Celeste (00:00):

It really is about our store managers and our store teams really being empowered to do what is needed to create the best experience for their guests and to create the most impact in the communities they operate in.

Monica (00:12):

Hi, I am Monica. I'm here in beautiful Vancouver, Canada, the rightful birthplace of Lululemon. I'm joined by Celeste Burgoyne, President, America's and Global Guest Innovation. Celeste, that was a mouthful. Tell us about your role.

Celeste (00:41):

Yeah, so nice to see you and be here with you, Monica. My role, as you said, I'm president of North America, as well as global guest innovation, ensuring that our guest experience across all touch points is really elevated and continues to resonate with our guests. I lead our stores, I lead our e-commerce business as well as you mentioned, global guest innovation. So all of the programs that we're looking at that are really focused on continuing to elevate that experience.

Monica (01:09):

What excites you the most about your role?

Celeste (01:11):

Yeah. Gosh, I feel so lucky and so honored. I've been with Lululemon for almost 17 years, and I feel like when I started at Lululemon, it was really from a place of growing the US and today, I get to do that on steroids, in the sense of I really get to focus in a beautiful way on the retail experience and the guest experience. As you know, retail is super dynamic and agile, so it's always changing, never boring. And then people. I really, really focus a lot in my role in terms of developing great teams and putting people in the right spots and ensuring that I give them the freedom and tools to lead their teams. And it's probably one of the most rewarding parts.

Monica (01:51):

Building a global brand requires tenacity at the very least. And doing so from Canada, particularly in the category within which you operate is quite competitive. What's made you so successful on the global spectrum?

Celeste (02:04):

Yeah. Listen, what I would say is I think Lululemon is super unique in the sense of what we stand for really does not have borders. It really is about supporting and elevating the communities we operate in and really getting intimately connected to those communities through ambassadors, through our employees, and through different partnerships on the ground level. So I think it's been really incredible that we really look at our expansion as one market at a time and really take the time in these markets to create real authentic relationships within the wellness community as a whole and then directly with our guests. And so it has taken tenacity, it's taken time. We've taken some patience and we've definitely learned a lot along the way. But I would say our intent is really about bringing incredible product, hiring and developing incredible people and creating incredible relationships in the communities with our ambassadors as well as with our guests.

Monica (02:59):

Let's pivot towards your customer. It's not just the yoga enthusiast anymore. Who is Lululemon's customer?

Celeste (03:08):

Yeah, good question. And one small little thing is we actually call the customer our guest. And that language may seem small, but I think it's actually been quite pivotal in terms of how we feel about that guest. And really, our goal is that our guest is someone that we are hosting in our store or on our site or in our community. So I would say internally, we have a real love and focus on the guest, what they need, how we can solve their problems, and how we can continue to show up for them from a product or guest experience perspective.

(03:46):

Our guest is an incredible human and really broad, to your point, no longer just yoga enthusiasts. So we have a guest that really is into wellbeing as a whole and really keeping active. One beautiful thing in our guest base is we have this real opportunity to be multi-generational. We'll see many different generations shopping together or shopping on their own, and we really think about how do we create experiences to support that. People who care about quality, who care about being active and care about wellness in the broader sense.

Monica (04:20):

You talk about the in-store guest experience, it's in your title. Talk to me about what the guest can anticipate experiencing when they walk through the doors of Lululemon.

Celeste (04:31):

Really, what our commitment is, is that somebody will walk into our doors and feel that it is an experience and an energy where they feel included, they feel seen. Our people are incredible in terms of really knowing the product, really understanding the community that that store is located in and how they can support the guests within that community outside of even products. So if someone comes in or they find the perfect outfit, we can also connect them to the ambassadors in the community or events happening or experiences happening. So we really look at our stores as a true community hub where product education and community both come to life in really, really powerful ways.

Monica (05:09):

How do you ensure consistency in that in-store experience for the guests across the globe?

Celeste (05:15):

I would say what I am really focused on and what my team is really focused on is this freedom within a framework. So really clear expectedations about what do we believe an ultimate and pinnacle Lululemon experience can look and feel like, but then really empowering the great leaders we have to create within that. So we definitely have an entrepreneurship model and entrepreneurial thinking in the sense of, we believe that it isn't necessarily about driving consistency, it's about driving really incredible experiences.

Monica (05:49):

Talk to me about your sustainability strategy or impact agenda.

Celeste (05:54):

So we call our overarching conversation, is the impact agenda. And within the impact agenda we have sustainability, and then we have really a focus on people. So as we think about impact and how we'll continue to leave a lasting impact on the world, we really think in those two lanes. People is something that we look at from a place of really enabling people to reach their fullest potential personal development and really helping people and supporting people within this organization to reach their goals.

(06:25):

From a sustainability perspective, there's some really fun areas that we've been looking at and really working in. So we really focus on product innovation with a focus on sustainability. Circularity is obviously a big conversation. I think that the guest at the end of the day can really depend on us and knows us for great quality product that lasts a long time, which is really important in sustainability. And now, we have this opportunity to really create full circularity within that experience. And then climate. Obviously climate matters to us a lot within that sustainability focus. And we have partnerships that really allow us to focus and give back and contribute from a climate perspective. So from an innovation perspective and thinking how sustainability can really innovate fabric, which we can then make even better product, is something we're really focused on,, the circularity model and then continuing to support and invest into climate.

Monica (07:19):

With all the innovation that you've been speaking of, with all the enhancements in store with guest experience, what will Lululemon look like five years from now?

Celeste (07:28):

Isn't it funny, right? Gosh, I started here almost 17 years ago, and it's amazing to think about from then what we look like today. And what I would say in five years is I think the reality is, in some ways it will look completely different, and in some ways it will be completely the same. But what I would say is that our goal in five years is that human connection is more alive than ever, and I see a real opportunity to really leverage innovation and leverage technology to really live into our strength. And so in some ways, in five years, I hope we feel even more similar and more connected from a relationship perspective than we do today.

Monica (08:05):

Celeste, thank you for having me here. And thank you for sharing insights into Lululemon behind the scenes.

Celeste (08:12):

You are so welcome. It has been such a pleasure to get to know you better, Monica.

Monica (08:16):

Thank you. Lululemon is a trendsetter. There is no bounds to their level of creativity. They are a global phenomenon, but make no mistake, they are Canadian through and through. I'm Monica Chadha. Thank you for watching and we will see you next time.