Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Languages
Research
Timeline
Generic

Ceren Akalin

Chicago,Illinois

Summary

Dynamic leader with a proven track record at Chicatolia Artisan Collective, enhancing customer satisfaction and exceeding sales targets through expert team management and inventory control. Excelled in fast-paced retail environments, leveraging strong communication and problem-solving skills. Achieved significant improvements in store operations and team performance, demonstrating a keen understanding of market trends and customer needs.

Overview

8
8
years of professional experience

Work History

Retail Store Manager

Chicatolia Artisan Collective
Chicago, Illinois
07.2024 - Current
  • For the past six months, I have been working as a Store Manager at Chicatolia Artisan Collective. In this role, I oversee daily store operations, manage and motivate a team, ensure sales targets are met, and maintain inventory control. Additionally, I focus on creating a welcoming environment that fosters excellent customer relationships, and drives repeat business.

Commercial Product Manager

LC Waikiki
Istanbul
04.2021 - 03.2023
  • Coordinating all processes from product design to sales
  • Preparation of the ideal product range considering sales data, trends, customer demands, and market analysis
  • Planning annual strategies on topics such as collection, budget, resource finding, and pricing with the product owner and group coordinator
  • Determining customer demands by conducting competitor, market, and customer research and adapting them to the collection
  • Controlling the positioning of products by visiting stores in different locations weekly
  • Conducting customer research studies actively in the field
  • Tracking weekly sales and taking necessary actions
  • Managing the Fast Track collection
  • Managing the OTB budget
  • Maintaining relationships with existing suppliers and searching for new suppliers to expand the supplier portfolio
  • Visiting supplier, fabric, and garment fairs to improve the collection
  • Providing the best price/performance products by focusing on value engineering
  • Participating in price negotiations and order allocation with the supply team
  • Achieving the company's target margins with smooth production

Commercial Manager Trainee

Inditex- Zara
Istanbul
05.2017 - 03.2021
  • Control of all commercial activities related to product in the store
  • Visual merchandising, periodic follow-up of shelves and showcases
  • Planning discount events
  • Real-time tracking of reports and sales, taking actions based on the data
  • Analysis of annual, monthly, and weekly rankings and ensuring continuity of actions
  • Employee orientation and training
  • Preparation of the team's weekly shift
  • Participation in performance evaluations three times a year and preparation of actions based on development areas
  • Budget tracking on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, planning actions to achieve targets
  • Managing team's customer relations and problem-solving

Education

Master's Degree - Turkish History

Ege University Instute of Social Sciences
Izmir
09.2022

Bachelor's Degree - History

Ege University
Izmir
06.2017

Advance English Course - English-as-a-Second-Language Education

GT Educational Center
Chicago

Skills

  • Customer service
  • Communication skills
  • Time management
  • Microsoft word
  • Microsoft excel
  • Bilingual
  • Customer Focused Product Management
  • Teamwork
  • Team Leader
  • Performance monitoring
  • Promotional planning
  • Decision-making
  • Scheduling
  • Staff relations
  • Profit and loss management
  • Retail employee training
  • Staff recruitment
  • Staff management
  • Merchandise planning
  • Quality assurance mindset
  • Inventory control
  • Highly motivated
  • Upselling and cross selling
  • Recruitment and hiring
  • Reporting and documentation
  • Budget administration
  • Stock management
  • Strong multi-tasking
  • Problem-solving
  • Retail operations
  • Store maintenance
  • Market trend awareness
  • Merchandising
  • Visual merchandising
  • Dependable and reliable

Languages

  • English
  • Turkish

Research

Evaluation of the Travelogue 'Russian on the Black Sea and Sea of Azof' by Henry Danby Seymour in terms of Crimean History, https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/tezSorguSonucYeni.jsp

Timeline

Retail Store Manager

Chicatolia Artisan Collective
07.2024 - Current

Commercial Product Manager

LC Waikiki
04.2021 - 03.2023

Commercial Manager Trainee

Inditex- Zara
05.2017 - 03.2021

Master's Degree - Turkish History

Ege University Instute of Social Sciences

Bachelor's Degree - History

Ege University

Advance English Course - English-as-a-Second-Language Education

GT Educational Center

Similar Profiles

CREATE PROFILE
Ceren Akalin