Men can't sell women make-up?

There are some things that you have to put down to cultural differences — as we discovered from Bonnie Brooks, the vice chairman of Canadian retailer Hudson's Bay Company, which owns retail chains such as Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue. She was in India recently as speaker at the India Fashion Forum. During her stay in Mumbai, Brooks visited city stores, an activity that was equal parts leisure and business.

In her keynote address, Brooks shared an observation with the audience: Standing behind make-up counters, men sell lipsticks in India. The audience wasn't sure why this was a big deal, but Brooks insisted it's unacceptable. "How can a man know what lipliner works with which lipstick, for which complexion?" It's fortunate that Brooks didn't decide to pay the neighbourhood lingerie store a visit, where men often, well, man the counter. That's Indian retail for you, Ms Brooks.