Sarah Wood
Surry Hills,NSW
Summary
Detail-oriented and commercial merchandising professional with 12 years of experience in:
- Establishing strong relationships with key stakeholders
- Analysing business needs by being data led
- Training and development of merchandising and retail team members
- Driving consistency in visual displays both in-store and in windows
Passionate about ensuring teams are delivering and creating inspirational merchandising across retail and concession businesses through an understanding of the brands vision and direction.
With a strong eye for detail and a commercial lens, I drive consistency of execution through training of teams with a results focus.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
Work History
Regional Visual Merchandising Manager
Country Road & Trenery
08.2022 - Current
- Partnering with retail regional manager to drive region through strategic walk throughs of 13 retail stores and 5 concession sites.
- Analysing businesses through data led conversations ensuring key KPIs and brand direction is being met.
- Review of monthly floorplans ensuring space to sales, key focuses and business reports are being used to make decisions for growth.
- Drive communication through weekly region calls with retail partner to ensure team is across business needs and encourage team culture through celebration of results.
- Training and upskilling of VM and retail management to ensure VM standards and consistency in execution.
- Identify any training gaps in teams and build out training plan to support VM and retail teams in their development.
- Work back with key stakeholders in VM, Store Design and Retail to deliver new store and concession fit outs within given timeframes.
- Partner with state regional team to deliver state conferences or virtual meetings for key moments.
- Partner with national regional management team to support in delivering brand strategic projects.
- Led the rollout for the Trenery VM Training program, part of the brand growth strategy, to deliver modules and learning bites to support team development and upskilling in VM execution.
Regional Visual Merchandising Manager
Country Road
03.2018 - 08.2022
- Managed team of 8 direct reports overseeing hiring, training and professional growth of team members.
- Developmental training of direct reports with clear goal setting through monthly check ins and yearly reviews on performance, growth and goals.
- Managed merchandising standards across retail and concession ensuring consistency of execution across both channels through training with a results focus.
- Provide feedback and or present floor plans for store or concession update suggestions and layouts to management and stakeholders.
- Communicate visual merchandising information and standards via in-store training and through online Workplace channel showing live setups for reference.
- Help stores adapt spaces to accommodate merchandise, including spatial constraints and stock availability to help drive sales per square metre.
- Overseeing visual merchandising for new store openings and store re-fits in both retail and concession including communication with store design teams.
Flagship Visual Merchandiser
Country Road
08.2015 - 03.2018
- Developed and maintained strong and effective working relationships with key stakeholders across retail and visual merchandising.
- Created monthly floor plans across all departments and communicated to deadline to ensure setups were completed on time and to guidelines.
- Collaborated with retail store manager and merchandising manager to achieve incremental growth in sales over 2 years. Attaining store of the year for one of the two.
- Worked with energy and enthusiasm in a fast-paced environment, able to prioritise tasks and complete work to deadlines.
- Worked closely with merchandising manager to maintain levels of communication to effectively and efficiently complete setups and other seasonal events.
- Oversaw merchandising of flagship concession ensuring execution was to brand standard and monthly guidelines.
Roving Visual Merchandiser
Country Road
07.2012 - 06.2016
- Worked effectively across multiple retail businesses driving brand merchandising standards and delivering strong in store setups in all departments.
- Communicated effectively to merchandising manager and retail manager, weekly plans of tasks to achieve to ensure all parties were across focuses.
- Implementation of seasonal creative window props in flagship stores. Including creation and installation of props, placement and styling of mannequins, product groupings and decal application to brand standards.
- Created floor plans and communicated to key stakeholders to ensure setups were completed on time. Negotiated where needed to achieve an outcome that benefits all parties.
- Ability to work within tight deadlines and a fast-paced atmosphere.
- Performed duties in line with all applicable standards and guidelines to maintain a safe working environment.
Sales Consultant- David Jones
Country Road
05.2010 - 07.2012
- Provided strong customer service and sales assistance to walk-in traffic.
- Knowledgeable on product information including, garment cuts, fabrics and styling of product through continuous training and using those resources to increase sales to customers.
- Maintained concession pad to merchandising standards following brand guidelines from visual merchandising department.
- Ensured mannequins were styled to brand guidelines.
- Optimised sales through ensuring concession pad had key investment products in priority areas.
- Drove KPIs in units per transaction by up-selling of accessories and add on purchases to complete looks for the customer.
Education
Diploma Of Visual Merchandising -
Tafe
Sydney 08.2012
Skills
- Strong communication skills
- Development and coaching of teams
- Build out and deliver training for teams
- Effective time management
- Attention to detail in visual standards
- In store and window creative displays
References
Excellent reference available on request.
Timeline
Regional Visual Merchandising Manager
Country Road & Trenery
08.2022 - Current
Regional Visual Merchandising Manager
Country Road
03.2018 - 08.2022
Flagship Visual Merchandiser
Country Road
08.2015 - 03.2018
Roving Visual Merchandiser
Country Road
07.2012 - 06.2016
Sales Consultant- David Jones
Country Road
05.2010 - 07.2012
Diploma Of Visual Merchandising -
Tafe
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