Director of Retail
Resume:
Evelyn Vratsidas
Personal Information
Mobile: +359-***-***-***, +30-697******* Email: ************@*****.***
Date of birth: 4/6/1970 Nationality: Canadian / Greek
Career Overview
Sept. 2015 to Present
August 2013 to June 2015
May 2006 – to June 2013
Managing Director of Department Store, Notosgalleries notos.com
Sofia, Bulgaria
General Manager,
Kosmos Textile Ltd, Sofia Bulgaria
Director of Marketing & Business Development
Country Manager of Mamas & Papas Master Franchise Greece
Lapin House S.A. Athens, Greece
2004 – 2006
Unique Event Management, (owner)
Fashion Bank Ltd, Thessaloniki, Greece
2001 – 2004
Dec.1999 –
Dec.2001
Business Development & Operations Director
Smith’s American S.A., Thessaloniki, Greece
Vice President of Retail Fiorucci Megastores,
Fiorucci Megastores Inc., New York, US
1996 – 1998
1994 – 1996
Fashion Bank Ltd,Exclusive Distributor & Licensee of Fiorucci, Avirex (owner)
Thessaloniki, Greece
Marketing and International Sales Manager
Evel S.A. Thessaloniki, Greece
1993 - 1994
Co-ordinator of Research & Development, Smiths American
Evel S.A., Thessaloniki, Greece
1992 – 1993
Retail & Operations Manager,
Fiorucci S.A. Milan, Italy
1991 – 1992
1990 – 1991
1989 – 1990
1988 - 1989
Marketing & Event Executive,
Fiorucci S.A. Milan, Italy
Project Account Assistant, Internship
Step Advertising Ltd, Athens, Greece
Assistant to Business Consultant Lawyer, Interneship
Cabinet d’avocats Jerome Aymee & Associes, Paris,France
Assistant to CEO of Textile Agency, Internship
Didier Manuel Agence de Textile, Paris, France
EDUCATION 1988 - 1991
BA INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION & ECONOMICS
THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF PARIS
LANGUAGES
ENGLISH, FRENCH, ITALIAN, GREEK
August 2013 – June 2015
General Manager, Kosmos Textile Ltd.
KOSMOS TEXTILE Ltd.: Production plant for garments, Laundry and Finishing Services of ready garments, (International DNA, 15year experience)
* Accountable for the restructuring of the company through changes in departments to maximize personnel productivity and creating a hierarchy of positions, hiring specialized personnel to strengthen Customer Service and creating a soft layoff system for personnel close to pension.
* 150 employees
* Financial follow-up of company, PNL ‘s, development of business plans depending on real orders and customer forecasts per season. Conduct analysis of business.
* Lead and influence teams in working together to maintain strong internal relations, and combining specific departments depending on weekly production plan.
* Introduced specific ERP system to replace old manual operations system of company, and automated processes that were all manually followed and thus minimized human error and time necessary to retrieve information from all departments of production, services, accounting etc.
* Accountable for the follow-up and planning of production process, financial etc.
* Accountable for negotiating with international clients and finalizing deals for business development and forecasts.
* Maintain and develop connections with all local and international entities to build long term business relations with strong ties amongst partners.
* Strong crisis management at all levels.
May 2006 – June 2013
Director of Marketing & Business Development,
Country Manager of Mamas & Papas Master Franchise Greece,
Lapin House S.A. Athens, Greece
Lapin House S.A. : Leading Childrenswear and Nursery Retail Chain with a 40yr presence.
*Accountable for the launching and developing of new concept department stores, Lapin Magicland.( 3 in Athens) Shop in Shop and corner concept stores over 2500sqmt. Research and negotiations of contracts with brands and shop in shops that duly represent the level of the Lapin House luxury level of products and stores. Negotiations with 3rd party suppliers on consignment and follow up of all business turnover and merchandise availability as well as payments.
*Accountable for the Master Franchise agreement with Mamas and Papas UK. Business Plans, contractual negotiations, territories. Store set ups from architectural plans to construction, merchandising and marketing. Execution and follow up of latter.
*Launched Mamas and Papas in Greece with Flagship store of 550sqmt, Standalone of 400sqmt, Concessions in Lapin Magicland Department stores, and in all Lapin House retail stores with specific product categories emphasizing at all times brand image and level. ( Over 35 company points of sales)
*Developed and sealed the deal to launch Lapin Bebe nursery concept stores with base of Mamas and Papas nursery products in luxury Malls in Athens and Thessaloniki. Distribution contract and lapinbebe.com nursery eshop.
