Park Bravo Group

Being one of the leading retail firms in Turkey, The Park Bravo Group with its PPark Bravo, Fizz by Park Bravo, Nine West, Enzo Angiolini, AK Anne Klein, La Senza and Inglot brands has always been commited to providing quality services.

Brands

Human Resources

We work as a huge family that deserves a "Bravo" for each of its members, a team friends of whom we can also say "Bravo".

We try to make shopping from our stores a habit with our established and honest service approach, our uninterrupted communications to get to know the customer, and our approach that is sensitive to their demands.

Our principles:

• Being constantly aware that we are in the spotlight
• Always thinking with « COLLECTIVE » spirit
• Making sure that the customer leaves our store satisfied
• Putting our signature under our work

Every individual working at Park Bravo is a part of the whole. The key to our success is our professional team's working creatively, willingly, and regarding customer satisfaction as a priority.

If you wish to become a member of a huge family that deserves a "bravo" with each of its members we welcome our new colleagues on board.

You can fill out the Work Application form or you can send your Resume in Word format, specifying the position you apply for with a brief introduction to the e-mail address of insankaynaklari@parkbravo.com.tr

History

• 1970 1970 The company was established by KAMİL ÖZÇOBAN in Ankara. The first store named "DOLFIN" opened in Ankara.
• 1972 The second store named "BRAVO" opened in Ankara.
• 1973 A new store named "DOLFIN&BRAVO" opened in Ankara.
• 1976 A 5 story BRAVO DOLFIN store opened in Ankara.
• 1978 Second BRAVO DOLFIN opened in Ankara
• 1984 Company headquarters moved to İstanbul, and its title has been changed as "PARK BRAVO". Ankara Kızılay PARK BRAVO store opened.
• 1986 The first store in Istanbul opened in Osmanbey Gazi Shopping Arcade.
• 1987 PARK BRAVO store opened in Istanbul Suadiye.
• 1988 The company started production under the name "FOLK LIMITED" in Istanbul Levent. Wholesales period thus started.
• 1990 PARK BRAVO stores opened in Adana and Eskişehir.
• 1991 Headquarters moved to the present address at Talatpaşa Cad. No:108/1 Gültepe. İstanbul Nişantaşı PARK BRAVO store opened the same year.
• 1993 PARK BRAVO stores opened in Ankara Karum in June, at İstanbul Akmerkez in December, and at İstanbul Capitol in September.
• 1995 PARK BRAVO stores opened in İstanbul Galleria in March, in İstanbul Carrousel in July, in İzmir Alsancak in September, and in İzmir Karşıyaka ve Mersin in October.
• 1996 PARK BRAVO store opened in İçerenköy Carrefour in April. Ankara Kızılay PARK BRAVO store closed down for renovation and opened again in September with is new decoration.
• 1997 The company obtained the Turkey Distributorship of America's largest shoe store chain NINE WEST. The first NINE WEST store opened in Capitol in March. İstanbul Nişantaşı NINE WEST store opened in August.
• 1998 PARK BRAVO store opened in Istanbul Beylikdüzü Migros in February. The company obtained the Turkey distributorship for Spain based ZARA stores, and the first store opened in Ankara Kızılay. The second ZARA store opened in İstanbul Suadiye. NINE WEST store opened in Ankara Karum'da NINE WEST in May.
• 1999 NINE WEST store opened in Istanbul Akmerkez in February. PARK BRAVO and NINE WEST stores opened in Ankara Migros in September. PARK BRAVO store opened in Bursa Zafer Plaza in October. The management of the ZARA stores were given over to the Spanish.
• 2000 NINE WEST store opened in İstanbul Şaşkınbakkal in March. The first PARK BRAVO store opened in Antalya. PARK BRAVO and NINE WEST stores opened in İstanbul Carrefour Ümraniye Shopping Center in May. PARK BRAVO OUTLET and NINE WEST OUTLET opened in İstanbul Olivium Shopping Center in August. PARK BRAVO and NINE WEST stores opened in İstanbul Profilo Alışveriş Merkezi'nde in September. PARK BRAVO and NINE WEST stores opened in Adana Real M1 Shopping Center in October.
• 2001 The NINE WEST corner opened in İstanbul Galleria YKM in January. Akmerkez PARK BRAVO store was renovated in October. PARK BRAVO and NINE WEST stores opened in Antalya Migros Shopping Center in April.
• 2002 The stores Alsancak NINE WEST in March, Konya Masera PARK BRAVO and Ankara Armada PARK BRAVO and NINE WEST in September, İstanbul Nautilus PARK BRAVO and NINE WEST, Kahramanmaraş PARK BRAVO, and Gaziantep PARK BRAVO in October opened.
• 2003 The stores Samsun PARK BRAVO in March, İstanbul MetroCity NINE WEST in April, İstanbul Metro City PARK BRAVO in June, and Fly-Inn NINE WEST in December opened.
• 2004 The stores Elazığ PARK BRAVO in June, Suadiye NINE WEST in March, Kuğulu NINE WEST in September, and İzmit PARK BRAVO in December opened.
• 2005 The stores Maltepe PARK BRAVO and NINE WEST opened in January.
  The company obtained Turkey distributorship of the famous lingerie brand Canada based LA SENZA.
  Maltepe LA SENZA store opened in March.
  Antalya Deepo PARK BRAVO and NINE WEST stores opened in February.
  June The first La Senza store opens in Ankara. We opened our 3. La Senza store in Anka Mall Shopping Center, and in Akmerkez' in July.
  October Park Bravo-Nine West and La Senza stores opened in Cevahir AVM.
  Fizz by Park Bravo makes its debut as a corner.
  October Nine West Corner opened in YKM Cevahir.
  November We moved to our new factory of 20.000 m2 in Ayazağa.
  
