SUMMERÂ & FALL 2019
R E T A I L
RMI
M A N A G E M E N T
I N S T I T U T E
SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY
FALL 2019 ISSUE III
Our Mission The mission of the Retail Management Institute (RMI) at Santa Clara University is to: - Provide a platform for deep collaboration between leading academics and industry innovators to generate shared knowledge - Prepare Retail Studies students for success in the new world of technology driven retail.
Features 03 RSSA President's Note 04 Internships 05 Cost Plus World Market 06 Gap Inc. 07 Nordstrom 08 StitchFix 09 Meet the Minor 10 Williams Sonoma 11 Gabby Lee & Beverlyn Law 12 Building Your Future with Gap Inc.
RMI is the hidden gem of Santa Clara University. It is such a special program that truly aims to enable and empower each student to reach their full potential. It offers a blend of classroom experience and real world application. Once you join RMI, the opportunities offered to you are endless. I am so thankful for RMI and everyone that has worked to make this program so great! I am so excited for the things we have planned for the rest of the year and am so honored to lead, as President of the Retail Studies Student Association (RSSA), a program as upstanding as the Retail Management Institute at Santa Clara University!
A note from the RSSA President
My name is Anelly Allmen and I am a senior majoring in marketing and double minoring in retail studies and studio art. As I look back at my time here at Santa Clara I am amazed by how much I have grown. If you told me freshman year that I was going to be where I am today I would have thought you were crazy! But that’s the crazy thing about life, is that you’re constantly changing and growing! Most recently, that growth can be attributed to RMI. The RMI faculty, teachers, students, speakers, and alumni have pushed me to be the best that I can be. Going forward I can only hope to support and inspire the next wave of RMI students with the help of the RSSA executive board. The RSSA executive board has been working hard to put together awesome opportunities for our students and I could not be more proud! The theme within RSSA this year, is building community and meaningful relationships! I know that as an Association, we have the potential to not only be transformational in the work place but also in our relationships with each other! I am really hoping that everyone within RSSA will be able to lean in and engage with your fellow classmates to grow as people, friends, students, professionals, and as a community of like-minded individuals who are passionate about retail! Thank you to everyone who has supported the Retail Management Institute over the years. It is because of your involvement that we are able to give students the tools to succeed in such a dynamic retail landscape. Thanks again and hope you enjoy this edition of the RMI Magazine!
Anelly Allmen President, Retail Studies Student Association
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Internships - Class of 2020 This past summer, RMI students had opportunities to participate in Internships. Here are a few highlights! “My favorite part of my experience this summer at Salesforce has been the amazing Retail/Consumer Goods team I’ve worked with here in SF. I have been exposed to many divisions of the business side of our retail client relationships, working mainly on enablement, data and marketing on the insights team. Understanding the B2B relationship of a tech company so heavily involved in retail has opened my eyes tremendously.” - Katie Kelly '20
“Interning at Tory Burch this summer was such an incredible experience! As a Buying Ecommerce intern, I learned so much about the operations behind what goes into a collection. My favorite part about the experience was being in the presentation with Tory when the Spring 2020 collection was revealed. I'm so excited to take what I learned at Tory Burch back to Santa Clara with me.” - Angelina Hazzouri '20
“During my program [at Hudson's Bay Company in NYC], I worked on acquiring products from vendors all the way to Saks and Lord and Taylor sites! This included visiting the photo studios where we learned how outfits are created and captured with models but also how handbags and jewelry are recorded for the 3D views online!” - Bridget Reynolds '20
“Working at Levi’s has been an unforgettable experience. I am so proud to work for a company that helps lead the way when it comes to sustainable and social initiatives. I worked in the Wholesale Planning department which allowed me to learn how to forecast inventory plans for our wholesale accounts such as Kohl’s, Macy’s and Amazon. The best part of my experience was being able to present my group project to the CEO and Global Leadership Team.” - Sarah Treganowan '20