*Monitoring and follow-up of orders, logistics, store range plans, window displays, seasonal changes, marketing promotions.
*Developed and launched facebook page of Lapin House but also of Mamas and Papas Greece. Monitor and create concepts and competitions on social web to maximize brand awareness and brand strengths.
* Served as Mamas and Papas Brand Manager and thus all necessary to keep the brand at the levels it should be at. Awareness, ‘look’, merchandise, smooth processing of new seasonal launch and end season retrieval, marketing and promotion, budgets, targets. The business today reaches an approximate 2million euro in turnover for Lapin House S.A.
*Events and Marketing. Accountable for the concept, organization, negotiation for all in store and external events.
* Accountable for the 3 large Charity Gala childrens Fashion Show events of Lapin House S.A. with the Foundation of ELPIDA (foundation of children with cancer of Mrs. Vardinogianni, President of Unesco)
Location research, negotiations, sponsorships, organization and coordination of all entities taking part in the organization of such a big event and guests. (location, fashion show style director,lighting, music, video, hair and makeup, press, catering, tickets, stage coordination, VIP guests local and foreign partners from Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Burberry, etc). All events had no costs for Lapin House S.A., managed to find all necessary moneys through sponsorships, tickets. The foundation of Elpida made a total of 120 000euro for the children and families. Pre and after press releases, press conference, interviews,TV coverage, and company presentations to media of event and success.
*Accountable for the acquisition of distribution agreement for childrens brands for Lapin House S.A. Research, communication, profile presentations, business plans, forecasts, negotiations. ( Gaastra, Scotch and Soda, CWF group, US Polo,)
* Created and delivered a 2 year launch of joint venture of Lapin House S.A. and Folli Follie retail chain in China.(Shanghai, Hong Kong) Opened 7 Franchise stores where was accountable for store set up through architectural plans, order placement and deliveries, production and legal specifications, marketing and inaugauration launch.
*Leadership in all levels of business, maintaining strong relations and maximizing potentials of all.
*Training and closely monitoring stores and employess from back office to retail floor, aiming to develop strong, confident, happy autonomous people and relations.
Unique Event Management – Fashion Bank Ltd.Thessaloniki Greece 2004 – 2006,
*Organization of Social and Business events. Inaugaurations, Fashion shows, Conferences, Weddings, Baptisms, Parties, VIP Services.
*Events budgeted from from 10000euro to 250 000euro. Monitored budgets based on negotiations at all levels and parties involved, including location research, concept inception, catering, transport, hotels, organization and coordination of all entities, final execution, press.
Business Development & Operations Director, Smith’s American S.A.,
Thessaloniki Greece 2001-2004
*Developed company for 3 investors. Sealed negotiations for brand acquisition for license agreement for Smith’s American for Greece, Cyprus, Balkans, UK.
All legal, accounting, commercial, logistics transactions. Found location to set up business, arranged and coordinated the architectural plans and image of new company, hired back office support employees, freelance sales and design and operations personnel.Sealed business, created sales strategies, business plans, forecasts, targets.
*Accountable for the agreement between Mitsubishi UK and Smith’s American Greece distribution and partnership for International Development.
* Monitored all levels of business.
Vice –President of Retail Fiorucci Megastores Inc. New York, US 1999-2001
*Accountable for the re-launch of FIORUCCI in North America. A 5000sqmt department store of
shop in shops and corners, café, coiffeur. All known Italian brands.
*Monitored a budget of $5 000 000 for relaunch.
*Concept based on Fiorucci Department store of Milan Italy. Total of 46 separate shop in shops of Italian brands that wanted to enter the US market under the strong umbrella of Fiorucci. Company personnel of 25 and shop in shop partner personnel of 60.
*Accountable for all negotiations for entire set up. Building location and lease contract, architectural plans, constructing company, legal matters, shop in shop floor plans and merchandise coordination, logistics, hiring of personel for department store structure but also helping in hiring for shop in shop partners. Co-ordinated all logistics for partners as well as for Italian Headquarters.
*Inaugauration Event, Press, Merchandising,windows displays, execution of all.
*Created a customized retail ERP system where foreign partners could follow their daily sales and daily merchandise levels, inventory directly. Web cams offering them the possibility to have direct visual contact with their shop in shops and personnel.
