Emily Salsbury-Deveaux Email & Phone Number

Kelowna, Bc, Ca

Canada

I had spent over 20 years as a retail & real estate strategist for shopping centres, multi-national brands, real estate firms, consulting agencies, universities, government, and investment groups. It was on the basis of my solid industry relationships and my figure-it-out attitude that I felt confident enough to launch the brand in 2018.I started with my own $48,000 investment and wanted to see if I could turn that into a million. We have since grown into a multi-million dollar business following entirely our own rules.We are fundamentally different in every way. I wanted to build a brand that could not only innovate but engage in strategic partnerships with other emerging businesses in finance, logistics, marketing, and more.We have developed our own funding models through FUNDIT and become the first brand to take control of our secondary market through our BUYBACK Program.I approach this business much like I did consulting. I am here to prove that concepts can work to hopefully inspire other brands to think outside the box.We have less than 3% returns in the women's online apparel market the industry averages 40-50%.We have an 87% customer loyalty rate.We are able to achieve this through our specific grid based design process and choosing the right fabrics. During the pandemic, we turned our focus to logistics and finance, partnering with Air Canada (Rivo) and Get Loop among others. We opened a 4300 sq/ft fulfillment facility at the airport in October 2021. These partnerships have allowed us to increase our speed so much so that in many cases we are faster than Amazon.We re-opened our Edmonton location in the fall of 2022 and opened our Kelowna location Jan 2023. We will continue to be appointment based as we find it the best model for our brand. In February of 2024 we launched Fit Kit which is a micro-franchise to help us fit more customers across Canada.

Canada

I first launched my retail consulting business at the age of 16. I have worked with shopping centres, muli-national retailers, franchises, universities, investors, and private equity groups.I have been interviewed over 300 times in the media for my expertise on retail, and have been the keynote at over 25 retail & real estate conferences.My Specialties:Way-finding (Airports, Malls, Libraries)Service Model Design Customer Journey Experience and FlowLocation PlanningSelling Process and ImplementationCommercial Needs AssessmentTenant Attraction Store Productivity AnalysisSupply-Chain & LogisticsBusiness Auditing (from a consumer angle)Some Coaching and MentorshipConsumer Loyalty and RetentionSubjects like HR, Team, Culture I have great contacts to help, and I am a hoot to work for but it is not my area of expertise.Subjects like Marketing and Brand, I am a great addition to a consulting team for my knowledge of consumer psychology but wouldn't drive the direction of a project.

University Of Alberta

The University of Alberta's School of Retailing is a leader and pioneer in the retailing/commercial real estate sector for education, academic research, applied research, consulting, events and industry outreach. The School of Retailing is a centre at the Alberta School of Business that supports Bachelor of Commerce and MBA students interested in working or exploring the retailing or real estate sector. In 2013, I started with the School of Retailing as a consultant and then was offered the position of Executive Director. In my role, I worked with our Academic Director to establish a 3 year strategic plan for the centre which included evaluating current events, outreach and programs then developing ways to grow the centre, diversify the funding and provide a more innovative model.Since starting we added a very successful student consulting group that works with retailers, real estate and marketing firms (sorconsulting.com) We have added an Applied Research division which focuses on industry-relevant topics like the grocery business, mall real estate and other current topics. One of my main priorities was the financial development of the centre. The centre is funded privately by the retailing and real estate industry. The centre partnered with H&M, Starbucks, London Drugs, LUSH Cosmetics, Starbucks, PepsiCo, The Brick, LoyaltyOne, Sobey's Safeway, Running Room, 20 Vic Management Inc., West Edmonton Mall, Integra Tire, Ivanhoe Cambridge, Oxford, Liquor Depot, Avison Young, Oxford Properties, Cushman & Wakefield, ATB Financial, Freson Bros, RBC Financial and Fountain Tire.I am very proud of the time I spent at the University of Alberta and want to thank Dean Joseph Doucet and Vice Dean Kyle Murray from the Alberta School of Business for always supporting my ideas and creating an environment where I felt incredibly valued. During my 5 years, I grew enormously as a person and a leader because of this opportunity.

University Of Alberta

The School of Retailing Consulting Group is the largest student consulting company in North America and was launched by Emily Salsbury-Deveaux and Kyle Murray in 2013. SOR|CG is an exciting opportunity for students to experience consulting with real-world clients. The group has hired over 85 consultants with projects in urban planning, market research, analytics, trend forecasting, sourcing, and marketing.Students have to make their way through a 5 step hiring process which includes writing, finance, analysis, and teamwork. Once they have made it through, they start as a Junior Consultant where they work on market research skills, writing and start to build toward analytical work. They also go through a 4-month mentorship with one of the existing Managers as well as an external professional with extensive experience. Once they have excelled and shown they are able to take on more responsibility, they are then moved into a Senior Consulting role. In order to move into Managing Director, they must first specialize in a particular industry. This is typically aligned with their major or minor and they focus on projects in that area. They must also complete their leadership certificate. Our Managing Directors leave University with 2+ years of client facing experience where they are responsible for project management, deadlines, deliverables, and manage up to 10 staff at a time. All of this while they are still completing their Bachelor of Commerce degree. The consultants are all compensated for their work and treat this much like a part-time job.The majority of our consulting students go on to work as an analyst or market insight based positions. They often start their career with top consulting firms or retailers. Clients include London Drugs, City of Edmonton, 20 Vic Management Inc. Fountain Tire, Freson Bros, Government of Alberta, EIA and more.www.sorconsulting.com