Sales Assistant

G E L E N A O R E N

*** ****** ****, ****** ******, NY 11581 mobile: 917-***-**** ******.****@*****.*** Seasoned merchandising executive with broad experience and talent for business development and execution of business plans and strategies. Have consistently driven multimillion-dollar sales growth, and enhanced margins across multiple departments. Proactively focus on the identification of and capitalization upon industry trends. Have cultivated strong relationships across the marketplace. Focused on team building and on the development and promotion of junior talent. Recognized with multiple awards including Buyer of the Year, and consistently exceeding sales and gross margin plans. EXPERIENCE

2017-2020 Bloomingdale’s New York, NY

Buyer (Omnichannel), Intimate Apparel, Ready To Wear

§ Grew departmental annual sales volume to $45M while consistently increasing profit margins.

§ Led a team of 4 on the buy side; Successfully promoted 11 direct report during tenure.

§ Collaborated with vendors in their product development stages in a manner that spread calculated risks, but also allowed for a win-win formula of increased sales for both sides and better upfront margins for the company.

§ Executed topside and store-level financial plans and allocation strategies based on aggressively pursuing reorders and identifying underlying fashion trends while partnering with planning to drive sales and profitability.

§ Strategically differentiated the offering by launching Private Label Sleepwear, removing redundancies, and enhancing pricing, which contributed to a multimillion-dollar sales increase and substantial margin enhancement.

§ Led an effort to negotiate and synchronize purchasing among multiple buying divisions interfacing with distinct vendors, thus securing more favorable upfront give back and margin deals.

§ Deployed creative solutions to drive sales and margin including gifting exclusive assortments, company-wide cross-shop experiences, replenishment expansion, and addition of drop ship and shop-in-shops in top doors.

§ Pursued opportunities with anchor vendors developing aggressive sales targets and increased market share.

§ Continuously and strategically balanced the importance of the burgeoning COM business against the significance of maintaining and leveraging the Bloomingdale’s brand, physical presence, ubiquity and interaction with clients. 2010-2017 Bloomingdale’s New York, NY

Buyer (Omnichannel), Dresses, Ready To Wear

§ Grew the Dresses business to $40M annually across 40 distinct vendors.

§ Piloted the Single View of Inventory initiative during the companywide Omnichannel transition in 2015.

§ Successfully introduced a curated millennial dress concept with aggressive efforts towards streamlining the business’ existing vendors and introducing new ones to capitalize on market needs and fill any resulting voids.

§ Achieved double digit sales growth for Ralph Lauren Dresses by presenting a business plan whereby a new subdivision was added to its assortment; Bloomingdale’s was the first to launch this category, which was eventually implemented among other retailers and remains successful through the present day.

§ Served on an executive committee to mitigate dress returns with creation of special return tags; Based on its success in decreasing return rates by over 5% the first year, the initiative was rolled out to the entire division.

§ Employed a ‘Best Dress’ strategy allowing all stores to adequately stock bestsellers irrespective of original plans.

§ Reinvigorated the private label Aqua Dress business, delivering a seamless shopping experience for the customer.

§ Represented Bloomingdale’s in the annual college recruiting program and served on the mentoring program. 2005-2010 Bloomingdale’s New York, NY

Buyer, Swimwear & Special Size Dresses, Ready To Wear

§ Grew the swim business to $20M by analyzing performance and exploiting missed opportunities. 2004-2005 Bloomingdale’s New York, NY

Senior Assistant Buyer, Social Dresses, Ready To Wear

§ Credited with significantly improving assortments, meeting customer needs and driving sales and gross margin. 2003-2004 Russell Newman, Tommy Hilfiger Licensee New York, NY Regional Account Executive, Sleepwear & Loungewear

§ Rolled out new product lines which increased overall sales by 10% to $40M annually.

§ Monitored clients’ inventory levels and managed profitability and weekly sell-thru via reorders. 1999-2003 Lord & Taylor New York, NY

Assistant Buyer, Men’s Furnishings & Loungewear, Fragrances & Cosmetics; Jewelry & Accessories

§ Contributed to the daily operations within a $50M annual volume business across 85 stores. EDUCATION

1998 Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY

Bachelors of Arts, Industrial & Organizational Psychology GPA: 3.6/4.0

§ Awarded Magna Cum Laude honors

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