• 2006March- The first Nine West Corner opened in Boyner stores at Içerenköy Carrefour.
  April - Park Bravo - Nine West stores opened in Adana Ziyapaşa Boulevard.
  Fizz by Park Bravo and La Senza made their debut as a corner.
  Park Bravo Group store opened in Gaziantep.
  The first Park Bravo store which includes a Nine West Corner moved to it's new place in Gaziantep.
  Mai - Akmerkez-Nine West store renewed!
  New stores joined to Park Bravo and Nine West stores in M1 Shopping Center, Adana.
  Park Bravo store including Fizz and La Senza Corners opened in Zİya Pasa Boulvard.
  August - Park Bravo Outlet store renewed in Gültepe.
  November - Park bravo, Nine west ve La Senza stores opened in Izmir Forum Bornova Shopping Center.
  The new concept of La Senza applied here earlier then Europe.
  December - Park Bravo Group Optimum Outlet store opened in Ankara.
  
• 2007February - Metrocity La Senza store opened.
  March - Park Bravo,Nine West ve La Senza showrooms opened in Ayazaga.
  April - Park Bravo store opened in Kazakhistan.
  May - Nine West store opened in Romania.
  June - Park Bravo store opened in Nicosia.
  August - Kartal Park Bravo Group outlet store opened.
  September - Inglot store opened in Metrocity AVM.
  Park Bravo, Nine West, Enzo Angiolini, La Senza ve Inglot stores opened in IstinyePark AVM.
  Park Bravo, La Senza, Enzo Angiolini ve Nine West stores opened in Bursa Korupark.
  October – Park Bravo ve Enzo Angiolini stores opened in Eskisehir Espark AVM.
  November – Park Bravo, Nine West, La Senza ve Inglot stores opened in Forum Mersin AVM.
  Park Bravo, Nine West ve La Senza stores opened in Bakırköy Capacity AVM .
  Inglot Corner opened in Ayazaga.
  December - Park Bravo, Nine West, La Senza stores opened in Bakirkoy Capacity AVM.
  La Senza, Nine West ve Enzo Angiolini stores opened in Ankara Panora AVM.
• 2008 January - Park Bravo ve Nine West stores opened in Kazakhistan Karagand.
  February - Sary Arka AVM'de Park Bravo ve Nine West stores opened in Sary Arka Shopping Center - Astana/Kazakhistan.
  April – Nine West and La Senza stores opened in City's Nisantasi Shopping Center.
  Park Bravo, Nine West ve La Senza stores opened in Romania Baneasa Mall. These are the first stores of Park Bravo and La Senza in Romania.
  May - The Inglot Corner in the Park Bravo shop in Gaziantep, Turkey opened.
  Nine West and La Senza stores open in Antalya's new shopping center, Shemall.
  June - Park Bravo, Nine West and La Senza stores opened in the newly launched City Park Mall in Constanta, Rumania.
  Park Bravo & Nine West stores are opened in Forum Trabzon AVM.
  August - Park Bravo & Nine West stores are opened in Fatih Historia City AVM.
  Nine West & AK Anne Klein stores are opened in Kanyon AVM.
  September - Park Bravo, Nine West & La Senza stores are opened in Agora AVM, Izmir.