“Cost Plus World Market’s internship program exceeded all my expectations. Whether it was my team’s weekly walk and talks along Alameda’s piers, executive lunches, or intern team building activities, I had an extremely interactive and fulfilling 10 weeks. As part of the Business Analytics team, I learned so many new tools and tricks that I will be able to apply to my future classes and careers. Thanks, CPWM, for an incredible 10 weeks!” - Lyssa Urrutia '20
“As a Product Management Intern I loved seeing how a product first developed from ideation all the way to being on the shelf and in people’s shopping carts and baskets! The culture at Albertsons is so welcoming and inclusive, it was a great place to learn and grow as an intern. With such a cross functional culture I had to opportunity to work with many different departments within the Albertsons and Safeway companies!” - Jessica Rousseau '20
For more highlights and RMI updates, follow us on Instagram @retailsantaclarau 4
Delivering Textiles, Trend & Design at Cost Plus World Market by Abigail Boyd, Colleen Brady, Cecilia Fan, Robin Johnson, Maria Kraus, Patricia Mallari, & Haiyeng Tan
Terri Daniels joined the Class of 2020 for the Art & Science of Merchandising class sharing many key concepts including the difference between rationalization and optimization. Terri explained that these concepts are not interchangeable and mean two completely different things. Rationalization is how many SKUs you need in order to make your financial plan, while optimization looks at the SKUs that you have and figuring out what categories and subcategories are going to be the most profitable. Each SKU needs an individual space in the distribution centers (for the automated picking process). “The consumer is changing and their shopping behavior is changing in a way that is moving more to online platforms,” said Terri Daniels, director, CPWM. “As a result, CPWM has to make sure the consumers’ shopping experience is the best it can be in order to create and maintain loyal customers.” Terri Daniels is the Director of Textiles and Director of Trend & Design at Cost Plus World Market. She has been with CPWM for 14 years. Cost Plus is a speciality chain store, selling home decor such as baskets, kitchenware, tableware, ceramics, carpets, furniture, and curtains. They also sell artisan gifts and consumable items such as food, wine, beer, coffee, and cheese, sourced from over 50 countries internationally. As of 2012, Cost Plus was acquired by the large retail conglomerate, Bed Bath & Beyond.
Pictured left to right: Anelly Allmen '20, Haiyeng Tan '20, Cecilia Fan '20, Patricia Mallari '20, Colleen Brady '20, Robin Johnson '20, Terri Daniels, Maria Kraus '20, Abigail Boyd '20, Lyssa Urrutia '20 , Sarah Treganowan '20 5
Gap Inc. Trio Talks Data and Gut Feelings by Laura Blevins, Angelina Hazzouri, Jessica Rousseau, Isabelle Sahyoun, Lyssa Urrutia, Valerie Vandeveld
The Art & Science of Merchandising Class is host to many industry guest speakers, including a team from Gap Inc made up of recruiting, a Senior Merchandising Director at Old Navy and Assistant Merchandiser for men’s fleece at Old Navy. It is no secret that Old Navy is performing much better than the Gap Inc. brands. One of the key components for Old Navy’s success is its four pillars: Family, Fun, Fashion, and Value. These values set the foundation for the company and can be seen throughout each and every one of Old Navy’s employees. Gap, on the other hand, is redefining itself.
goods at the right place at the right time and how they seed certain products in more productive stores in order to get a taste of how successful the product may be. They emphasized the way Gap Inc. stands for its customers and always do what is right for them. A sense of community, quality, and sustainability is felt throughout all of their brands. Gap Inc. is a global apparel and accessories retailer that was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in San Francisco. Its seven brands include Gap, Old Navy, Athleta, Banana Republic, Hill City, Intermix, and Janie and Jack. The guest speakers who came to speak with the Class of 2020 included Heather Chamberlain, a recruiter for Gap Inc., Megan Zapala '05, Vice President Digital Merchandising at Old Navy, and Trent Carlson '18, an Assistant Merchandiser for men’s fleece at Old Navy.
