Michelle Hansen
Bowling Green,KY
Summary
Driven Merchandising Manager with over 16 years of experience in overseeing merchandise trends and product development. Organized and dependable candidate successful at managing multiple priorities with a positive attitude. Willingness to learn new things and take on added responsibilities to meet team goals.
Expert in merchandise planning and developing based on prior sales and trends to provide a well-rounded selection of products sought by customers.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
Work History
Merchandising Manager - Men's Underwear
Fruit of the Loom
07.2017 - 01.2024
- Managed high-performing team , providing ongoing coaching and development opportunities.
- Participated in brainstorming sessions for new product ideas, contributing valuable insights from merchandising perspective to inform marketing strategies.
- Shopped key markets and researched upcoming trends.
- Conducted comprehensive competitor analyses to pinpoint areas for potential differentiation from industry rivals.
- Ensured seamless integration of new products into existing assortments through thorough analysis of customer preferences and market trends.
- Analyzed sales data to identify trends, gauge product performance, and inform future merchandising decisions.
- Developed and maintained strong relationships with retailers to secure exclusive product offerings.
- Accomplishments: Led cross functional team of men's marketing, design, product development, and engineering on cost savings project. Implemented $10M in savings on current men's programs in production.
Assistant Merchandising Manager - Men's Casualwear
Fruit of the Loom
09.2016 - 07.2017
- Managed team of 2 associates responsible for merchandising current casual wear program as well as development of new concepts.
- Conducted competitive analyses to identify market trends and capitalize on emerging opportunities for growth.
- Facilitated successful cross-functional collaborations for completion of key projects, fostering strong working relationships among team members.
- Leveraged data and analytics to make informed decisions on color and style selections.
- Provided team members with quarterly performance reviews offering praise of accomplishments and constructive criticism.
- Accomplishments: Participated in implementation of new speed to light development calendar that pushed concepts to production sooner, taking out 3 months from current timeline.
Senior Associate Merchandiser - Boys' Underwear
Fruit of the Loom
06.2014 - 09.2016
- Shopped major markets for design and trend inspiration.
- Built and presented trend reports internally and to key accounts.
- Built relationships with account buyers by offering expert product knowledge and listening to their requests in order to sell in new programs.
- Streamlined boys' print/color development seasonal calendar and costing processes.
- Accomplishments: Developed and assisted in research studies in Boston and Atlanta markets on fit, style, and color preferences of boys' underwear consumers.
Associate Merchandiser - Boys' Underwear
Fruit of the Loom
05.2013 - 06.2014
- Maintained over 100 current styles in production and assisted in development of new concepts.
- Worked directly with graphic design team on boys' and toddler boys' print artwork development.
- Developed softer hand on printed fabric that was implemented on all programs.
- Trained and mentored interns to assist with merchandising and design duties.
- Accomplishments: Helped develop and sell in product for initial placement at Kohl's. Also, entered and won contest to attend Printing Science workshop at Cotton Inc.
Designer - Boys' Underwear/Men's Loungewear
Fruit Of The Loom
07.2011 - 05.2013
- Worked cross-functionally to create seasonal product lines to drive brand growth.
- Established relationships with vendor to develop fabrics and trims for future product concepts.
- Developed presentation boards and tools to present to buyers for optimal product buy-in.
- Accomplishments: Helped develop Generation Approval website to use as internal and external tool for reviewing and approving print/color. Initiated ownership of elastic development by creating and maintaining tracking logs and history files.
Assistant Merchandiser - Men's & Boys' Underwear
Fruit of the Loom
01.2008 - 07.2011
- Responsible for all men's and boys' woven boxer development and production tracking.
- Researched woven boxer trends and competitive market to identify white space opportunities.
- Built SOP's for woven boxer development and color planning processes.
- Accomplishments: Helped develop skeleton fabric library to assist in more efficient fabric color development for all designers.
Manager
Private Gallery
05.2007 - 12.2007
- Managed all aspects of operating 2 retail store locations.
- Some responsibilities included hiring, scheduling, inventory management, pricing and displaying merchandise.
Intern
My Friend's Place
01.2007 - 05.2007
- Shadowed retail manager to learn about each functional area.
- Responsible for merchandise displays.
- Supported team members in their daily tasks.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Apparel Merchandising
Auburn University
Auburn, AL05.2007
Skills
- Cross-Functional Teamwork
- Effective Communication
- Interpersonal Skills
- Detail Oriented
- Creative
- Entrepreneurial Skills
- Strong Work Ethic
- Organizational Skills
- Process Improvement
- Idea Development and Brainstorming
- Experience in Adobe Photoshop
- Proficient in Adobe Illustrator
- Proficient in PLM
- Proficient in Oracle
- Proficient in MS Office
Affiliations
- Bowling Green Junior Women's Club
- Bowling Green Toastmasters Club
Relevant Courses Training
- LEAD | Elevate - Leadership Education & Development Program (12 week course)
- Zodiak Business Finance and Strategy Course
- Linked In Learning: Receiving Feedback and Criticism
- Linked in Learning: The Fundamentals of Decision Making
- Linked in Learning: The Fundamentals of Problem Solving
- Printing Science Workshop - Cotton Inc.
- Merchandising Math - in person course
- Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop continued education
Timeline
Merchandising Manager - Men's Underwear
Fruit of the Loom
07.2017 - 01.2024
Assistant Merchandising Manager - Men's Casualwear
Fruit of the Loom
09.2016 - 07.2017
Senior Associate Merchandiser - Boys' Underwear
Fruit of the Loom
06.2014 - 09.2016
Associate Merchandiser - Boys' Underwear
Fruit of the Loom
05.2013 - 06.2014
Designer - Boys' Underwear/Men's Loungewear
Fruit Of The Loom
07.2011 - 05.2013
Assistant Merchandiser - Men's & Boys' Underwear
Fruit of the Loom
01.2008 - 07.2011
Manager
Private Gallery
05.2007 - 12.2007
Intern
My Friend's Place
01.2007 - 05.2007
Bachelor of Science - Apparel Merchandising
Auburn University
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