Amy Abbott Email & Phone Number

Fenton, Mo

Executive team member and strategist responsible for managing all aspects of business for 20+ boutique stores, catalog, and online.• Innovative thinker offering new ideas to drive business in areas of stores, product, marketing, online, customer acquisition and retention.• Partnered with team members to advise and select product assortment for the upcoming season. Ensured each store’s regional and customer focused needs were met within the buy.• Procured and advantageously managed accessory business including handbags, jewelry, hats, socks, shoe care, etc.• Analyzed current business processes and created new innovative ways to operate more effectively. Functional areas improved included auto replenishment, accessory buying and reorders, selling reports and OTB.• Managed Assistant Buyer, training her on all aspects of buying and inventory management.

St. Louis, Mo

Procured, priced, and managed all shoes, boots, and slipper classifications generating $60M revenue annually for 79 stores, catalogs, and 2 websites. Collaborated with Product Development team to design products for target consumers.• Created strong partnership with Canadian boot resource to design and develop climate appropriate product, generating over $6M in sales annually.• Managed 1 direct report and led team of a Planner and Merchandise Allocator in making sound and profitable business decisions in alignment with defined business strategy and objectives, increasing sales and availability of core and top selling items.• Increased customer base and sales by partnering with Marketing Managers to determine product selection for 4 catalogs and 2 Direct Mail campaigns annually per country.• Collaborated with Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) team to develop email and website strategies, positioning products competitively within trends and meeting strategic goals. • Championed new company brand initiatives, including Natural Soul, Naya, and Bzees, contributing to launch of brands in stores / websites.• Attended trade shows, networked with quality vendors, shopped within competitive marketplace, and maintained knowledge of trending products and consumer interests, gaining insight of competition and pinpointing optimal product selection.

Greater St. Louis Area

Selected products and negotiated discounted prices with vendors for 75 stores in US and Canada generating $29M annual sales in casual shoes, boots, slippers, and hosiery.• Exceeded 2009 Sales 14% ($3M), 2010 sales 6% ($1.7M), achieving best performance in division.• Managed inventory under plan and delivered margin rate of 55.4 vs 53.3 LY in 2009 and +2 points over plan 2010. • Launched Powerwalk collection in stores, generating $2M annual sales

San Francisco, Ca

Oversaw planning, product design, development, selection, packaging, and international sourcing for 216 stores generating $32M annual sales revenue in soft and hard lines. Analyzed competitors and reacted quickly to price fluctuations and emerging trends. Managed, trained, and promoted multiple Assistant Buyers.• Developed fiscal business plans. Managed accurate sales, stock levels, receipt flow, and open to buy to beat plan, generating additional $600K in revenue while hitting margin plan of 63.4% in 2001.• Partnered with other Buyers to create collections and seasonal assortments, boosting multiple sales across departments.• Collaborated with Design team to create product assortment that was customer appropriate relative to historical data and intuition, transforming customer experience and driving sales.• Maintained brand authenticity and cohesive merchandising strategy goals by teaming with Visual Merchandising and Packaging to ensure products were featured in store per vision and sales strategy.• Drove customer satisfaction metrics by leading Inventory Planning team, ensuring reorder stock goals were met, and chasing all new sales opportunities.• Sourced all new products overseas by teaming with worldwide agent structure. Key factories in Asia, Europe and Philippines.• Negotiated all pricing and freight with factories to increase margin• Traveled internationally to form strong partnerships with agents and factory owners to ensure the best quality and prices for the consumer.

San Francisco Bay Area

Worked for 2 Buyers on all aspects of business, including product development, testing, packaging, orders, delivery, and merchandising.• Advanced 2 job levels to Buyer in 1 year by quickly learning operations, international sourcing, and product standards

Arlington, Va

Apparel experience - Ladies Coats, Men's Knits, and Young Men's Collections