“Having four main brands (Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta) under Gap Inc. has added a lot of value to the brand over time,” said Heather Chamberlain, University Recruiter, Gap Inc. “It has created halo customers, who shop at all four brands for different reasons. Gap Inc. wants to meet the consumer where they are, which is not in traditional malls anymore, but maybe next to a yoga studio or a lifestyle center.” Old Navy merchandisers shared how their allocation team is dedicated to getting the right
Pictured top row: Olivia Kem '20, Angelina Hazzouri '20, Megan Zapala, Trent Carlson, Laura Blevins '20, Colleen Brady '20,; middle row: Jessica Rousseau '20; bottom row: Lyssa Urrutia '20, Valerie Vandeveld '20 , Heather Chamberlain, Isebelle Sahyoun '20, Sarah Treganowan '20
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Nordstrom CMO - It’s All About Exciting the Customer by Grace Mejia, Sheerin Khan, Katie Kelley, Erica Cabrera, Kelli Bates, Carrie Chow, Sarah Treganowan, Anelly Allmen
Retail Studies students are always delighted to meet Teri Bariquit, Nordstrom’s first ever Chief Merchandising Officer. Teri is passionate about everything Nordstrom and what the company stands for—helping customers feel good and look their best. "Nordstrom is adapting its stores to the changing retail landscape and continuing to excite its consumers,” said Teri Bariquit, Nordstrom CMO.
we see the work Nordstrom is doing to keep human connection its priority through the improvements they are making in their stores. This is just one of the many ways Nordstrom sets itself apart from its competitors while staying relevant to the modern shopper.
Pictured left to right: Sheerin Khan '20, Katie Kelley '20, Anelly Allmen '20, Teri Bariquit, Grace Meija '20, Carrie Chow '20, Kelli Bates '20, Erica Cabrera '20
When asked about Gen Z and how Nordstrom curates for this generation, Teri said, “I’m actually intimidated by this group of consumers, as they are revolutionizing the retail world. They don’t care what brand a shirt is, how fashionable a pair of shoes are and so on. Instead, Gen Z is interested in where clothing is sourced from and how this affects our planet. Gen Z is demanding and impacting change and we can see it in the way they shop.”
"Gen Z is interested in where clothing is sourced from and how this affects our planet. Gen Z is demanding and impacting change and we can see it in the way they shop.”
Expanding our footprint to include restaurants and bars, salons, styling lounges, face gyms, and even stroller cleaning makes every visit to Nordstrom much more than just a shopping destination, it’s an experience.” Nordstrom is working to add engagement points that are tailored to the needs of the customer while providing an excellent shopping experience
Having a dialogue with Teri was amazing. We were enlightened by the concepts we’ve been learning about in class and how they apply to a real company like Nordstrom. The Class of 2020 is very grateful to Teri and the time she took out of her overly busy schedule to come speak to our class.
Nordstrom is planning to integrate the successful components of the New York flagship store into many of their high traffic stores in key cities. It was refreshing to hear Teri talk about how in today’s data-driven world what still matters most is human connection 7
Maneuvering Through the Changing Retail Landscape as a Retail Revolutionary by Emma Franz, Betsy Alderman, Bridget Reynolds, Hailey Eberle, Jamie Vuong, Kelsey Leon, Lauren Rapisarda, Olivia Kem
RMI Alumna & Former Chief Merchandising Officer and General Manager of Stitch Fix Women, Lisa Bougie ‘91, engaged retail studies seniors about her experience maneuvering through the changing retail industry. Lisa has over 25 years of experience, working for innovative retailers, such as Gap Inc., Patagonia, and Nike before joining Stitch Fix in 2012. As Stitch Fix’s CMO, she impacted the company’s growth, including an IPO in 2018, molding it into the successful retail disruptor it is today-now a $3 billion-dollar business, that has done nothing short of revolutionizing the traditional shopping experience.
exclusive brands. Though data science is truly “woven into the fabric of Stitch Fix,” Lisa also stressed the importance of human input to the success of the company. Lisa made it a point to emphasize that Stitch Fix never strived to be the fastest or the cheapest company; instead, Stitch Fix focuses on convenience, discovery, relevance, and confidence. While technology heavily influences the Stitch Fix business model, the company ensures human stylists play an important role in their process. The company stands behind the fact that human interaction is essential to building a customer relationship. For example, workers include personal notes in peoples’ fixes as a meaningful addition to their personalized boxes. Stitch Fix is a leading example of companies weaving art and science together beautifully.
