exponential growth.
Why have luxury brands opted for La Roca Village?
We are a gateway for new clients for luxury brands, without damaging the positioning and perception of the brand even a single gram. We are the preferred partner for the sale of these products because the customer who buys and arrives at La Roca Village knows that there are luxury brands. And he may be a regular client of the firm, but many others are new ones that we bring, and perhaps it would take him longer to become a client of this luxury firm at a normal price.
Is luxury perceived to be on the rise?
Luxury as a definition of something that lasts, not as something ephemeral, yes, and will continue to be an important pillar. Look at the change of luxury brands in their own designs, moving towards collections that place more value on the durability of the quality of the product.
What does today's buyer demand? Have you noticed changes?
Yes, you can see the immediacy, the impact of social networks in the selection of brands and products. The consumer has more inputs and their values have changed. Now you are more prepared, educated and trained in product quality, and the issue of sustainability is beginning to be an important criterion. There is an evolution in the values that a brand transmits, but what is the essence of the world of fashion, creativity, the beauty of the design, the fabrics, the collections... the emotional aspect continues to weigh heavily.
How do you achieve a personalized shopping experience?
As part of this constant evolution, innovation and never being calm or satisfied in how we can provide better service and attention to our clients. The concept of personal shopper has taken longer to be introduced in Spain, but in other cultures it is a very integrated service, widely introduced both for the aspect of ease and practicality and for the aspect of providing added value. And we have been implementing it for a long time.
Why has La Roca Village developed a solidarity commitment?
It is part of our business vision and is a permanent commitment. Value Retail arrived here 25 years ago and is here to stay. When you come to a place to stay, you establish roots and you have to impact and relate to your community and your territory even if you are an international company. That is why 76% of the boutiques' employees are from Vallès, and when we paint or do repairs we look for professionals from the area. Our commitment ultimately improves the lives of everyone, even those who cannot care for themselves or have more difficult conditions. For that we have our philanthropic social impact program, which is called Do Good and is focused on improving the lives of women and children.
In recent years many artistic expressions have also been encouraged.
And we will continue doing it. Our DNA is sensitivity and support for talent. That is a way to fulfill this commitment that we have with society and the territory. And the talent most related to us is the creative one, because we are fashion by essence and fashion is creativity and that takes us to the world of art, culture, music...
What are the main future strategies of La Roca Village?
We are never satisfied, that is why our next steps and challenges are very focused on this attention, quality and relationship with the client. We are in a world where everything is very ephemeral, but where artificial intelligence will never be able to replace the personal relationship. That's why we have these hospitality spaces to dedicate more time to people. Our main goal and where we are investing resources, time and ideas is the concept of hospitality, how we make you feel at home.
