"We needed to slow down to keep the identity of the brand." Piet Kolsch is a Swiss-based retail operator and brand transformation leader with 25 years of experience building, opening, and scaling flagship environments across Europe and beyond — from GAP and Esprit to Apple, Tally Weijl, Benetton, Patagonia, and Steinway.

Piet's journey begins in Munich with GAP's record-breaking flagship opening in 2000, through scaling Esprit's largest global store, opening Apple's Zurich flagship after six months embedded in the recruiting and opening team, directing Tally Weijl's rapid expansion across 450 stores and 5 countries (€360M revenues), leading Benetton's entire European network of 1,400 points of sale across 14 markets and 3,000 people, running Patagonia's Munich flagship operations as the brand donated itself to the planet, and most recently managing seven Musik Hug/Steinway locations in Switzerland — where a single product takes a year to build and the customer relationship spans generations.

In this episode:

• 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 — why Piet always joins 6 months before opening, and what "the company investing in me" really means

• 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹 — how stores went from product density to brand experience, and what Apple and Steinway teach us about that shift

• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟲𝟬/𝟰𝟬 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹-𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 — 60% non-negotiable brand process, 40% local adaptation maximum, and why the story never changes

• 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀-𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 — a German-French visual merchandising case study that reveals how culture shapes execution, not just communication

• 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲 — the silence vs. directness dynamic, and how to set a stage where both cultures can contribute without forcing either to change

• 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗖𝗢𝗩𝗜𝗗 𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹 — less product, more event, more after-sale service, and why customers now want to feel the brand before they buy it

• 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸 — why Piet reads CVs after interviews, and what he is actually watching for in the room

For cross-border operators, retail leaders, and anyone who has had to make a global brand feel genuinely local — this episode is a masterclass in the craft of brand stewardship at scale.

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If the topics discussed resonate with your own leadership challenges or the conversations happening in your organization - assessing international leaders, aligning global and local teams, building capabilities across regions. You can reach us at LYC Partners to set up a consultation.

Produced by Bonjour Podcast (Melanie Hong), Leaders in Motion blends storytelling, strategy, and data-driven insight, giving today’s leaders a roadmap to anticipate tomorrow’s challenges and lead with intention.

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