Trend spotting is just part of the remit for Matthew Brooks, as Global Product Manager for Gifts at Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA). We wanted to find out what a role in a gifting team was really all about and Matthew was only too happy to share.

After a long career in retail, both in-store and as part of head office teams, Matthew returned to WBA as a Global Product Manager. His day to day work is really varied, he might find himself looking at emerging trends, doing some competitor shopping, working with the design team or choosing new fragrances, so that that when a customer opens their present on Christmas day they are both delighted and inspired.

With a fascination in how customers interact with products, Matthew has crafted a career that needs a passion for gifting and beauty as well as a good amount of business acumen. After all, it’s not just about choosing products to go into a gift, he needs to balance what it is, how many, cost, size and design into each decision that he makes. The end result is gifts that will be enjoyed by the customers buying them as much as those who are receiving them both in the UK and the US. It’s Matthew’s job to make sure that the gift is exciting, that the price point is balanced, all in the hope that customers will keep coming back.

Since returning to WBA Matthew has brought his unique and creative individualism to his role and he encourages anyone looking to get into this field to do exactly the same. Being yourself is the biggest strength to get you started!