About Us
The Retail Mentors help you build your professional network, share your experience, develop your expertise, and learn from each other.
The Retail Mentors community provides access and connection to industry and subject matter experts, critical thinking and the fundamental tools to empower all to elevate and thrive within this dynamic industry through our powerful programs, network events, and business advisory.
The Retail Mentors unites savvy industry experts who believe that together, we can have a positive influence on the future of the industry we know and love. RETAIL.
The Retail Mentors was founded in 2020 by retail expert Sally Coates.
Sally’s retail career was determined at the age of 12, after a very long and fruitless shopping expedition with her mother. Left standing in the middle of the last store of the day, exhausted, frustrated, not to mention empty-handed, she turned to her mother and asked:
“Who chooses what goes into these stores”?
“A Fashion Buyer” she replied.
“Well…that’s what I am going to be when I leave school. I am sure I can a much better job than these people”, I announced.
There in the middle of a store, at the age of 12, Sally made a decision, based on a moment of pure frustration. She wanted to have an influence on retail, and from there a retail career was born. A retail career that has now spanned three decades.
Sally has led large merchandise teams for top performing ASX-listed companies including Woolworth's Australia, Wesfarmers and David Jones, using her experience and skills to infuse the balance of strategy and creativity to drive growth and customer advocacy in $3+ billion businesses.
Sally has also held CEO roles in various SME’s leading these businesses through turnaround to growth, by focusing on developing, implementing, and embedding the transformation and innovative growth strategies needed to ensure these businesses have the foundations and plans in place to be poised for a long, sustainable and profitable future.