AMY K. FERRY
Prairie Village,KS
Summary
Confident, creative, and committed leader with 20+ years' experience in the fashion and gifts industries interpreting and communicating the state of the business through strong insights into consumer behavior and in-depth analysis. An initiative-taking manager and team builder with the ability to attract and retain key players by building positive, authentic, and lasting relationships. Known for exceptional communication with internal and external stakeholders, emotional intelligence, and a people-first approach.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
Director, Design Merchandising Bridal
Essense of Australia
01.2019 - Current
- Provide assortment plans to Design team twice annually, detailing targets by silhouette, neckline, color, fabric, price, etc., ensuring minimization of gaps and maximization of opportunities
- Manage global testing of 600+ bridal gowns annually, creating a portfolio of reports to assess performance, and making recommendations for collection inclusions based on style productivity and established metrics
- Lead meetings with Sales team and senior leadership to assess testing collection performance, ensuring adherence to established timeline and collection is addressing needs and trends of consumer
- Manage bridesmaid collection, determining inclusions for three annual drops and tracking performance by color, style, and fabric to ensure collection reflects consumer trends
- Preorder fabric and garments to fulfill stock demand, get factories working on securing materials, and fulfill promise to stores to ship product as early as possible
- Track competitor performance to understand industry trends and communicate these trends in a narrative that effectively paints a portrait of current bride.
Senior Merchandise Manager
Essense of Australia
01.2016 - 01.2019
- Provided support, training, and professional development of Technical Design Staff
- Prepared for global expansion by evaluating current procedures, workflow, and staffing levels and consulted on needed improvements and efficiencies
- Prepared, analyzed and created efficiencies with company reporting
- Collaborated with senior management to determine and evaluate requirements for expanding reports
- Helped identify and analyze new ways to produce required data based on management requirements
- Managed, evaluated, and improved processes covering custom design process
- Evaluated and analyzed ROI for custom designs and identified and formulated improvements to cost effectiveness of process.
Senior Merchandise Manager
Silpada Designs
01.2013 - 01.2016
- Provided strategic and tactical leadership for product direction based on retail results and trends, consumer insights, competitive research, and target demographics in an incredibly challenging business environment
- Oversaw diverse staff dedicated to disparate functions including purchasing, inventory management, forecasting, and marketing
- Developed long-term product lifecycle plans, evaluated SKU performance, and provided strategic recommendations to increase sales productivity
- Recommended and oversaw execution of consumer promotions to drive revenue and/or liquidate inventory
- Initiated first customer promotion for company and increased profit margin by double digits
- Eliminated waste inventory
- Through careful execution of initial purchases and replenishment, lowered annual receipts by $20MM+
- Negotiated product costs with vendors based on projected buy saving additional $500K annually
Product Development Manager
Hallmark Cards Inc
01.2009 - 01.2013
- Managed $30 million of gift revenue
- Directly managed launch of co-branded gift line to produce $4MM annually
- Provided strategic and tactical leadership based on retail results, trends, consumer insights, and competitive research
- Through successful assortment planning was able to increase store penetration by 30
Inventory Controller
Hallmark Cards Inc
01.2007 - 01.2009
Associate Merchandise Manager
Hallmark Cards Inc
01.2007 - 01.2009
Senior Planning and Allocation Strategist
Hallmark Specialty Retail Group
01.2005 - 01.2007
Education
BA - Women's History
1995
Magna Cum Laude
Skills
- Revenue Growth
- Product LifeCycle Management
- Merchandising Strategies
- In Depth Product Analysis
- Product Strategy
- Employee Mentoring
- Pricing Strategies
- Customer Buying Habits
- Exemplary People Management Skills
- Customer Needs Assessments
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
Timeline
Director, Design Merchandising Bridal - Essense of Australia
01.2019 - Current
Senior Merchandise Manager - Essense of Australia
01.2016 - 01.2019
Senior Merchandise Manager - Silpada Designs
01.2013 - 01.2016
Product Development Manager - Hallmark Cards Inc
01.2009 - 01.2013
Inventory Controller - Hallmark Cards Inc
01.2007 - 01.2009
Associate Merchandise Manager - Hallmark Cards Inc
01.2007 - 01.2009
Senior Planning and Allocation Strategist - Hallmark Specialty Retail Group
01.2005 - 01.2007
Northwest Missouri State University, Arts And Sciences - BA, Women's History