Conversation with… Bruce Langlands, chief executive of Trotters Childrenswear
Here we chat with Bruce Langlands, chief executive of Trotters Childrenswear, about the importance of people-centric leadership, creating exceptional customer experiences, Trotters’ top priorities for the coming years, and his advice for aspiring retail leaders.
You’ve had an impressive career spanning retail and hospitality. What experiences have most shaped your approach to leadership today?
For me, it all starts with really understanding who your customer is. As a leader, if you don’t truly know your customer, you can’t expect your team to. That understanding must sit at the heart of everything we do.
The other critical element is having the right team around you. You need a clear strategy, but it’s just as important that everyone understands the part they play in delivering it. When the whole team is aligned and empowered to make decisions, that’s when things really work.
Subscribe to TRBI think my early years at Marks & Spencer had a huge impact on my leadership style. I started there as a management trainee on the shop floor, and it gave me a deep respect for every role within a business. When you’ve been the person on the till for four hours, or the one doing the stock take late at night, you understand the pressure your teams are under.
Even now, whenever I start a new role, I always go back to the shop floor. When I joined Trotters, I spent a week in our stores – working the tills, filling stock, talking to customers. It’s the only way to really see what’s working and what isn’t. You have to be honest enough to say, “This is brilliant,” but also, “Hang on, this is archaic, we can do better.”
You’ve highlighted the importance of people-centric leadership. How are you putting that philosophy into practice at Trotters?
We’ve just had our annual away day, something we do every year. We bring the whole business together, celebrate what we’ve achieved, and then, more importantly, talk about what’s next, including our goals, our challenges, and how we’ll work together over the next 12 months and beyond.
For me, it’s about being transparent and totally honest with the team. This year, I stood up and said, “Last year, we set out to break 14 company records,” and we actually broke 22, which was fantastic. But I also told them the reality – that rising costs and the national insurance hike meant we had to make half a million pounds in savings just to stand still.
The truth is, it’s tough out there and I think people appreciate hearing that. They want honesty. I don’t have all the answers, and I tell them that. What I do have is a vision for where we’re going and I share that vision openly.
That openness helps everyone understand the “why” behind what we do. It gives the team a clear North Star, even if the route changes along the way.
When someone joins Trotters, onboarding is a huge focus. We’re a family business made up of 180 people, and we really do think of ourselves as a family. I know lots of companies say that, but when you’re independent and still owned by the founding family, it’s real. Like any family, we have disagreements and debates, but there’s warmth, connection, and care at the core.
We make sure new starters understand our vision and values from day one. We buddy them up with someone who’s been in the business for a while, so they always have someone to turn to. It helps people feel comfortable asking questions without fear of sounding silly.
We also run an anonymous staff survey every year and I write to everyone personally about it. I tell them, be honest. Tell me what’s great and what’s not so great about being part of Trotters. If something’s rubbish, say so, because we can only fix what we know about.
Then, as a leadership team, we sit down and go through the results together. For example, if communication comes up as a weak point, we talk about what we’re going to do to improve it.
Another thing I’ve introduced is quarterly breakfast sessions. I’ll sit down with a small group, maybe someone from the fulfilment centre, someone from buying, product development, and a store colleague. There’s no agenda. I just say, “You’ve got two hours of my time – ask me anything.”
And they do! Sometimes it’s big-picture stuff, like how we’ll manage government changes or budgets, and sometimes it’s really small things. One time someone pointed out that head office got free tea and coffee, but the stores didn’t. I was mortified and by the next morning, they had it sorted. It sounds small, but it mattered to them. And that’s the point – if it matters to the team, it matters to me.
We also created something called “Buzzline to Bruce.” It’s a phone line and email address where anyone in the business can send in an idea for how we could do things better, whether it’s about customer service, buying, or even product suggestions. If we take their idea forward, they get a £50 Amazon voucher. It’s a small gesture, but it encourages everyone to have a voice.
