Elmwood’s Sands joins Gordons to push unique retail offer
Thursday 11th February 2016
Gordons has partnered with Jonathan Sands OBE, chairman of global brand design consultancy Elmwood, to help develop and promote a legal service unlike any other in the retail sector.
With offices in Leeds, London, Melbourne, New York, Singapore and Hong Kong, Elmwood’s current retail clients include Canadian supermarket chain Loblaws, Australia’s Coles Supermarkets and Morrisons.
Jonathan has worked with Asda for nearly three decades and sat on Walmart’s international strategy council. Other retail clients have included Iceland, Pets at Home, Ann Summers and B&Q amongst others. Jonathan received his OBE in 2011 for outstanding services to the creative industry.
His appointment as a consultant will see Jonathan work with Gordons on an ongoing basis, specifically to create additional opportunities within the retail sector. In particular, he will help develop a distinct insight-driven service proposition for the firm based entirely from the retailers’ perspective.
Jonathan will also work with the firm’s head of operations and compliance, partner Victoria Davey, to continually enhance the firm’s service-focused approach in order to generate additional client benefits.
The two businesses already know each other well as Elmwood was responsible for Gordons’ most recent rebrand and has been a client of the firm for ten years.
Commenting on his appointment, Jonathan said: “I have always been impressed by Gordons as a forward-thinking business and a law firm that is genuinely different to the competition. When Elmwood engages with retailers we do so to create amazing retail experiences which increase margin, improve footfall and enhance customer satisfaction.
“My objective is to achieve for Gordons what we do for retailers, whilst simultaneously bolstering its existing powerful retail proposition.
“The retail specific legal service we are going to create will mean Gordons will not only be the best at what it does in the retail sector, but also the only firm able to deliver it. In essence, the service will provide retailers with the integrated combination of insight, entrepreneurial thinking, commercial acumen and fast-acting implementation that they need to compete and win.”
The firm’s current retail clients include B&M, Buy it Direct, Costcutter, Iceland, Morrisons, Nisa, Original Factory Shop and West Cornwall Pasty Co.
Gordons managing partner, Paul Ayre, said: “Our retail offer is going from strength-to-strength and its continued momentum is seeing us consistently secure new clients within the sector.
“Our ultimate objective is to be the retailers’ law firm of choice. Jonathan’s appointment is all about achieving that goal as quickly as possible. It will allow us to engage with retailers on multiple levels, with legal services providing the basis for us to deliver ongoing business performance improvement.
“His understanding of the sector, global reputation and ability to anticipate future trends will shape our proposition so that it is unlike any other in the way it is implemented and the positive results it achieves.”