Jane Richardson

Ascot, Berkshire 013**-******/077******** acu06m@r.postjobfree.com

Profile

A highly motivated and accomplished Retail expert with a solid and versatile background in Merchandising, Operations and Marketing. Delivering sound commercial solutions, by blending strategic and tactical skills, to transform performance and profitability in high street, outlet, on-line, concession and wholesale environments. Invests passionately in talent, empowering individuals and teams to deliver their best and maximise their contribution to business success.

Career Summary

Head of Merchandising – Fossil Group – Feb 2015 – Present

Responsible for Merchandising function for Fossil Group brands in the UK. Watch and Jewellery brands including Fossil, Skagen, Armani, Michael Kors, DKNY and Marc Jacobs. Wholesale and VMI.

Head of Merchandising – Yumi International. August 2013 – Jan 2015

Overall responsibility for Merchandising function across Yumi brands and areas of trade; Multi channel Yumi Retail, Multi channel Concessions and Wholesale.

DB Apparel UK (Wonderbra, Playtex, Shock Absorber and Lovable Lingerie Brands) Nov 2005 – Dec 2012

Head of Retail Marketing. (Project) 2011 -2012

Head of Retail Outlets. 2006 - 2012

Retail Outlet Merchandise Manager 2005 –2006

River Island April 1987 – June 1997 and Feb 1998 – October 2005

Senior Merchandiser/Product Manager Gifts, Lingerie, Jewellery and Accessories 2003 - 2005

International Franchise Merchandise Manager 2000 - 2003

Senior Merchandiser Ladies Tops, Blouses and Dresses 1998 - 2000

The above roles were performed on a part time basis whilst raising my family

Career Break 1997 - 1998

Allocator promoted through to Senior Merchandiser, Menswear 1985 – 1997

T- Shirts, Knitwear, Shirts, Jeans, Casual Trousers, Casual Jackets, Accessories

FOSSIL GROUP FEB 2015 – Present

Responsible for building and managing the Wholesale Merchandising function.

Introduced new forecasting tool for Wholesale business, impacting positively on forecast accuracy.

Defined Merchandising strategy, standardising and improving reporting and analysis tools. Providing insightful analysis to the wider business.

Improved, standardised and extended VMI process, working with retail partners (including JLP, Signet Group and Shop Direct) to align strategies and ways of working. Positively driving sales and reducing markdown.

Built a highly effective merchandising team working together to drive sales and manage inventory.

Responsible for managing relationships with retailer merchandising teams. Working together to share insights and drive sales.

YUMI INTERNATIONAL August 2013 – Jan 2015

Head of Merchandising

Built and manage the Merchandising function across all areas of trade – Retail, Concessions, On Line and Wholesale for the Yumi brands. (Yumi, Uttam Boutiique, Yumi Girl, Uttam Kids, Mela and Iska).

Introduced procedures and good working practises; providing robust reporting, analysis, and controls to aid the buying and trading decisions in this rapidly growing business.

Improved inventory control and stock optimisation across Retail and Wholesale, reducing excess stock levels and markdown.

Manage pricing and promotion strategy across Retail and On Line – maximising sales and margin.

Management of relationship and trading strategy with On line concession partners. Driving the sales, margin and conversion.

DBA UK 2005 to 2012

Over a seven year career with the company led my teams to deliver significant commercial re-modelling and change projects across the Outlet and Retail Marketing Departments resulting in significant improvements in sales and profitability. Built a strong track record of identifying and nurturing talent, through mentorship and development, progressing careers to more senior management positions.

Head of Retail Marketing (Project) July 2011 - December 2012

Defined and executed a high profile, multi-functional project, considering the presence and impact of DBA’s UK lingerie brands at every touch point with the consumer; In Store, Mail Order and Retailer Web sites. The resulting proposal to radically change our approach, within the same budgetary constraints. Recommendations were adopted by the business.

Devised and implemented systems for planning and management of POS, fixtures, mail order/retailer web site presentation and in store execution, from planning and budget control through to implementation.

Built and managed a team of Retail 5 Representatives, responsible for Visual merchandising, product training, new product/promotion launches and Fit School training, for DBA’s brands in, John Lewis, Debenhams, HOF and JJB. Retail Marketing Executive, Retail Marketing Coordinator, In store consultants and 3rd Party Visual Merchandisers.

Led Retail Marketing Strategy to best deliver Company/Brand Goals and Objectives at every touch point with the consumer. Relevant POS and in store activity to reflect the brand focus and objectives in partnership with retailers such as John Lewis, Debenhams, HOF and Sainsbury’s. Strong consistent imagery and messaging for Retailer web sites and mail order – Shop Direct group, Next, Debenhams, JLP, HOF, JJB and key independents.

Introduced relevant analysis to measure and report on Retail Representative effectiveness, measuring productivity and impact on sales.

Head of Retail Outlets Nov 2005 – Dec 2012

Transformed a loss making (-30%), clearance focused Outlet Portfolio for lingerie brands, Wonderbra, Playtex, Shock Absorber and Lovable (DB Apparel, DBA) into a profitable one delivering a +10% ROS. Embedded sound business practices and a robust customer service ethos, resulting in Footfall conversion increasing by 8 % points. Conversion from fittings to purchase from 70% to 95% (over 3 years) and ATV +10% year on year and by 25% over 3 years.

Overall responsibility for Product selection, Range planning and Stock Management. Defined and implemented, effective merchandising, review and planning system. Resulting in significant improvement in stock management, sales and achieved margin.

Assessed profit potential of each store/centre in DBA’s Outlet portfolio of fifteen stores nationwide. Identified stores for downsizing, relocation or closure, managed the programme with landlords and store teams including Lease and Exit Negotiation. Relocation process required identification of new outlets within new or existing sites, store set up and shop fit through to opening.

Analysed poor performing, unprofitable portfolio of Stores for DBA, defined a plan to transform the Outlet division. Reviewing portfolio, stock management, presentation, pricing structure, customer service, selling skills and staffing.

Full P+L responsibility for fifteen stores. Identified areas to increase profitability through detailed cost centre review including staff costs, rent, rates, and facilities contributing to forty percentage points improvement over 3 years.

Developed a passionate, high performing, sales and profit driven Retail Outlet Team, all working towards individual and company objectives and goals. Defining KPI’s and creating financial awareness and accountability. Empowering store management teams to drive results.

River Island 1998 – 2005

During a career spanning eighteen years with the company, progressed through a series of roles building expertise across multiple product departments across ladies and menswear. Having created a reputation as a performance trouble shooter was assigned to lead the Buying and Merchandising function for the International Franchise stores expansion in emerging markets.

Managed forecasting, range planning, stock distribution, margin & mark down for over 200 stores nationwide on a variety of product groups.

Worked with the Buying and Merchandising teams and International Franchise Partners to build market appropriate ranges, driving sales without compromising brand identity in regions including Middle East and Poland.

Supported the HR team in improving the recruitment process. Wrote and delivered courses on Range Planning, Effective forecasting and the Buying and Merchandising cycle.

Professional Development

IOD – Negotiation Skills

IOD – Marketing Strategy

Contact this candidate