* Monthly monitoring of turnover levels of each shop in shop and depending on results would take decisions on correcting scales and promotion. Depending on the sqmts occupied in the store and the location in the store each shop in shop partner was accordingly handled based on contract.
* Accountable for the representation of the company in all levels of transactions in the US. Liaison of the business in New York with all Italian and foreign clients/companies.
*Research for US brands that could be part of the Fiorucci Megastore Project. Developed a strong liaison with design schools to help introduce new designers in the store and supported them with in store events, fashion shows and more.
* Yearly Turnover of approximately $ 9,300 000.
Fashion Bank Ltd, Exclusive Wholesale Business, Thessaloniki, Greece 1995 – 1999
Fashion Bank was created to take on the exclusive distribution and license of the brands Firoucci Italy and Avirex USA for the territories of Greece, Cyprus and FYROM ( Yugoslavia)
The company developed 2 showrooms of 300sqmt each in the North of Greece and in the South to cover all needs of clients. The company started with 10 clients and grew to 150 in 3 years and added to its brand mix other brands as that of Edwin Japan, Patrizia Pepe, Pinko, Twin Set.
Order placement was made in the showrooms with sales representative of each brand. Prior to order placing company held seasonal fashion show and invited all clients and potential clients with press conference to introduce the season.
The Company sold its rights of the territory back to the ‘mother brand’ (Fiorucci, Edwin, Avirex) and transformed the business from a distributor to agency using the same sales personnel.
This minimized investment needed prior to every delivery to clients and minimized risk for payments from clients. At the same time flash brands that had weekly deliveries and fortnight payment terms, were transferred directly to the clients where they bought directly and paid directly and Company received its commission.
Managing Director Notosgalleries, Sofia Department Stores L.T.D. July 2015 - Present
*Sofia Department Stores, notosgalleries L.T.D., is a subsidiary of the mother company in Greece. Opened in 2014 in one of the newest most luxurious malls in Sofia, Sofia Ring Mall.
A 6500sqmt Department store with thorough fashion and cosmetics department categories within.
*Accountable for the re-launching of the department store strategy based on the specific Bulgarian market conditions. The department store was launched initially in Nov. 2014, with a copy paste strategy and structure of the Greek Market. With shop in shops and personnel covering each ‘shop’ for suppliers. The specific launch did not take into consideration the fact that Sofia itself had already 8 other malls at the time and the bigger ones far ahead in maturity and traffic and brand and product mix. In a market of approx.. 1,5m in population, the new mall ( Sofia Ring Mall,) would only be able to take a part of the pie as the market was already saturated from malls and more importantly the level of income very low.
*The re-launching took all in consideration and in Sept.2015 the change in strategy was approved.
* Already in great loss after 1 year in operation, personnel was immediately optomized, new brands were brought into the department store under new contracts, non performing ones were shown the way out.
* Accountable for the decrease of personnel cost, utility expenses, in 1 yr by almost 500000euro.
*Accountable for the optimization of personnel to help the shop in shop suppliers not be in total loss with their corners in having to pay month in month out salaries without the relative turnover due to low traffic in the mall and in the department store. Personnel level from 200people was optomimized in 1 yr to 80employees + 12 in administration, warehouse. Today sales consultants are at 55, and admin, warehouse at 8.
*Accountable for the increase of sales by 15% from 2015, with very little purchasing of new merchandise. Older season merchandise was turned and presented in such a way where the store managed to make its increase in sales due to this.
*Accountable for the building of the brand awareness in the market with minimum budget due to loss.
*Increase in loyalty clients from 5000 in September 2015 to 18000 in December 2018.
*Accountable together with my Marketing team for the re-launch of the new loyalty program fit for the immature Bulgarian market, where loyalty cards and department store awareness was relatively new.
* Negotiation and execution of new shop in shop and trade entries to the department store.
*Accountable for the launch of the all well known to other markets but not in Bulgaria, of Wedding List and Birthday list. Together with special services for VIP clients.
* Store seasonal concept for windows, instore displays, navigation and communication, and promotion, merchandising.
*Training of personnel at all times, sales force and operating managers.
* Marketing, Event, Activities seasonal strategy, budgets and execution together with the Brand Manager and CRM specialist.
*Analysing KPI’s, all financials and results aimed towards restructuring or adjusting the yearly strategy and budget.
*Choice of brands on trade. Buying and ordering process, Term negotiations.
* Project coordinator for execution of all relocation and reconstruction of department store 3 times in 4yrs.
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