They leave retail and have worked for big brands for years. They are buyers and negotiators at heart, but decided to change sectors to join tourism at Voyage Privé. Discover their journey, which could be yours.
Meet Emilie, Global Buyer
Tell us a bit about yourself!
I did a preparatory class at a business school in Grenoble. Then I worked in retail at Auchan for 8 years. I spent the first 4 years as a Department Manager in Paris, managing a team of 4 at the beginning, then up to 25 people. It was a great first job and very close to what I do today at Voyage Privé. This job requires constant responsiveness, you must adapt to the results of a promotion or the weather. Then I worked for 4 years in central purchasing in the pet shop and then went back to school. At that time, I had the idea of launching a product, a Christmas suit for cats! The idea was a bit bizarre, but it worked really well in the end!
How did you get hired by Voyage Privé ?
I finally left my job to follow my husband to the South of France. At the same time, I was not really happy in my work, I wanted to change sector and I came across a job offer at Voyage Privé. I wanted to switch to e-commerce because I know it’s the future for retail and I wanted to develop my skills.
It all happened so quickly. I applied on the website and the next day Voyage Privé called me! I had a day of interviews with HR, Managers and the founders.
What do you do at Voyage Privé today?
I’m the key account for France, that is to say I take care of all the suppliers who have several residences. I have a lot of meetings with them, from year-round planning to following up files. I manage all the major event operations including large theme parks.
How did you go from retail to tourism?
The thing they have in common is business! You really have to be passionate and love questioning everything on a daily basis to analyse the offers and constantly adapt to the needs of the market. You have to be interested in the tourism and e-commerce sector. If I managed to get excited about dog biscuits, I knew I’d have no problem getting excited about 4-star hotels!
I find there are many similarities between these two sectors in terms of the relationship with partners. We have long-term relationships, which we spend years creating, we maintain the relationship, building development plans that bring the two parties together on a common project.
There is also, inevitably, the fact we try to offer the right price in relation to the market, demand and the profit margin.
However, my favourite thing about e-commerce is the responsiveness and the fact you can quickly test out your ideas.
