Lynn Boivin: Freelance Consulting Projects in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA

• High-impact consultant with years of experience working with wholesale companies using strong financial, strategic, and technical skills that have built successful partnerships in several industries. • Specialties: Business Start Ups and Launch, Financial Planning, Merchandise Management, Trending and Forecasting, Assortment Building, Buying, Allocation & Distribution, Customer Service, and Team Building.

Planning/Forecasting • Management of the apparel brands BCBG, Herve Leger by Max Azria, and BCBGeneration (8 sub-brands in total) representing $430M in wholesale sales (2013) and annual increases in margin from 2009-2013. • Ownership of top down annual 3 year financial plans with supporting category bottoms up plans. Account/Vendor plans prepared by store by month including a full OTB. Merchandising receipt plans supported with line, SKU, and style/color direction as needed. • Restructured and improved financial, store and merchandise planning collaboration models, tying store receipt plans to store sales plans, backed by product buy plans that supported brand financial plans. • Streamlined monthly, seasonal, annual planning and forecasting models allowing weekly OTB & GM reforecasts. Merchandising • Established merchandise planning system to partner with our wholesale buying department in each account. • Provided well thought out and early line planning by delivery with highlighted SKUs by category to buyers. • Combined our knowledge of: trend, store style history, designer vision, and the buyer’s geographic local knowledge, to tailor smart vendor buys. Taking over the product choices from our account buyers increased account sales by 16% in available accounts. Analysis/Metrics • Created statistical analyses using KPI current results versus plan, historical data, and trend. This included identifying risks and opportunities; analysis with follow up delivered in concert. • Analyzed all store metrics in order to speak wholesale or retail goals to appropriate account type when working to increase both vendor and BCBG margins. • Partnered in compensation reviews of account executives maintaining competitive benefit and incentive plans influencing profit centers according to company growth strategies. • Guaranteed reliability of historical database systems recording the smallest level of product detail and product sales used by several audiences to guide future decisions. Controls/Problem Solving • Controlled BCBG inventory by challenging corporate buys to receipt plans and reacting quickly to business. • Account inventories managed throughout the season to avoid costly EOS product returns (BCBG expense). • Carefully set up replenishment systems with constant review of sales, stock, and visual impact, ensuring replen orders prevented missed sales or excess inventory. Allocations • Redesigned allocation process with results exceeding sales plans and reductions in stock levels. • Researched individual store data and applied this education to store clusters while streamlining allocation methods improved sales, increased flexibility and turnaround times in 500+ stores. Communication/Leadership • Acted as company customer service department providing cross functional departments and outside business partners with critical information to move forward in their own department goals. • Communication via weekly recap meetings, standardized distribution reports, ad hoc reporting, or face to face always delivered professionally, accurately, and timely. • Motivated and developed 40+ associates through training, coaching, and mentoring in all areas of financial planning, analysis, merchandise planning, and allocations while encouraging individual growth.

• Managed a rolling 18 month manufacturing forecast across multiple brands for several product segments available at retailers around the globe. • Revenue-building planning and inventory management of the top accounts in the mass market, food and drug, specialty apparel, and department store sunglass businesses, delivering 100% fill rates. • Used historical buy patterns as well as anticipation of future changes, trend, and weeks of supply account requirements to establish optimal inventory levels taking into account supplier lead times and inbound and outbound logistics. • Planned early exit strategies for discontinued styles to achieve maximum profitability and avoid any accumulation of dead inventory. • Restructured buying model for procurement buying teams.

• Drove business growth by educating sales teams in product knowledge, sales, and service in the Southern California furniture market. This included 150+ major department store locations with onsite training visits and quarterly centralized sales conferences. • Led product launch campaigns for the West Coast. This involved creating training materials that supported the company’s focus on quality and value, their signature market advantage. • Generated in-store excitement through monthly visits to each location, while building and maintaining relationships with the Sales Staff, Store, Management teams, and Buyers. • Instituted team environments, keeping members in stock of the product knowledge and selling tools they required to quickly learn new concepts.

• Financially responsible for many apparel and accessory lines designed and produced in house, procured from licensed suppliers, and obtained from open market vendors both locally and New York based. • Distinguished with “Buyer of the Year” award for the top department sales increase over prior year, +11% (2001). • Strategically planned, purchased, and allocated product for apparel department representing increases +3 to +12% above retail sales plan. • Fulfilled department purchases and assortments using merchandise planning strategies, combining in house lines with new product categories and private label imports, completing “the vision” for monthly product deliveries. Private label and imports added necessary upside to margin. • Displayed monthly product reviews for business owners and executives. Owned final details including: production including fabric, trim, and fit, and commercialization: store assortment, distribution, pricing, visual merchandising and marketing strategy. • Capitalized on relationships with design, inventory planning/management, supply chain, sourcing, pre-production, and production in store merchandising, and marketing to maximize sales opportunities. • Provided leadership when training and developing junior team members, in areas of buying, product assortment, merchandise planning, and allocations.