Stitch Fix is an online retailing company that combines tech, data, and personal styling. Stitch Fix uses a series of algorithms to create a personalized styling box, called a fix, that is delivered to your doorstep based on your preferred subscription. Stitch Fix is redefining retail for the coming generations. One of the reasons Stitch Fix is so appealing is because it is convenient. The stylists are able to use the data to create something that is unique and specifically for you. Going along with what we have been learning about recommendation systems in our Advanced Retail Seminar class, Lisa focused on the immense amount of data science that is integrated into Stitch Fix’s business model. “Integration is everything,'' said RMI alum Lisa Bougie ‘91. “What makes Stitch Fix unique is that it ensures that all of its aspects and processes flow harmoniously – is Stitch Fix’s key to success.” Data science combined with human touch is utilized in all things Stitch Fix, from assembling a fix, to inventory management, to algorithmic fashion design for Stitch Fix
Pictured top row: Jamie Vuong '20, Betsy Alderman '20, Bridget Reynolds '20, Lauren Rapisarda '20, Lisa Bougie '91, Emma Franz '20; bottom bow: Kelsey Leon '20, Olivia Kem '20, Anelly Allmen '20
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RSSA Recruiting: Meet the Minor
by Lyssa Urrutia
Every year, RSSA looks forward to expanding its program with new members through a heavy fall recruiting season. The recruiting committee was hard at work visiting a number of classrooms to promote everything that the Retail Studies minor has to offer. Meet the RMI Minor is an event held to recruit prospective students. Classroom tables were adorned with cookies and milk, and prospective students filled the room, eager to hear more about the minor. The event began with an overview of the minor and its benefits. Students were then greeted by a panel of five outstanding RMI students with a variety of experiences in the retail industry. Senior marketing major, Anelly Allmen, spoke of the many opportunities of the minor, including her internship at Nike and all of the people that made it a truly special experience. Eugene Choi '21, marketing major, engaged the audience with the story behind his decision to pursue the Retail Studies minor and his excitement for upcoming opportunities. Angelina Hazzouri’s '20 passion for RMI and the retail industry shined when speaking of the advantageous features of the minor and her internship at Tory Burch. English major, Katie Kelley '20, told her story of finding a niche community within the RMI minor and her memorable Salesforce internship. Sheerin Khan '20, OMIS major, explained the RMI courses and their applicability to real life work, including her internship at Levi’s.
Sheerin Khan '20, Katie Kelly '20, Angelina Hazzouri '20, Anelly Allmen '20, and Eugene Choi '21 on the panel for Meet the Minor.
After the event, prospective students were encouraged to apply to the minor and given advice on the RMI interview process. RSSA is excited to welcome more than 30 new faces this past fall, and we are looking forward to meeting more prospective students in winter.
Anelly Allmen and Lyssa Urrutia at Santa Clara University's Fall Involvement Fair.
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Williams Sonoma x RMI by Valerie Vandeveld
Pictured left to right: Bridget Reynolds '20, Olivia Kem '20, Eugene Choi '21, Patricia Mallari '20, Claire Edwards '21, Paige Parentice '21, Robin Johnson '20, Colleen Brady '20, Lyssa Urrutia '20, Katie Kelley '20, Valerie Vandeveld '20, Pratinav Damani '22
RMI students were fortunate to tour the WilliamsSonoma corporate headquarters in San Francisco. The day started off with a tour of the Williams-Sonoma mock store, where we saw what the store will look like in the coming months! We received an inside look at the test kitchen, where two professional chefs were testing out recipes for everything oatmeal. We walked over to the Pottery Barn headquarters which was festively decorated for Halloween. Here we took a look at the
mock store to learn a bit of what goes into the visual merchandising strategies of the company. We then had the amazing opportunity to speak with six current employees on a panel and ask them questions on why they work at the company and what they love about it! With this we were treated to Halloween cookies and given three editions of current Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, and West Elm catalogs. It was a fun and insightful experience.
