FOR STRONG CHARACTERS

50 years of reputation for distinctive fashion – but these days nothing works without IT

Based in Stephanskirchen and with around 1,800 employees worldwide, Marc O'Polo stands for its own particular brand of Scandinavian style: premium casual wear. Ever since the company was established in Stockholm in 1967, it has been known as an internationally successful fashion brand that has built a name for itself with high-quality garments made from natural materials. The company continues to focus on nature: sustainability is not a trend here, but has always been firmly anchored in the corporate culture and is a core part of how the business views itself. So, it is not surprising that the company has set itself a challenging target here: by 2023 it will only be offering sustainable products. What's more, the premium label has also decided that these sustainable products must be produced under fair working conditions. This is a challenge that the 800 employees at Stephanskirchen are happy to take on. And Marc O'Polo is going even further: by 2025 at the latest, the company wants to be climate-neutral and is striving to drastically reduce CO2 emissions within the company itself and throughout the entire supply chain. In order to achieve these challenging goals, you need absolute determination and plenty of technical know-how.
 
Technology is highly valued
And there's at least as much of that determination and technical know-how in the modern campus in Stephanskirchen as there is underlying the expertise required to continually reinterpret Marc O'Polo fashion. "Nothing works without IT, not even here!" is the headline of one of Marc O'Polo's recruiting poster campaigns in Rosenheim, conveying the essential importance of technology for the company. With a modern and scalable IT infrastructure, the fashion brand is creating digital workplaces to meet every need whilst being mobile and flexible. The company is about to introduce SAP in order to make internal processes stable and sustainable. They are developing faster services for the customer in-house. From first level support to software development, Marc O'Polo offers the entire range of advanced IT provision.
How important the topic of digitalization is to the fashion label is demonstrated, among other things, by the fact that the entire digital capacity here has been consolidated into one department that reports directly to the board of directors. The fashion brand's digital department brings all of the experts under one umbrella and focuses on the development of digital intelligence in order to further improve digital processes for employees, customers and partners and to simplify processes.
 
Motivated IT talent
The company relies equally on highly qualified professionals and young people with a flair for technology and an interest in fashion. Embarking on an in-house apprenticeship as an IT specialist or the "Digital Business" dual study programme is a way for young people to become part of this important department. The digital department enables the premium label to be a technical pioneer in the industry, time and again. For example, the clever people at Stephanskirchen recognized the need to link stores with the online business over six years ago and developed their own technical solutions to achieve it. This technical head-start enabled the company to successfully get through the challenging 2020/2021 financial year. For example, Marc O'Polo set up a Click&meet system for its own retail partners and franchisees within just a few days. This flexibility can only be achieved with the highest technical standards and a lot of motivated and talented people. Fast and sensible solutions will continue to be part of Marc O'Polo's day-to-day business, as will the move of its own online structures to the About-You Cloud, which promises both customers and retail partners a great user experience and, at the same time, an emotional experience of the brand.

Ideal environment for outstanding people
With a family-friendly working environment, flexible working time models and the mobile office option, Marc O'Polo ensures harmony between career, family and leisure time. The numerous personal and professional development options are designed to offer career progression to junior staff and professionals alike. The "Marc O’Polo University", where methods, professional and social skills are developed, was established for exactly this purpose.