Director, Ladies' Operations

Logistics, Shipping & Operations

Do what you love and love what you do is my mantra. It is so rewarding to be a part of an industry that can be therapeutic to a customer, and rewarding to an employee at the same time. I have a passion for people - or creating experiences and moments that impact others in a positive way - to keep them shopping time and time again and keep them waking up excited for work. It is never easy. It is never the same. It is always fun. With over nineteen years of experience in the retail industry, I have been exposed to various roles and markets, bringing a diverse portfolio of experiences - driving profitable businesses through people, product, and placement.

and Nashville, TN

- Develop annual top line targets and KPI targets for the women's business partnering with the OWNER/President to develop strategies and marketing plans to support all goals
- Create individual expectations for all roles within the department to ensure financial targets are achieved
- Oversee the development of the seasonal product buy to deliver cohesive product messages to the consumer inclusive of in-season inventory management to increase turns and conversion rates
- Lead and develop the teams to deliver a consistent and engaging customer experience while continuing to grow their "businesses"
- Set expectations while remaining dedication to talent development that drives individual growth and a stronger connection to the business
- Develop grassroots marketing initiatives to create to new connections, new traffic, and new opportunities within the community
- Plan key looks for the seasonal marketing messages as relates to core product investments (volume drivers) while developing a marketing plan that will continue to connect with our existing customer
- Partner with vendors to negotiate best terms to increase our profit while leaning on our vendor partners for marketing support through digital marketing plans, store events, and coop
- Develop clienteling program to increase loyalty and frequency to the store
- Be a leader on the floor, setting the example for the team, while holding them accountable to delivery of the best experience
- Oversight and management of various aspects of the business as relates to our women's categories: Merchandising, Visual Placement, Inventory Management, Team Development, Marketing (Digital, Print, and Events), Operations and Financial Planning

Entertainment Relations showrooms - Miami, FL, Austin, TX, Beverly Hills, CA, Seattle, WA and Nashville, TN

- Development Annual Pro Forma (one, five, and seven-year growth strategy and financial targets) in addition to the sales and business strategies to meet and exceed targets
- Develop a core product story for the brand while focusing on traffic trends and fluctuations in tourism to deliver the right product at the right drive maximizing turns and profit
- Develop independent employees with a strong ownership for the business and productive client relationships through the inspiration, motivation, and coaching necessary to be their best
- Source new opportunities to attract potential new clients and customers through a localized approach for the market
- Plan and source product buy annually; allocate depth based on sell through and traffic trends, create key focuses for higher depth SKUs to see increased turns driving profit and top line sales
- Plan and execute visual merchandising strategies to create an environment where our customers "want to shop"
- Create tools and resources for employees to drive productive relationships through consistent and focused outreach
- Support sell through via training development of behaviors and product knowledge
- Relate behavioral performance to key strategic Key performance indicators. Work to create a plan of action to sustain strengths and improve opportunities through an individualized approach for the employee
- Handle all marketing, vendor relationships, facilities and maintenance for retail
- Be the face of the brand through presence in the market and during key trade shows
Facility Operations/Loss Prevention - Memphis, TN
- Oversee the onsite security vendor to ensure daily focuses meet the needs of the facility, assets, and employees
- Ensure all operations are met and maintained, communicating and supporting resolutions for any onsite opportunities
- Developed standards and processes to ensure we are protecting our assets through our daily operating procedures
- Partner with Corporate Asset Protection regarding opportunities and resolutions for factory maintenance, operations, and real estate
- Manage vendor relationships to ensure there are no issues related to employee parking on site
Ecommerce Direct Sales (Inventory, Supply Chain, Service) - Memphis, TN
- Manage the supply chain flow of product from the factory to the distribution center for all Ecommerce product
- Manage the inventory reconciliation monthly for the Ecommerce on hand inventory and sell through
- Manage the customer service execution and follow-up for all purchasing consumers on our Gibson and Epiphone sites; work closely with Customer Service to ensure the customer experience is delivered flawlessly
- Manage the international export process including permits needed to deliver to our global consumers
- Deliver feedback to the manufacturers regarding product quality concerns, pricing, and design that impact sell through and turns
- Deliver feedback regarding CRM data and analytics to increase sell through via the website through marketing actions of our partners; develop strategies and actions to improve performances overall
- Report all sell through trends and key performance indicators including gross sales, product margin, AUR, ADT, Conversion, and others.
- Review and report analytics for all promotions as relates to flash sales and direct marketing initiatives
Product Development/Merchant/Talent Development for ES Model Line - Memphis, TN
- Train current research and development team to understand how sell through is increased using consumer feedback and sell through history - relating the effect of brand storytelling and the relation of upselling between similar goods (i.e. construction, materials, color story, etc.)
- Develop a core product story and sales strategy for the FY18 model line, challenge and introduce creative color offerings to drive consumer interest - resulting in a top selling, non-traditional color way for a traditional guitar model
- Create training resources to drive improved selling behaviors resulting in increased turns per SKU and top line sales generation
- Share feedback regarding developed models to share in potential successes and challenges in sell through based on the aesthetics and technology
Entertainment Relations Direct Sales (domestic and international) - Memphis, TN and development of all domestic markets
- Manage the supply chain flow of product from the manufacturers to the domestic and international showroom locations
- Facilitate customer interaction with artists, dealers, and other brand influencers/partners to drive sell through of key items to meet the needs and wants of the consumer while reflecting the current brand strategy.
- Be the brand for our artists through expertise and passion for the brand, ensure wants and needs are met through suggestions and encourage pros to focus on suggestion vs. transactions
- Encourage follow-up of all orders via the direct contact to assist in the growth and development of these productive and influential consumer relationships
- Act as a liaison between the field team and manufacturing for all special orders
- Determine annual product buys (assortment and depth) for all locations
- Communicate product knowledge and resources to assist in sell through across all domestic locations
Overall Retail Development
- Forecast the financial targets for scaled growth and development of direct sales in new markets including partnership with real estate and construction.
- Partner with key corporate assets to ensure licensing and tax details are followed through protecting our assets and ability to deliver our product to the consumer
- Work with finance to ensure we are managing costs effectively to invest in our growth and development with the people, product and location at top of mind
- Partner with the manufacturers to ensure we are receiving the best quality we can offer our consumers
- Develop standards for operating structure while giving feedback on current procedures to see improvement in our efficiency
- Develop marketing strategies to drive new traffic including tour groups, events, artist releases, etc.