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A Success Story

Taking a step forward from dreams towards a goal... Supply always creates demand. When the doorbells start to ring... Growth begins... "Limits must be overcome" The first organizational efforts It's the "21. century Star Wars." Turkey's bright future

There were no merchants or industrialists in my family before me. I completed my elementary and high school education in TED Ankara College. Afterwards I was enrolled in Ankara Law Faculty. After studying for one year, I decided to to go Vienna University. My adventure in Vienna lasted one year. I came back to Ankara, and winning the university exams for the third time I started to study Classical Archeology.

I needed to work in order to support myself. The Archeology Department didn't have attendance requirement. Thus I tried the tourism sector in which I was interested, and started working in hotel receptions. I made quite a bit of progress in this area, and I was only 23 years old when I became the Assistant Director in Ankara Dedeman Hotel.

My brother LEVENT ÖZÇOBAN (the present owner of Polo and Polo Garage companies) was attending the middle school at that time. I knew that I needed to work in order to supply for my brother's and my own school expenses. I gave up hotel management when I graduated from the university, and completed my military service as a reserve officer.

Taking the first step forward from dreams towards the goal...

I always aspired to have my own business ever since I was a child. I was ready to fight to reach my goal. I had finally made up my mind; I was going to try my hand in business even when I had to sell lemons after I completed my military service. Having set this goal, I turned down the position in hotel management even though I was invited to work for them again.

I rented a 20 m2 large store in a shopping arcade on İzmir Street in Ankara in the beginning of the 70's, and started my career as a merchant, selling hair saloon equipment, accessories, and perfumes. Those were difficult times. I didn't know much about retail business. There was nobody to guide and help me. I also didn't have enough capital.

I would come to Istanbul on Gazanfer Bilge night bus, get off the car ferry in Sirkeci, buy products in Tahtakale and the vicinity, put my goods in the zipped bag that I brought with, and go back to Ankara again on the night bus. I would place the products on the shelves all by myself before I even go by my house, and try to sell them the next day. I was never disillusioned about my dream in spite of the days of exhaustion and no sleep.

I started collecting the fruits of my endeavors and sacrifices after a while. I encountered an important opportunity for my personal progress. The owners of the "BARIKAN HOTEL" in which reception I used to work told me that they were having some stores built on the front of their hotel, and I could get one if I wanted. The rental regulations left me affording just the 27 m2 large corner store. I borrowed some money, and played quite high for the decoration part. The rent for this small place was 4500 TL in year 1971. Such high rent was unheard of in Ankara until that day. Jewelry, accessories, and perfume sales weren't bringing much revenue, but I wasn't disappointed, because I had landed on a corner store with showcases on both fronts on a real street. The people were walking by the store at all times, and the foot traffic around the store was quite intense.

Supply always creates demand

I was thinking about other products I could offer. I started searching for quality products that the customer was looking for. I would buy products like neckties, pipes, shaving lotion, Italian knits, and blouses as much as I could afford, put them on the shelves, and sell them out until evening. The next day I would hit the road again for Istanbul, and slowly locate my product and production sources.

