Kate Mooney, Chief executive of Occa-Home, tells Retail Week about her life working in retail.

Kate Mooney

What was your first job in retailing?

Working in my parent’s furnishings showroom at 10 as an ‘assistant shop assistant’.

Which retail company do you admire most and why?

I love what Natalie Massenet and Net-a-Porter have achieved. They were early adopters of a life-changing technology in retail and they had the vision and determination to made it work

What is the trait you least like in yourself and why?

I am guilty of being very impatient when things aren’t going the way I planned.

Who have you learnt most from in your retail career?

My parents. Being brought up in and around a family business in the 1980s and 1990s taught me so much about the nitty gritty of buying and selling.

What advice would you give someone starting out in retail?

It’s not for the fainthearted and it’s certainly not a nine to five. It takes hard work and determination to be successful. You need to really understand your customers and the commercials of your business.

What keeps you awake at night?

Everything. I don’t sleep much and am always working on new concepts and ideas.

What’s the most satisfying part of your job?

I love it all – all the ups and downs. It’s such a dynamic environment. I love the fact that no two days are ever the same.

What’s your proudest achievement?

My family (and then the Occa-Home website).

What job would you have done if you hadn’t become a retailer?

I have a background in architecture and interior design and have a hotel design business that also keeps me busy.

What’s your favourite shop and why?

Liberty. It’s so quintessentially British and effectively a working museum to retail and design.

What was your last purchase?

My iPad3. How did I live without one for so long?

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