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RMI Alumni Spotlight: Gabby Lee & Beverlyn Law, Category Specialists at Walmart.com Walmart.com E-commerce Category Specialists for Men’s Wear Beverlyn Law ’18 and Gabby Lee ’18 share with us what it’s like to build a category for one of the world’s largest retailers. by Joycelyn George
“Walmart.com has amazing relationships with its vendors, said Gabby Lee, Category Specialist for Men’s Pants. “As ecommerce continues to evolve, our main focus is on maintaining our national and private label brands, but we still try to focus on reaching a new customer base with bringing in more fashion brands. We are continually meeting with new brands with an emphasis on growing in the young men’s department.” During meetings, vendors present their assortment and then specialists select the styles that are right for the season’s collection. Gabby is working specifically with the Walmart.com, but there are some shared National brand and private label apparel items that appear both online and in stores.
more specifically, the class about Amazon allowed her to see a lot of parallels in Walmart. Gabby stated that RMI really opened her eyes up to what retail really is, and provided her with a solid foundation. “The whole internship process was important when we talked to recruiters, and learned how to land jobs and the value of making connections in our career. “You don’t have to be in fashion to work at Walmart. There are so many types of Category Specialists, such as online grocery, home, & video games. For fashion, we operate very different from the rest of the verticals. We are only telling you one side of the bigger picture,” said Beverlyn & Gabby.
Beverlyn’s role as specialist for Men’s Pants is more specifically involved in account management and business development. Beverlyn looks at where she can grow opportunities, and makes sure that her sellers maximize their sales. She explains, “On the marketplace side I don’t own any products. I only own the relationship. It’s all about growing their small businesses.”
For current RMI students, Gabby advises them to be ready for anything. “As we learned in RMI, retail is huge, and there are so many aspects. You never really know where you’re going to end up. Have an open mind, and be receptive to any opportunities that come to you.” Beverlyn added on, recommending RMI students to “Utilize all the connections that RMI has to offer.” Creating meaningful connections allows for the making of a supportive team through all opportunities.
When asked about how RMI has prepared them for the workforce, Beverlyn shared that the program helped her understand the atmosphere of modern day retail. And
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Gap x RMI: Building Your Future with Gap Inc. by Olivia Kem
Members of the Retail Management Institute had the pleasure of welcoming guests from Gap Inc. We were able to hear from Heather Chamberlain, a recruiter for Gap Inc., Megan Zapala '05, Vice President Digital Merchandising at Old Navy, and Trent Carlson '18, an Assistant Merchandiser for men’s fleece at Old Navy. Throughout the presentation, we had the opportunity to learn about Gap Inc.’s unique corporate culture, as well as hear updates around the seven Gap Inc. brands: Gap, Old Navy, Athleta, Banana Republic, Hill City, Intermix, and Janie and Jack. The biggest update discussed in the presentation was the company’s decision for Old Navy to split from the company, separating it from the other brands and making it into its own entity entirely. The decision to split is due to Old Navy’s position as a value retailer, unlike other Gap Inc. brands, as well as its impressive performance over the past few years. As its own entity, Old Navy can continue to grow without interfering with the other brands’ efforts to redefine themselves and find new, fresh ways to achieve this same level of success.
Heather Chamberlain presents about the Rotational Management Program at Gap Inc.
During the 10-month program, participants rotate through Inventory Management, Production and Merchandising while learning about product life cycle and how customers interact with our brands online and in-store. After completion of the program, participants are hired within a department in which they were trained (Inventory Management, Production, or Merchandising) and assigned to one of the company’s brands. Both Megan and Trent went through RMP and described how the program greatly contributed to their successes at the company. They also spoke about other RMP alum who are now serving as senior executives within Gap Inc. as well as at other sought-after brands.