The small number of existing producing companies was taken over by the stores in Atatürk Boulevard, which was the original market place in 1971. I wasn't able to buy any products from the producers because of my insufficient capital. The location of my 27 m2 large store was more second class compared to theirs, nevertheless I was right next door to the three most famous hair salons of Ankara. Across from me was the American Bazaar. The female consumers had just the qualities of the mass I wished to target. They had high income and high education level. I made sure that I had good relations with them. Most of them were my friends anyway. I was trying to create demand by considering their expectations, and trying to offer products that the other stores didn't carry.

We had quite an interesting competition between me and the other stores. I was the educated one, and they only went to the school of life. I tried to use this to my advantage, because I would view the customer in a much different way. The consumer asked for novelties, they had some demands, but there was no one to answer them. This was a strategic point, and I had discovered it.

When the doorbells start ringing...

That tiny store was packed with people before I even know it. We would now keep the doors closed when full, wait for some folks to come out, and then take the same number of people in. The transportation companies didn't exist, we had warehouses instead. The products would arrive either packed in brown butcher's paper, or wood crates nailed in from Istanbul. People couldn't get enough of them, fighting for some pieces when we opened those in the store right in front of them. One day one of our customers wanted to try on a machine-knit piece she chose. We did not have such a trial room. I apologized to her, and the next day I hired a curtain maker who fixed the cornice on the ceiling, so that I had a two-winged curtain. When the customers wished to try on one of the pieces one of our female staff would hold the curtain, which opened in both directions. It was quite problematic to maintain a trial room in such a small store, because the curtain divided the store in two, and the people that wanted to leave couldn't get out. It was like a joke...

You might be wondering why I'm telling you all this. Nothing in life happens without a cause. I figured the younger people in our career could make use of them. I hope to have challenged and encouraged them.

First I named my store DOLFIN. I was inspired by archeology. Later on I opened another store named BRAVO. However I thought that it wouldn't be economical to use both store names separately, hence decided that I would use a single packaging material, and joined the brand names: "BRAVO&DOLFIN"

And now it was time that I did something for men. This is how I converted my first little corner store into a men's boutique. We became quite famous. Lots of things were getting into groove now, and it was time for me to get married. After spending a long period of engagement due to financial problems, me and my fiancée finally got married thanks to our economic progress.

My first daughter Zeynep was born the next year, then Aslı in 1979, they both grew up spending a lot of time in our stores. They breathed the dust of our craft on site, and received a great education. Since 1996, Zeynep has been successfully managing all designs, sales, production and visual aspects of PARK BRAVO with the help of her team. My second daughter Aslı graduated from FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) in NEW YORK after completing high school. She also worked for LOUIS VUITTON New York for two years. At the moment she is the highest authority in Nine West and La Senza brands.

The growth begins...

The construction work in place of the hotel where my store was, was soon to begin, I had to move out. Just when I was thinking about losing a good sales location I again rented a store for an astronomical price in the most beautiful corner of Ankara. I opened a store with 5 floors at the busiest spot of the Atatürk Boulevard, Meşrutiyet Street. All my friends and colleagues said I would go bankrupt this time for sure. I again became indebted, took risks because I didn't have enough capital. We decorated with wood, as it was cheaper. Yet it took us a while to realize that we had unintentionally done something great.

We displayed an exemplary work in 1976 Turkey with our men, women, and kids floors. Similar decorations were put together in every store now. We took great pride in this. Today "BRAVO&DOLFIN" has become a legend.

We would earn our income by obtaining the single authorized dealership for several Istanbul based companies. Retail fashion production has been recently increasing in Turkey, new young brands were appearing in the market. Some of Istanbul based companies opened their own retail stores. There was abundance, lot of movement in the market. Nobody knew yet what inflation was, and the buying power of people was much better compared to today.

