Sales Customer Service

LAZAROS DIMITRIOU

* **** **** ******, ***** #**3, Toronto, Ontario M5H 1A1

Phone: 647-***-**** ( E-mail: **********@*******.***

SENIOR MANAGER, RETAIL MERCHANDISING, BUSINESS STRATEGY AND E-COMMERCE

Well positioned for a role as a Senior Manager of retail business,

product/brand development and e-commerce. Proven ability to work with the

board and with executives in marketing, operations and finance. Strong

managerial, communication and negotiation skills, with demonstrated

strengths in staff mentoring and coaching. Experienced in sales management,

retail business development, product development, e-commerce marketing and

merchandising, brand/product management and client services. A team player

who is energetic, passionate and committed to delivering results and

leading by example. Working knowledge of French and open to travel. Both

Canadian and International experience and exposure.

EDUCATION

Certificate, Foreign International Trade, St. Clair College 2000

Diploma Fashion Merchandising, Marketing and Management, Fanshawe College

1999

BA, International Relations/Political Science, University of Windsor

1997

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WORK EXPERIENCE

LAREDOUTE HELLAS, Athens, Greece 2009-2012

Greek subsidiary of the international, public, luxury brand conglomerate

PPR. The leading company in direct selling and marketing in Europe, with

the largest paper fashion catalog and largest e-store.

Senior Product Manager/E-Merchandiser and Public Relations Manager

(Member of the Greek Board of Directors)

Took full merchandising and e-merchandising responsibility for both the

paper catalogs and the e-store. Worked closely with all departments across

the organization to implement the commercial plan in a timely fashion.

Retail Business Development

. Profitability ( Increased sales and met gross margin targets within

pre-assigned budgets by implementing successful forecasting and

pricing policies and by renegotiating contracts

. Product Positioning ( Planned the correct timing of seasonal product

and collection launches, as well as new country and brand launches,

with the proper merchandising mix to maximize sales. Planned all PR

events and releases

. Staff Coaching/Training and Best Practices ( Evaluated managers and

sales staff on their selling techniques and customer service skills

and trained staff on sales strategies, which increased sales by 60%

within the first quarter

Product Development

. Product/Brand Management ( Developed product and new brand launches,

including responsibility of product life cycle and complete

production of catalogs and seasonal material for both print and the

web

. Benchmarking and Pricing Strategies ( Analyzed pricing and product

placement and developed pricing strategies that achieved the gross

margin of 71% respecting IMU rates set by finance department

. Project Management Leadership ( Directed many projects with emphasis

on a new country launch (Cyprus) and new e-commerce product line

launches and restructured the navigation of the e-commerce website

E-Commerce Marketing and E-Commerce Merchandising

. Web Activity and Traffic ( Implemented a web commercial plan, improved

SEO and SEM actions and initiated successful shopping tools, such as

mobile sites, apps and plug-ins, increasing web sales by over 40%

. Forecasting and Reporting ( Introduced thorough reporting tools to

review and monitor main KPI's for each product category under each

market and developed action plans to maximize opportunities to

increase profits

. E-Merchandising ( Reviewed the merchandising mix and provided

direction on aligning the products with the marketplace to have "the

right product at the right price at the right time"

Customer/Client Service

. Relationship Management ( Built strong relationships with customers,

offering impeccable customer service with a professional attitude and

keen attention to detail, which led to a strong client base and repeat

business

. After-Sales Service ( Decreased levels of product returns and

shrinkage percentages by listening closely to customers' needs and

issues and providing effective solutions

ALDO SHOES INTERNATIONAL (HELLAS), Athens, Greece 2008-2009

Greek franchisee of the Canadian manufacturer and international distributor

of fashionable footwear and accessories.

Business Operations Manager

Launched four new retail stores in the Greek market.

. Recruited, hired, trained and evaluated all managers and sales staff

. Customized the merchandise assortment for each store and location

. Developed budgets and sales forecasts for each location and individual

staff member

. Exceeded profit projections by cost saving and by implementing proper

security policies to reduce shrinkage

. Promoted the store openings, acting as public relations point person

for the company

. Oversaw proper implementation of the marketing and commercial plan

BSB FASHION, Athens, Greece 2006-2008

Greece's largest privately owned luxury fashion brand, with over 100

locations in Greece and internationally.

International Retail Development and Support Supervisor

Monitored and supervised the overall operations of more than 30

international locations.

. Took responsibility for strategic planning and for positioning the

brand internationally

. Hired and trained managers to develop their skills in sales and

customer service

. Ensured that stores operated within predetermined budgets and achieved

their sales objectives

. Acted as project manager for the opening of four new locations in

London, Bucharest, Sofia and Moscow

. Exceeded forecasted sales targets by over 25% for International

district

BIOSILK HELLAS (FAROUK SYSTEMS USA), Athens, Greece 2003-2006

Sales and Marketing Manager

. Set and established Sales targets and budgets for Farouk Systems'

distribution in Greece and Cyprus

. Established and developed communication plan and advertising programs

for the Greek and Cypriot markets

. Buying and inventory control for a multi-component manufacturer of

hair products and hair cutting instruments

. Generated a 200% increase in sales in the Greek and Cypriot markets.

ALDO SHOES CANADA, Windsor, Ontario 1997-2002

Sales Manager (Devonshire Mall)

. Recruited, hired, trained and managed staff.

. Managed all store opening events, selected appropriate merchandise and

merchandised store interiors and windows.

. Exceeded profit projections on an annual basis and developed and

maintained budgets and forecasts.

. Reduced shrinkage to below industry standards.

FREELANCE FASHION STYLIST 2002-2010

2004 OLYMPICS, Athens, Greece 2004

Key player in publicizing the 2004 Olympics to multiple countries

References Available Upon Request

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