Shannon Jacobson Houle Email & Phone Number

• Manage buying responsibility of a ladies shoe business comprised of multiple national brands.• Negotiate cost and delivery schedules on multimillion-dollar buys for imported and domestic goods.• Manage the Open to Buy and analyze weekly sales performance to maximize sales potential and minimize risk.• Traveled to China and worked directly with factories to negotiate costs and grew assortments through updating fabrications and silhouettes.• Stay up-to-date on industry trends through shopping the competition and online research. Work closely with the fashion office to ensure key trends are covered.• Manage and develop one direct report through regular feedback and performance reviews.

New York, New York

• Responsible for managing an area of business alongside the buyer within the ladies shoe department.• Anticipated potential problems and risks within the assortment; generated ideas, insights and solutions to potential problems by defining an action plan.• Developed hundreds of new styles to elevate the assortment which led to growth in 2019.

New York City

Milford, Ct

• Generated sales and merchandised product on the sales floor. Assisted with creating, implementing, and executing buys for the holiday season.• Led entire design creation and execution of seasonal window displays.

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

• Completed an assigned project that focused on managing seasonal inventory transitions with a four-person intern team, and presented results to department and leadership at the end of the internship.• Collaborated with Buyers, Merchandise Coordinators, Sourcing, and other experts throughout the organization to create and develop the assigned project. • Received individual mentorship from a business analyst team member and partnered with a manager on professional development skills.

Farmington, Ct

• Managed 30+ employees; trained staff to understand and apply merchantskills and product knowledge to enhance the business and overallcustomer experience.• Responsible for total home department sales, merchandising product, andimplementing loss prevention strategies.

Farmington, Ct

• Gained knowledge about management responsibilities, store operations and loss prevention.• Taught sales associates about the expectations of the Anthropologie brand and the importance of exceptional customer service.

South Windsor, Ct

• Represented the Anthropologie brand and ensured customers had an enjoyable experience in the store by providing exceptional customer service. • Additional responsibilities included cashier, store clean up, merchandising product, and restocking sales floor.

South Windsor, Ct

• Aided the Visual Manager and Display Coordinator in the creation, installation and preservation of visual displays. • Learned merchandising techniques focused on the relationship between product, visual displays and sales.

Bachelor Of Arts (Ba), Communication Sciences

Master Of Business Administration (Mba)

Fashion Merchandising

Study Abroad Experience

Summer 2009, 6 week program in Florence, Italy