You may have noticed a string of new Bailey Nelson stores cropping up recently. From High Street in New Zealand and Gertrude Street in Melbourne (opening July 14) to Marion in South Australia, Chermside in Queensland and Byron Bay in NSW (set to open in the coming months) – there’s no sign of slowing! And none of it would be possible without our very own Head of Retail, Jacqui Heazlewood.
We sat down with Jacqui to chat about hobbies, career advice, and her life inside and outside the world of eyewear.Jacqui is an indispensable member of the BN family and the reason why your experience stepping foot in a Bailey Nelson store is so darn pleasant. Hardworking, meticulous and positive, she brings her own unique passion and expertise to the Bailey Nelson team.
Hey Jacqui! Firstly, can you tell us a little bit about what your role as Head of Retail entails?
It involves leading our amazing retail team to give our customers the best possible experience in stores – and removing any obstacles that may get in the way of them doing so!
What's the best thing about living and working in Sydney?
The coast… I have lived in quite a few places in Australia, but nothing compares to Sydney beaches and the Manly & Bondi coastal walks. When you have spare time to do the walks, that is! A definite highlight is catching the Manly ferry home from work after a long day and seeing Sydney Harbour at its twinkling best.
What are your hobbies outside of work?
With two small children I don’t get much time for hobbies! Does colouring in, watching Frozen and building lego count?
Describe your ultimate weekend.
A beautiful coastal walk with great weather (and no children), coffee and the morning papers (also with no children), then doing something fun with my little monkeys like going on the ferry to Darling Harbour. And a sleep in once every 10 years or so would be nice!
What are you watching on Netflix at the moment?
I don’t get time to watch anything these days, but I am keen to check out Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Anything described as laugh out loud sounds like a perfect watch to me.
What is your favourite feel good song?
“Always” by the Butterfly Effect. Great pump up song for the day (although may not be everyone’s cup of tea!) and always on my morning playlist.
If you could choose one travel destination in the world to visit, where would it be?
Anywhere with a beach, swim-up pool bar and great food options.
What's the best piece of career advice you've ever received?
A simple one but “Never forget where you came from”. In a work sense this means never getting to a point where you sit at your desk in your office and forget what it feels like to work on the shop floor and make your customers happy. Remember this in a retail leadership role and the decisions you make will always have your team and customers at heart.
How would you describe the Bailey Nelson head office?
Positive, energetic, supportive… and fun. There is always a laugh to be had which makes it a nice place to be.
And finally, what are your all-time favourite BN frames?
I can hear the collective groan from my retail team now, but… ATWOOD! Yes I own too many colours and YES I need to move on. But I just love this frame and it fits me like a glove.
To hear more about upcoming opportunities at Bailey Nelson, visit our LinkedIn profile.
Photography by Ben Murphy