[MUSIC] Hello, I am here in the largest Lush store in the world, on Oxford Street in London and it's Lush's 20th anniversary this year. And I am here with Tanya who's been with the brand for five Christmases, that's how she counts her time. >> Yes, absolutely. >> What made you join Lush in the first place? >> So, I decided to join Lush because I've come from a performing background where you always have quite big personalities and I knew that Lush really embraces that, and you as a person. So that's why I wanted to work for a brand that really kind of encompasses you and who you are and what you can bring to the team as well. >> When you say performing background, were you training to be an actress? >> Yeah, absolutely. So I did drama school training to go into musical theater. But then kind of through working for Lush, I noticed that I also had a big passion for this brand as well. And now that's kind of where my career is headed as well. >> Do you still remember being interviewed for the job? >> I do. I do. So, my interview was actually really interesting. It was a group interview so Lush do recruitment evenings or recruitment mornings where you come with a group of people. And they set you kind of tasks and activities to do. And it's always really fun. I know a lot of people walk away from them feeling like you've been almost at a class or kind of an activity or something. It doesn't feel like an interview at all. So, it's really fun. They set you all kinds of interesting things to do and all about interacting with the team as well. >> What may be one of the examples of an interesting thing to do? >> So, one thing that we do that really sticks out in my mind is, there was a box of objects And just random objects, things like Sellotape, it could be a pencil. And you have to pick an object out of the box and then imagine that it's some amazing creature, or a product, it could be anything. You just have to use your imagination, and then to make up a story about it. And I remember they said that you can turn it into a song, a dance, a rap, whatever you wanted. And I guess that was just to see kind of of how you can get your personality across, and how not to be afraid of the circumstance as well, and kind of just to challenge you. So that was a really fun activity that always sticks in my head from my recruitment day. >> So they're clearly looking for something in you. I guess an attitude or a way of behaviour. >> Yeah. >> In terms of the guidance the brand gives you when you express yourself on the shop floor, is there guidance or is it pure anarchy? >> So, it's definitely always sticking with the brand and being on brand within brand guidelines, but you definitely don't feel limited. So you can absolutely be who you are. In terms of the way you dress, they do have a uniform policy. And in terms of black and white,but then in terms of accessories, hair, makeup,you can really do whatever you like. And I know they really embrace you, your personal style as well and how you like to be of course always sticking into professionalism as well, and being at work. But yeah, they definitely let you bring out your own personality and really shine on the shop floor. They always say that's what brings the customer experience to a high standard. It's like, you as a person as a shop assistant or a supervisor, that's what you bring to the shop floor. So much inspires, me but one thing that always sticks out as being so inspirational is just how kind of ethical we are as a company. So going in with things like our packaging, we really are very careful not to use excess packaging. A lot of our products are naked, so no packaging at all. And when they are packaged, they always have a face sticker. So this is something I remember learning in my first induction day. There's a sticker of the person who's made the product, when it was made and when to use it up by, because all of our products are fresh as well. And so that's something I always remember is just when you are in the shop, all these products around you have been made so fresh and you know exactly who's made it. And it's just really special, so that's something that I always like to share on the shop floor with my customers as well, and with staff that are starting. >> And did you know the background of the brand before you joined it, or would a typical person here know the background of the brand? >> So not necessarily. When I first started,I was a big, big fan of the brand in terms of I used lots of the products, I loved shopping at Lush. But I didn't really learn too much about the brand until I worked for Lush. And although a lot of customers do get to know brand values and things like that through their experiences on the shop floor, me personally, I found that I learned that mostly working here. And then I learned how to share that with our customers as well so that they go home understanding the brand as well. >> So what would be a brand value and a behavior that you share with your customer that demonstrates that brand value? >> So a brand value, for example, could be fresh and handmade, which is something that encompasses the brand as a whole. And then something to share that with a customer could be, when we're actually making fresh handmade products, so when we do our parties or workshops, for example. And you're physically seeing that product being made by a member of staff and a group of customers. Then, those customers are physically in front of their eyes seeing that product be made fresh. So that would be an example. >> And this store is really to celebrate the experience around Lush. It's on three different levels. There are experience zones. Could you tell us a little bit about what this store has brought to the brand, because some of their stores are quite small and intimate. >> Yeah,absolutely, so this store has brought so much to the brand. And just in terms of the whole entire store is an experience. So from the second you walk in, you've got a huge sink that's almost the size of a bathtub. So immediately that really enhances our customers' experience just by seeing that visually in front of their eyes. And then as you walk through, you've got all kinds of experiences. Things like a hair lab, which is a live area where we can demonstrate hair products onto our customers if they're interested. Live henna as well, which is our natural hair dye. And you've got, also a perfume gallery. So down here on this floor, we have an immersive gallery. We've even got a spa as well. So we've just got lots of features that you can't always find in other Lush stores. And that's something that creates the ultimate Lush experience for customers, and also staff as well. So we get so many international people coming into this shop, and it is a destination shop in itself. >> And of course the experience starts before you walk in. You can smell Lush. >> Absolutely, yeah. And being such a big presence on Oxford Street, as well, which is the busiest shopping street in Europe, and everybody can see us. So as soon as you walk past our shop, you know that it's Lush. And it's a really big statement for the brand as a whole, as well. >> And one thing I observed is, lots of products, we can see them here. They're not packaged. You can touch them and you often demonstrate them on the customers themselves. >> Yes. >> You might rub in a cream. Is that something that comes natural? And maybe in different parts of the world, there might be different reactions from the customers to this. >> Yeah, absolutely. So, demonstrating our products is really, really important, just to make sure that our customers go home fully understanding how that product works. Especially as you said, seeing something that is naked with no packaging, a lot of the time you wouldn't know how it's used unless it's demonstrated. And so that is something for me within Lush that comes very naturally because the products are there, they look so enticing. They're all out, ready to be felt and ready to be massaged into the skin. So a lot of time that will come naturally to get that straight on the customer's skin. And sometimes when we get customers coming from different cultures it can occasionally be, at first it's something different to them, and different to their culture. But as soon as they feel relaxed in our company and often they're very, very open to it and they love getting five start demonstrations of our products. >> What kind of things do you celebrate? What kind of behaviors do you celebrate? And how do you celebrate them when you do? >> Yeah. So within Lush and the behaviors that we celebrate always are having a really, really positive mind frame and a really positive kind of outlook on everything. And so that's something we really celebrate with our staff. It's just always coming to work, it actually says it in our job description, is to come to work always feeling excited and happy about being here. And I think that really does speak for itself, because you see the staff on the shop floor and how happy they are and how much they do love their jobs. And you can really, really see that, and it is genuine. So that's definitely a kind of behavior we look for through recruitment and then through training and everything as well. And so definitely just being really open and positive, open to training and learning from your team as well, is really important. >> Very good, well thank you very much, Tanya. >> Thank you very much. [MUSIC]
