From student to store manager, Lucia has found her place

When asked "How would you describe Teddy?", Lucia, Store Manager of the Bratislava store in Slovakia, did not hesitate for a second: "A great company, a family that focuses on continuous training for its employees, with an eye on young people. As a student, I became a sales assistant and then a store manager”.  

Lucia met Teddy when he was still at school. She was looking for a job to earn some extra money. “I was 18 years old," she says, "and I had two options: working in a restaurant or joining the team of a Calliope shop. After the first interview, I had no doubts. I went in wearing jeans and a baggy t-shirt: I was not the most fashionable girl. But the manager did not judge me based on my appearance and style, she went deeper, she wanted to know who I was and what my passions were. And then I said to myself: this is definitely the place for me”.

After school, Lucia entered the world of Calliope as a full-time sales assistant. “I worked with great passion," she continues, "taking advantage of every occasion to learn something new. My manager appreciated my dedication and decided to invest in my development by giving me her time and attention. In fact, after four years, I became a store manager myself, and I also learnt - she smiles - how to tidy my wardrobe at home".

One of the many lessons Lucia has learnt is how to build a good relationship with her team.
"The path to becoming a store manager has been exciting, but also difficult at times. There are many skills and abilities to learn and, for example, I initially struggled to understand the right way to engage constructively with colleagues, which I believe is vital to creating a supportive and harmonious team. I hope I have learned by now! Specifically, I try to share all the information about the company, answer all their questions and explain all the motivations behind each task. I try to behave as the previous store manager taught me, trying to stimulate them in different ways so that they feel part of a big family".

For Lucia, the Terranova store where she currently works is like a second home. “I feel it as if it were my own," she says, "and I try to convey this feeling to those who work with me. I have been working in Teddy for twelve years now, first in a Calliope shop and now in a Terranova, and I think I have found my place in the world. Even though we don't have direct contact with the company here abroad, we have reference people who follow us and support us in everything we do, from the HR manager to my superiors”.

Teddy integrates environmental, economic and social sustainability into a single pathway to a responsible and inclusive future. From the environmental point of view, it invests in green materials and emissions reduction and works with its suppliers to adopt greener practices. But the real beating heart is social inclusion: Teddy puts people first, promoting workers' rights, investing in employee training and supporting the well-being of communities. This approach not only generates economic value, but also creates a sense of belonging and shared responsibility to build a fairer and more inclusive future and create shared value.

“We are informed and involved in all sustainability campaigns. We are trained and updated so that we can tell our customers about all the care that goes into our products. I do attach much importance to this issue and I try to share it with my colleagues: i.e. my team. We are open to exchange with our customers. I like to think of Teddy as a big team that starts in Italy and includes all of us.”

Teddy's family is not just the Italian family. The young men and women who work in the stores around the world are also important and get involved as much as possible, so that together we can build Teddy's Dream around the world and feel part of the same community.