Big changes are taking place at Athena A, including the imminent opening of a second store in Franschhoek on the July 1st. The studio is also moving to more reasonably priced offices in August. As for the costing model the students developed, it is not yet complete — the team still needs to input internal manufacturing figures.

The suggestions around store visibility were implemented while the team was still on site, helping Athena identify the “hot spots” within the store.

Those layout changes have already led to increased traffic in specific areas, and Athena plans to carry the same learnings across to the new Franschhoek store.

On social media, the students highlighted the need for Athena to be more visible as part of the brand. Athena is still working out how to balance that personal visibility with maintaining a premium brand feel, noting that some of the video examples provided did not quite align with their vision.

The catch up ended with a warm message to the Imperial team, wishing them luck in their careers and reminding them that they always have a friend in South Africa.