Kit and Ace Reviews

Pros

- Product! - New owners are cultivating a fun culture with an emphasis on empowering their people. - Love the start up life; you get to work cross functional with all departments, learn a ton about retail and assist in building a brand.

Cons

- Being associated with the past, and needing to educate on the new brand direction. - The business is focused on earning the right to grow. Which means moderate growth

Advice to Management

Continue telling the new Kit and Aces story and direction. In my opinion it is all about generating awareness. Otherwise great product and bike vision; love my classic ride pant :-)

Pros

Open and collaborative work environment where you are empowered to contribute to the business and your voice is heard. Great learning and growth environment , with the opportunity to wear many hats and expand your skill set. Great people , energy and awesome office views ;)

Cons

Still in the process of shedding "Old World " Kit and Ace identity which at times feels like an uphill battle. Lean team (great for learning ) however at times can feel a little overwhelming.

Pros

Monthly exercise allowance included for all employees. Fun, friendly, and welcoming environment to work in. Plenty of shifts.

Cons

Employees are required to wear one piece of “current” product all the time, and the clothes are quite expensive (with a fairly small relative employee discount), which guarantees you’ll be spending at least a portion of your paycheque on new clothes fairly regularly. They are also extremely strict about how you use your employee discount, to the point where workers are not allowed to use it for anybody but... themselves, not even for gifts. Expensive clothing = often snooty/pretentious clientele.

Pros

I've worked at Kit and Ace for almost 4 years and its been a wild ride! I've worked very hard and in return have grown a lot and have had opportunities to be in different roles. Work is fun AND challenging which I personally love. Our CEO is approachable and humble. I love being able to walk up to him and give him direct feedback or ask questions.

Cons

We're still running a bit lean... really looking forward to being able to grow our headcount!

Advice to Management

Keep asking the team a lot of questions and enroll everyone more on our performance and if we're on track with our new vision.

Pros

Great people, the product is nice and you have the chance to learn about the different areas of a retail business (if you show interest). The head office is in a great location and the pay is fair.

Cons

The business growth is slow and the team is small so you will quickly hit a career wall. The strategy isn’t sound so not sure how long the company will be around.

Advice to Management

You can’t erase or change the past, concentrate on what you want to be in the future.

Pros

Feedback- everyone from our educations to our Shop Directors, to our Leadership Team and our CEO George allows us to give direct feedback to them. It is welcomed and in some cases my direct feedback has impacted a decision that is being made. People- the people that I work with are fun and goal oriented. They want to achieve big things in their lives and take an interest in what my goals are too. It feels like I... get to work with my friends. There is a family feel here at Kit and Ace. Empowerment: I am not micromanaged. I am given the opportunity to contribute to areas of the business that I am passionate about and my opinion is valued

Cons

Lean team. As we grow we will need to add more incredible people to our team so that we can get into the work we need to grow our brand and the business. Excited to have the consistency of a new owner who is passionate about our future so we can start to build a foundation that will continue to be built vs. building a foundation and then having another big company change that requires us to rebuild again (PAST... KA)

Advice to Management

Speak louder about the fact that we are a NEW Kit and Ace. Although we have the same name as when we opened in 2014 we are a VERY different company. New culture, new clothing direction, new people. We are creating our future without feeling restricted by our past.

Pros

Casual office, people focused, super friendly co-workers, fun work environment, awesome discount, great people development, can talk to anyone in the office

Cons

office location, clear growth opportunities,

Pros

Kit and Ace is a different business today, compared to what most people remember it as. We are now a Canadian based business (under new ownership) with a focus on technical apparel for the modern commuter. - The Head Office is filled with passionate people that love the brand. - It feels like a close-knit family. - The office environment is light and fun. - You get the opportunity to work cross-functionally... and learn about all parts of the business

Cons

It's proving difficult get out from the shadow of the old world. People still think we are a luxury company owned and managed by the Wilson family.