 

"The boundaries must be overcome"

Ankara was becoming too small for me in 1984. I decided to push my limits, and become a chain store enterprise. I already had an office with people working for me in Osmanbey Istanbul. All purchasing procedures went through this center. I likewise came to Istanbul every Tuesday and returned to Ankara on Friday night. My second daughter was just beginning to memorize my face, and then forget again. Thus I moved my household to Istanbul, so that I could eliminate these problems and explore new markets.

I changed my brand name to 'PARK BRAVO' later on. I opened my first Istanbul store on Bağdat Street in Suadiye. Other stores followed. We had caught a great trend wind. However Istanbul was not like Ankara at all, each company created its own stores already. I was faced once again with the necessity of carrying products that were more unique, and I started production using 'PARK BRAVO' label. I established 'FOLK LIMITED' company in 1988 for this purpose.

I was 40 years old when I moved to Istanbul, and 45 when I established my production facility. We manufactured 600 000 pieces in a closed space that was 6000 m2 large. We moved to our new facility with 20 000 m2 closed space in Ayazağa in November 2005. We are engaged in production and logistics backed up with the world's latest technology. Our goal is to reach 5 Million pieces in the year of 2011. My dealer free companies are engaged in the import of raw materials or finished products from anywhere in the world.

The first organizational efforts

7-8 years ago I was confiding in an experienced colleague friend of mine, saying, "The successful companies in the sector are next to or across from each other, yet they don't even know each other personally". Following my friend's advice, I invited 23 company owners for a meeting with dinner in the "ÇIRAĞAN" Hotel that had just opened that day. Except for two people traveling in abroad 21 company owners showed up. We introduced ourselves and discussed our problems. We held these meeting once a month for a long time. The press also knew about them. They called us the "ÇIRAĞAN" group. I believe that I made my contribution to making competing company owners transparent, sharing everything with each other.

I worked a lot on the assertion that says it is necessary to create an encouraging competition atmosphere, because employment will be more productive in such an environment. I explained my colleagues that we needed to have our own retail stores in recently opening shopping centers, and I convinced them.

After Customs Union Treaty was signed all the companies that guessed what was going to happen to Turkey, including me tried to explain the issue to the owners of the local companies. We the group, also made our future plans as "PARK BRAVO". In this period we realized the necessity of going into cooperation with foreign brands, and we contacted the women shoes company "NINE WEST" that we knew very well from the USA. They came to Istanbul, investigated our company, and we signed our license agreement in the year of 1996. I can easily claim that the most elegant NW stores in the world are located in Turkey.

ZARA's Spanish authorities made an appointment, and paid a visit to me in 1997. They told me that they had been visiting Turkey since three years, they knew all the local companies by heart, when they assessed the incoming proposals, they had observed that the companies that applied to them didn't have enough background, and they considered PARK BRAVO successful upon their research, so if I would agree, they wished to establish ZARA Turkey with me. It was impossible not to know ZARA. We would observe the synergy they created, and also follow them through the press. It made us proud to receive this proposal even though we hadn't apply for it. We stood up to their observances. We opened very elegant ZARA stores with ample space and educated staff within a short amount of time, and agreed on a program that included 15 stores. Everything runs according to the plan at the moment.

It's the "21. century Star Wars"

I summarized my commercial life for you. Finally I would like to point out one thing. Up until a couple of years ago, before the Customs Union Treaty was signed, import policies and the bans that surround the country like an impenetrable castle caused the Turkish companies to cash in unjust profits. The consumers were forced to supply for their needs through the existing companies, hence paying exorbitant prices.

International hypermarkets and clothes selling brands that open their retail chains in Turkey caused the product retail prices in the market to go down for the benefit of the consumers. Moreover the same foreign brands educated the consumer. They taught them that they could purchase more products with the same amount of money. And this is exactly the war that's been going on on the world scale. Fashion emperors have been collapsing, and very quick imitator pirate companies have been opening their stores in the hottest spots nowadays. The fashion emperors keep waiting for the customers, while there forms a huge line in front of the other's cash registers.

