Kelly Little

• Lead nationwide visual merchandising efforts, providing mentorship and strategic guidance to Field Visual Merchandisers and operational leaders to optimize performance and drive results.
• Analyze sales performance and market trends to uncover growth opportunities, crafting targeted visual merchandising strategies that align with broader business objectives.
• Continuously assess visual merchandising effectiveness through key performance metrics, including sales data and team performance, ensuring alignment with company goals.
• Conduct nationwide evaluations of district-level visual merchandising presentations to ensure consistency and adherence to brand standards across all locations.
• Design and implement comprehensive training programs that elevate visual merchandising skills, nurture leadership capabilities, and enhance display execution across the organization.
• Serve as the key liaison between field teams and the corporate office, effectively communicating successes, challenges, and field needs to support continuous improvement.
• Lead the planning and execution of New Store Openings across Canada, ensuring seamless integration of brand standards, product allocations, and visual merchandising excellence.
• Manage multiple high-priority projects simultaneously, demonstrating exceptional organizational skills and meeting deadlines without compromising quality.
• Oversee the execution and follow-up of all promotional setups across Canada, ensuring consistent implementation and alignment with brand guidelines.
• Curate and deliver visually compelling weekly communication packages, utilizing design software (InDesign, Photoshop) to clearly articulate visual merchandising strategies.
• Administer budgets for visual merchandising projects, ensuring cost-effective solutions that maximize ROI while maintaining brand integrity and visual standards.
• Develop and execute data-driven merchandising strategies based on customer behavior insights, leading to improved sales performance and increased customer engagement.
• Collaborated closely with the Marketing team to recruit models, curate fashion-forward looks, and style photoshoots, ensuring cohesive brand messaging and visual storytelling across all marketing materials and campaigns.

• Appointed as the first Director of Visual for Forever 21 Canada, responsible for shaping and executing the brand’s visual identity and overall store experience across the country.
• Recruited, trained, and led a high-performing visual team, developing a cohesive and innovative approach to in-store visual merchandising that elevated the customer experience.
• Acted as the key liaison between Canadian operations and the Los Angeles headquarters, collaborating with departments including Allocations, Marketing, Visual Merchandising, Store Openings, and HR to ensure seamless communication and alignment of goals.
• Led the creation and rollout of comprehensive visual training programs, enhancing the skill sets of field teams and ensuring the consistent execution of brand standards across all locations.
• Developed and executed specialized training workshops throughout the year to build visual merchandising expertise, drive innovation, and support the professional growth of the field team.
• Designed and implemented key merchandising tools and resources to optimize execution, improve in-store presentation, and drive operational efficiency across the field.
• Directed the visual organization of all store openings, re-fixture, and renovations, ensuring a seamless and high-quality execution of visual standards from concept to completion.
• Oversaw talent acquisition efforts, attracting top industry professionals and contributing to the growth of a highly skilled workforce.
• Accountable for conducting weekly business analysis of sales performance, allocations, and visual execution, providing actionable insights and reporting directly to senior leadership in Los Angeles.
• Traveled monthly across Canadian provinces for follow-up, on-the-ground training, and continuous development of visual branding and merchandising execution, ensuring the successful implementation of corporate initiatives.

•Oversee the coordination and management of all visual materials and store fixtures, ensuring timely procurement, distribution, and follow-up to support store operations and visual standards.

• Directly manage a team of Field Visual Merchandisers, providing leadership, support, and strategic direction to ensure the execution of high-quality visual merchandising across all locations.
• Administer and track visual purchase orders and accruals, ensuring efficient and accurate processing and maintaining alignment with budgetary and operational goals.
• Collaborate in the creation and dissemination of visual communication packages and directives, ensuring consistency and clarity in visual instructions to all stores.
• Contribute to the strategic development and execution of merchandising plans for store openings, renovations, and visual floor set tests, ensuring alignment with brand standards and business objectives.
• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with vendors, ensuring timely collection of brand images and seasonal updates for lightboxes and marketing promotions across all locations.
• Actively participate in cross-functional collaboration with Marketing, Allocations, Store Operations, and Creative teams, contributing to the planning and execution of in-store promotions, events, and sales opportunities.
• Travel extensively across Canada to conduct visual merchandising training, operations training, and follow-up on the execution of company standards and directives, ensuring consistency and high standards at every location.
• Lead the successful opening of new retail locations across Canada, working closely with Store Development and Allocations to ensure seamless integration of visual merchandising strategies and brand standards.
• Collaborated closely with the Marketing team to recruit models, curate fashion-forward looks, and style photoshoots, ensuring cohesive brand messaging and visual storytelling across all marketing materials and campaigns.