Checking Out: Jean-Didier Allongue

Jean-Didier Allongue
The Senior Director of Global Store Design for CPG brand Harry’s Inc. creates retail installations that draw brick-and-mortar customers to the company’s namesake brand.

So you’re the guy who provides me with my monthly supplies of razor blades, shaving creams and skin and scalp products?
Well, I’m not necessarily that guy, but the company appreciates your satisfaction and your loyalty.

And yet, you head a global store design team. I wasn’t aware that Harry’s has retail.

We have an in-store presence in 56,000 stores around the world – 33,000 in the U.S. They’re mostly 4- and 8-square-foot brand installations in, predominantly, Walmart, Target, Kroger and Meijer stores and, in Europe, Boots, Aldi and Tesco.

Getting Down to Business

What about opening your own stores? Harry’s has become a powerful consumer brand.
“We view direct-to-consumer as a powerful place for building brand, testing and learning, and fostering direct relationships with the community.

“For us, that venue has always been Harrys.com, with our retail partners being the best in-person channel to meet customers where they are and provide a convenient, consistent and quality shopping experience at scale.”

You’ve won some impressive awards in your career.
I was really fortunate to get some incredible projects so early in my career, some of which earned me recognition, like the DuPont Imagineering Design Award when I was just 21 years old. At the time, I felt on top of the world, but my focus quickly shifted to how I could continue to challenge myself .

It’s always nice to receive accolades, but over the years I’ve developed my own perspective on what validates the impact of my work. As a designer, I believe the true judge of my work is the consumer. And as a manager, my job is to create a culture that keeps my team motivated and engaged. Being successful at both is what makes me confident that I’m delivering high-quality work that’s providing value to the business.