Lauren Welden
Merchandise Manager · Sundance Holdings Group, LLC
Salt Lake City, UT
In My Own Words
With a robust background spanning retail management, merchandising, and customer service, my journey has evolved into a Buyer role at Sundance Holdings Group, where customer engagement and trend navigation are paramount. At the heart of my approach lies a deep-seated passion for connecting consumers with exceptional products that resonate and inspire.
My expertise extends to social networking strategies and problem-solving, vital competencies in today's dynamic retail environment. These skills, honed over years of hands-on experience, empower our team to craft compelling product stories and optimize the consumer decision-making process, continually elevating the retail experience at Sundance Holdings.
Work Experience
Assistant Store Manager
DSW2016 – 2018
2016-2017: Merchandising manager - Oversaw the logistics receiving team. - Planned merchandise placement around the store. - Tracked the sell through for each category to drive store specific sales.
2017-2018: Operations and People Manager - Conducted quarterly compliance audit - Conducted monthly Loss Prevention audit. - Recruit, Interview, and on-board all new employees - Scheduling and forecasting - Planned and let all in store development initiatives. - Drove data capture from 40% to consistently 67% from 2017 to 2018.
Senior Merchandise Manager
Old Navy2014 – 2016
- Head merchant in the store. - Mapped and planned women's department product placement. - Lead all floor sets within the department. - Oversaw logistics team, recruited, interviewed, and organized training for all new logistics associates. - Scheduled all floor sets and receiving shifts. - Tracked department sales to make merchandising flex decisions to drive more sales.
Acting General Manager
Old Navy2015 – 2016
- Planned and forecasted sales on a monthly/weekly basis. - Management schedule - Led weekly team meetings to go over KPI's, strengths and opportunities. - Promoted people into permanent management roles. - Oversaw management team of eight and associate team of forty five - Drove a positive comp through Q3 and Q4
Remote Stylist
Stitch Fix2014 – 2015
- curated personalized outfits and suggestions for customers based on their style profile and preferences. - Consistently delivered above target for fixes/hr.
Customer Service & Training Manager
Gap Inc./Old Navy2011 – 2014
- Recruited, interviewed, and on-boarded all sales-floor and cash-wrap associates. - Lead all development of associate teams. - Drove customer experience with the store and tracked CES numbers daily/weekly/monthly. - Led the on-boarding process for the district for Holiday 2014, on-boarded and trained over 150 ON associates. - Planned and executed all customer facing activities in the store. - Led by example of customer service expectations, tracked KPI's and managed floor while MOD.
Education
Bachelor of Science (BS)
San Francisco State University2005 – 2010
Skills: Critical Thinking · Interpersonal Skills
Master of Science - MS
University of Oregon2018 – 2020
Skills: Presentation Skills · Microsoft Office · Time Management · Problem Solving · Adobe Photoshop · Management · Social Networking · Product Development · Critical Thinking · Microsoft PowerPoint · Microsoft Outlook · Microsoft Excel · Microsoft Word · Adobe Illustrator · Leadership · Teamwork