"The thing that first attracted me to the job at Claire's was having come from a retail background, I started my accounting studies in Debenhams which is another large retailer, so I kind of knew what to expect from working in the head office of a large retail organisation. The appeal of Claire's was that it was European; Debenhams was largely UK based. So I knew what would be expected of me and I knew what would be expected from working in a large head office."
"When I first started working at Claire's three years ago, my responsibilities were the UK and Irish business. Since that time my career has seen that I have taken on responsibility for the Spanish and Portuguese business, the Netherlands business and also the accounting of Head Office. So, as team, I think the thing I'm most proud of is we've migrated all of those countries into the Finance department at Head Office. Before, we just accounted for four countries and now we've got 16 companies that we're accounting for."
"A typical day at Claire's can be quite varied, especially in the Finance department, depending on the specific week we are within the month. Obviously month end we have month end reporting, the senior management and the owners of the business want to know the performance so we have to meet very tight deadlines in order to produce the monthly accounts. We work as a team to get meet those deadlines and so far we've met every deadline."
"Outside of the month end timetable we have a lot of other work that's project work, there's additional reporting, our US owners and US Head Office are always asking for new reports. And there's VAT returns. And at the moment I'm trying to streamline the reporting for Spanish payroll just so I can answer the questions from my management team a little bit quicker."
"The thing I like about working at Claire's the most possibly can be categorised as two things. Firstly, the variety of the role, I can never quite predict how my day is going to pan out because everything happens which can change your priorities – which is good. And I think the second thing would be the team here, it’s a very friendly group of people, we do see ourselves as a team and kind of a family. We help each other to get each other through the tough deadlines and we enjoy ourselves as well outside of work. Fortunately being based in Birmingham, we've got the city on our doorstep, so if ever people want to go out for a meal together or for drinks there is plenty of opportunities to go out and just kind of wind down on a Friday evening and make a good start to the weekend."
"The key projects I'm working on at the moment is developing the Spanish reporting to make sure that all the elements are streamlined. We took on the Spanish and Portuguese accounting last year, so we're trying to incorporate it into the standard, European, way of doing things that we have here at Claire's. After I've finished streamlining, there is the possibility of looking at stock, it's a big area I've not looked at yet, budgeting and planning I've also not had much involvement in. Also we've opened new stores in Poland, Hungary and Czech Republic so there is an expansion plan happening in those countries and possibly in other countries that might open up other opportunities in the future."
“What first attracted me to Claire’s? I think it was the fact that they’re a transnational with a global presence, including over 1,000 stores across Europe. And while I already had plenty of experience accounting for retail organisations, most of it was UK-based. This was a great chance to broaden my experience and give my career a European dimension."
"Since joining Claire’s my particular responsibilities have grown from the UK and Irish business to covering Spain, the Netherlands and Portugal, as well as the European Head Office in Birmingham – although the team here covers the whole of Europe. Over the years, we’ve consolidated the finance structure so that we now handle all of the businesses from one central team here in Birmingham."
"My work’s varied and it really depends on the time of year and which business activities we need to focus on. As well as routine activities, like end of month reporting for our Senior Management Team in Europe and colleagues in the US, I’m involved in all sorts of project work. Every day we’re free to explore new approaches to improve the way we do things. At the moment, I’m streamlining the Spanish payroll process to help make the lives easier for my team and everyone involved."
"Whether it’s hitting tight deadlines or being able to try out a new approach, I wouldn’t be able to do it without my team’s support. They’re like a second family at times. Everyone’s friendly and helpful, and we all support each other. Yes, it’s relaxed but it’s always professional. We work hard but we play hard too; we’re fortunate to be based in the Birmingham Head Office as we have a city full of entertainment and culture right on our doorstep."
"I can see myself working with Claire’s for a long time. I’m excited by the fact that Claire’s is a growing company with planned expansion into new countries, as well as growth in the countries we’re already in. And as Claire’s grows, I know that I’ll grow too. I’ll be able to learn new skills, try new things, enjoy even more variety and grow my career. I have to say, these are really exciting times to work for Claire’s!”
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