Trotters has a distinctive culture and customer ethos, especially as a family business. How are you balancing that heritage with the need to evolve in a fast-changing retail environment?
I think the key is really understanding who we are and being honest about it. We can’t be all things to all people. In today’s challenging retail environment, it’s tempting to chase every trend or opportunity, but we know who we are.
We’re aspirational, but we’re not uber-luxury. We know what we do really, really well, and we focus on that.
It’s about creating an environment our customers want to come to. We want stores to be full of sunshine – it’s one of our mantras: “The sun always shines at Trotters.” We know we’re doing it right when a child walks down King’s Road and tugs their mum into the store to see the fish tank, play on the car, do some reading or drawing, all in a safe, fun environment.
We also have to do the same for adults. We curate the right products, all beautifully made, safe, and traditional rather than cutting-edge fashion. We aim to provide everything a parent might need for a child’s party such as shoes, tights, hair accessories, dresses, coats, even birthday presents. That’s our sweet spot and knowing that is super important.
Since I joined, we’ve really focused on multichannel and understanding who our customer is. We’ve recently mapped out the customer funnel: who are our top customers, our Platinum customers – the 182 people who spend over a thousand pounds a year with us. What should we do differently for them compared to our Gold or Bronze customers? And how do we encourage Bronze customers to move up to Gold, and Gold to Platinum? Understanding this funnel is crucial to how we operate and grow.
Looking ahead, what are the top priorities or ambitions for Trotters over the next few years? And how do you see your team driving that growth?
We have an ambitious four pillared plan.
The first thing is to have the best team. Over the last two and a half years, I’ve been making sure I have the right people around the table. My mantra to everyone is: if you’re on the bus, be on the top deck with your seatbelt on and hands clenched because it’s going to be a bumpy ride sometimes. If you’re on the bottom deck, one foot off the bus, then maybe this isn’t for you, and that’s okay. But on the top deck, we go together, united.
Even in the boardroom, there are disagreements, but we walk out as a united front. And that’s what our teams see. Family Day, as we call it, is hugely important, whether you’re cleaning a store, manning a till, or working online, everyone knows where we’re headed. That clarity, that unity, is critical.
Second, we want to grow our physical presence. We have five standalone stores and three concessions across four partners. We absolutely believe in bricks-and-mortar retail. People want to come in, touch the product, feel it and interact – especially after COVID reminded everyone how much we value that experience. We’re actively scouting key locations in London and beyond.
Third, omnichannel is huge. We’ve just redeveloped our online presence, which relaunched in January. I wanted it to feel modern, alive, and authentic, with kids being kids, chocolate on their faces, playing, having fun – while still showcasing beautiful products. I’ve brought marketing back in-house to ensure consistency and creativity across both online and physical channels.
Fourth, we’re refining buying and the supply chain. We’re moving to buy more product in less depth – collections that sell out faster – so customers who visit weekly or monthly always see something new. Our mantra is “Just one more” – one more item per customer per transaction. Whether that’s a £1 lollipop or a £120 coat, one more item is equivalent to opening a new store.
And finally, loyalty underpins all of this. We now know our customers so well, including their ages, preferences, and needs, and we communicate meaningfully with them. If a parent has two girls, aged eight and ten, they’ll only receive relevant emails, not outdated, generic campaigns. It’s all about connecting, understanding, and giving them the experience they want.
What one piece of advice would you give an aspiring retail leader?
Firstly I believe at the heart of great retail is a relentless focus on the customer coupled with investing in people. By coaching, trusting, and equipping people , you create empowered teams who can solve problems, deliver outstanding service, and maintain consistent standards, which, in turn, drives loyalty and sustainable growth.
Secondly, don’t always chase the next promotion. Sideways moves or secondments into different roles broaden your perspective, build transferable skills, and add strings to your bow, thus helping you better understand the business and become a stronger leader.