Retail Sales Manager

- Drive top line revenue generation through management of Floor Manager, Lab Manager, and Doctor's Office Manager to achieve all financial targets
- Focus on product knowledge and selling behaviors related to upselling to drive top line sales
- Develop talent within role and growth and development of "high potential" employees for further advancement

General Manager

General Manager - Flagship, Bal Harbour, FL

- Develop an exceptional customer experience for the internal and external customer
- Drive top line performance team through revenue generation, talent management, store operations, grassroots marketing, store events, store operations, visual merchandising, and product management
- Drive profitability through the
- Manage the customer database through CRM to gain understanding of who our customer is, further localizing the experience to gain loyalty through repeat business
- Assist merchants with feedback for seasonal product stories through a localized approach (major market trends and consumer trends) to drive full price sell through; collect consumer feedback for east coast to improve future product design and regional buys
- Participate in store walk throughs with corporate team to improve all customer touchpoints and perceptions including store maintenance, construction, training programs, product buys and product quality, etc.
- Plan, execute and host in store VIP experiences, corporate planned events and client partnership events including scheduling, catering, and partnership with vendors for needed supplies
- Focus on individual development through regular communication and focused development plans; delivery of regular performance reviews
- Partner with ECOMM team, developing marketing strategies which attract new consumers to all DTC channels
- Foster partnerships with International managing partners to best develop a transformational experience for our shared customers globally (South America and Europe)
- Develop Selling Seminar to improve quantity and quality interactions with new customers to the brand as relates to the experience

Store Manager/District Grassroots Marketing - Flagship, Atlanta, GA
Store Manager/District Operations Manager - Nashville, TN

- Train, Coach, Develop Store Managers in my retail stores to meet expectations in the departments of: Revenue Generation, Grassroots Marketing, Human Resources, Store Operations, Visual Merchandising, Product Management, and Selling/Service Culture
- Indirectly drive profitability through margin, top line sales, and productivity through store management teams in 4 area stores (Mclean, VA, Chevy Chase, MD, Arlington, VA, and Richmond, VA)
- Improved shrink for market from "high shrink, target stores" to within target in 12 months via daily operational structure and associate development
- Facilitated the training of the FISH philosophy to the entire retail field leaders and corporate partners
- Developed and implemented the Retail Manager On-boarding program
- Worked closely with Merchants, Buying and Allocation Team, Visual Team, Environmental Design, Retail Operations, Loss Prevention, Talent Development team, Retail Executives, and other corporate partners to ensure implementation of brand strategies through delivery, training, coaching, and follow-up
- Focused development of several employees which led to internal promotion and business growth
- Developed, implemented and trained retail field leaders in the Grassroots Marketing program to drive success of VIP events and new customers to the stores; program generated 10% growth annually in my direct reporting locations
- Co-role as the District Operations Specialist for Tennessee, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina
- Facilitated the Nike Coach's Clinic
- Established training tools for local managers to engage and improve product sell through via an elevated and focused store experience.

Area Manager - Mid-Atlantic Region

Assistant Store Manager - Memphis, TN
Stock Room Supervisor - Memphis, TN
Area Visual Associate - Memphis, TN
Sales Associate - Memphis, TN

Customer Experience Manager/District Loss Prevention

Find out detailed information about Priscilla Willis, Director, Ladies' Operations in Germantown, TN

Priscilla Willis: Director, Ladies' Operations in Germantown, TN

Priscilla Willis