The 21. Century is "STAR WARS". It is the century of collecting small amounts from a great number of consumers. If this is how the war is taking shape in the developed countries, we can expect similar problems in Turkey as well. The local companies cannot secure the kind of profits that they are accustomed to. Real calculations don't work for them. Neither the background, nor the financing of the investors is sufficient. The ones that can't establish their infrastructures and systems will have to go out of business. The dealer has to disappear. They need to proceed exactly like the "STAR WARS" heroes.

The Turkish companies that wish to reach out to the consumer directly after the production, and wish to stay around need to open retail stores, and become a chain. No company can survive, unless it completes the production, logistics, and sales points triangle. Product database, statistical information, and professional shipping and managing personnel should be created, and the entire system should run fast and smooth.

"PARK BRAVO" group also tries to respond to the change it registered long time ago and the consumer demands with the slogan "Let's give them quality products for less", and is quite successful in it. The target is "the working woman". The working woman consumes because of the social class she belongs. The collections are put together by regarding the needs of the working woman. We constantly look for an answer for the question, what are the needs of the «working woman » in the office, dinner, cocktail party, weekends, and holidays ?

At the present time I work with a very young staff of which I personally contributed to their training. Our tempo is quite fast and success oriented. We do not utilize media, commercials, and similar instruments. We are aware that the best promotion is the customer satisfaction. Furthermore we observe that it is to our advantage to have a one-to-one, face-to-face relationship with the consumer through our stores that are becoming widely popular.

Consequently I firmly believe that our Turkish companies will soon establish their own brand chains in the European Community countries, just like NINE WEST and ZARA has done. Just the way they come to us, we can go to them. Some people will start with it, be successful, and the other Turkish companies are bound to follow.

The service sector comes into foreground in the new century. The most important problem of Turkey is the unemployed young people. The world Giants arrived in our country as foreign capital, and they will continue to do so. The young people of our country need to educate themselves, and be patient. There is ample need for work force in the developing retail sector. English speaking young people with computer skills will easily find a job in this sector, and climb the ladder as they gain experience. Production has no more nationality, the world is becoming global, one single market. It became a talent to carry the right product for the right price, at the right time. As always the future star and the favorite country will be Turkey.

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Social Responsibilities

Park Bravo is aware of its corporate social responsibilities. With this understanding, along side our commercial activities we contribute to a number of projects in education and environment, important subjects in Turkey.

AÇEV

Commemorating Mother’s Day, in the name of its customers the Park Bravo Group has made a donation to AÇEV to provide educational assistance for disadvantaged children and adults in order to contribute to a more enlightened and peaceful society.

The Parkbravo Group Commemorative Forest
Our most important investment in the future

Park Bravo Group staff organized a campaign to contribute to the effort to fight soil erosion in Turkey. Through the auspices of the TEMA Foundation Group staff contributed to the foundation of the Park Bravo Group Commemorative Forest.

Total contribution: 20.017 YTL

Number of saplings planted: 5719

From Park Bravo a competition for the environment:
the Hot Shirt contest

Park Bravo in cooperation with Madame Figaro provided a donation to the Tema Foundation in the effort against erosion and deforestation in Turkey through the Hot Shirt Competition of 2007. Enivonmentally aware designers provided original designes to this contest which intended to especially to raise environmental awareness amongst young people. First Prize was won by Aslı Unutulmaz's shirt design entitled "Turna Kuşu ve 1000 Dilek" which was produced as a shirt and sold in Park Bravo stores for a 2 months.

Proceeds from the sale of the shirts were donated to the Tema Foundation in the fight against erosion and deforestation in Turkey.

Click for the pictures...

Afyon Emine Özçoban Primary Schoool

The Park Bravo Group in an effort to help in the education of children in Turkey provided funds for the construction of a primary school in the village of Kozluca in Afyon province. The Emine Özçoban Primary School was opened on the 17th of October 2007 by the Chairman of our Board, Kamil Özçoban.

Park Bravo Group Donates to Education

The Park Bravo Group provided assistance to education in Turkey through donations to the Haydi Kızlar Okula program organized by Unicef and the Turkish Ministry of Education and the TED Foundation.

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