Gap Inc’s presentation also included insight into their Rotational Management Program (RMP), which they described as the premier destination for top entry-level talent seeking to jumpstart their business careers.
When the presentation was concluded, attending members of RMI were able to network with Heather, Megan and Trent. Incoming seniors also had the opportunity to sign up for RMP’s first-round interviews. Postscript: two senior RMI applicants were ultimately accepted into the program, one with Old Navy and one with Gap Inc. They will begin the program in San Francisco either Summer or Fall 2020. *Gap Inc.'s plan to split has changed since the timing of the article*
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Retail Studies Student Association RSSA Calendar Fall 2019 September 23 - Fall Quarter begins September 24 - Fall Involvement Fair September 25 - RSSA Executive Board Meeting October 1 - Build Your Future with Gap Inc. October 11 - Williams Sonoma Corporate Tour October 15Â - Meet the Minor October 24 - RSSA Executive Team Bonding December 4 - RMI Global Fellows Informational December 5 - RSSA Executive Board Meeting + Clothing Drive RSSA Executive Team Bonding
Pictured left to right: Katie Kelley '20, Lyssa Urrutia '20, Bridget Reynolds '20, Anelly Allmen '20, Joycelyn George '21, Eugene Choi '21, Valerie Vandeveld '20, Oliva Kem '20
Meet the Minor
RSSA Executive Board Meeting + Clothing Drive
Pictured left to right: Katie Kelley '20, Anelly Allmen '20, Joycelyn George '21, Valeria Vandeveld '20, Katarina Draskovic '21, Kelli Bates '20
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Retail Management Institute Faculty & Staff
RMI Advisory Board Barry J. Feld, Chairman Cost Plus World Market Kirthi Kalyanam Ph.D. RMI Executive Director
Kirthi Kalyanam, Ph.D., Executive Director, Retail Management Institute Gail Kirby, Ph.D., Marketing Professor Wei Shi Ph.D., Marketing Professor Cynthia Gamage, Associate Director, Retail Management Institute Cindy Cooper, Projects & Programs Manager
Kamelia Aryafar— Overstock Kent Anderson—Gear UP Consulting Mark Brashear ‘83—Consulting and Serving on Board of Directors' Soumik Chatterjee—Petco Michelle DeMartini-Wlazlo—JCPenney Ken Duane—Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. Tom Fanoe ‘68—Thomas Fanoe Consulting Barry Gilbert—WineVIP Gautam Gupta—M13 Ventures, NatureBox co-founder Mark Lavelle—Magento, an Adobe company Amy Montagne ‘93—Nike Matt Murphy ‘02—Montage Ventures Mike Osario ‘84—Tori Richard Ltd. Gisel Ruiz ‘92—former Wal-Mart Michael Schriver—Louis Vuitton John Strain ‘90—Old Navy Chantel Waterbury ‘97—INSPR
Retail Studies Student Association Executive Board Anelly Allmen, President Olivia Kem, Corporate Liaison Katie Kelley, Philanthropy Chair Philanthropy Committee: Betsy Alderman, Elizabeth Conn, Katarina Draskovic & Madeline Wong Lyssa Urrutia, Recruiting Chair Recruiting Commuttee: Angela Chen, Eugene Choi, Katarina Draskovic, Presley Elletson, Robin Johnson, Olivia Mannion & Christian Mora Mentoring Chairs: Kelli Bates & Valerie Vandeveld Cecilia Fan, Social Media and Marketing Director Joycelyn George, RMI Magazine Editor Addison Camisa, Assistant News Editor Bridget Reynolds, Director of Internal Relations
Emeritus David Folkman Ellen Magnin Newman Philip Schlein Joseph Tomaselli
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RMI Magazine Editors Joycelyn George Editor in Chief
Addy Camisa Assistant Editor in Chief
Cindy Cooper Editor
STAY CONNECTED www.scu.edu/rmi @retailmanagementinstitute @retailsantaclarau @retailscu @rmi_santaclarau
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Retail Management Institute Santa Clara University 500 El Camino Real, Lucas Hall Suite 111 Santa Clara, CA 95053-0399