William Lafe McClelland III
Costa Mesa
Summary
Dynamic and results-oriented merchandising executive with over 20+ years of progressive experience in retail management and strategic merchandising. Renowned for transforming brand operations into high-performing environments and creating unparalleled shopping experiences. Proven track record in driving sales growth, optimizing inventory management, and fostering vendor relationships. Adept at leveraging market trends to enhance product offerings and delivering engaging retail strategies that resonate with target audiences.
Overview
26
26
years of professional experience
Work History
Owner & Creative Director
Luxe Dezign
Greater Los Angeles Area
01.2008 - Current
- Company Overview: Luxe Dezign was established to meet the demand for high-end public relations and design, provide event management and coordination for corporate events and weddings and marketing events.
- Attention paid to the highest and simplest details while maintaining professionalism and discretion.
- Coordinated and managed third party contracts in order to meet and exceed client expectations and budget requirements.
- Clients have included major venues such as The Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, The Grand and Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Los Angeles.
- Business client base has serviced all of the surrounding San Diego and Los Angeles Markets.
- Oversee project execution, phase progress, workmanship and team performance to drive on-time completion of deliverables.
- Devised business and marketing plans and prepared monthly financial reports.
- Negotiated with vendors to gain optimal pricing on products resulting in substantial increase in profit margin.
- Hosted special events to boost brand awareness and increase community engagement.
- Established favorable relationships with vendors and contractors, facilitating contract negotiation and development of marketing and sales strategies.
- Luxe Dezign was established to meet the demand for high-end public relations and design, provide event management and coordination for corporate events and weddings and marketing events.
Senior Executive Business Administration Manager
Bloomingdale's Department Store
Costa Mesa
09.2022 - 01.2025
- Spearheaded merchandising strategies that align with Bloomingdale's brand identity, driving a robust increase in sales performance across key product categories.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to innovate promotional events, crafting unique customer experiences that boost foot traffic and engagement.
- Implemented data-driven inventory management practices to optimize stock levels, ensuring product availability aligns with consumer demand while minimizing excess inventory.
- Fostered partnerships with suppliers and brands to curate a distinctive merchandise mix, enhancing overall store appeal and customer loyalty.
- As part of the roadmap, developed a comprehensive merchandising plan focused on seasonal trends and customer insights, aimed at elevating in-store experiences.
- Lead & support management team with hiring and initiating new training and scheduled processes to streamline operations.
- Executed performance reviews to encourage accountability & to improved productivity with colleagues.
- Hired and trained five new department managers.
- Established relationships with vendors and contractors, facilitating contract negotiation and development of marketing and sales strategies.
- Kept up-to-date on regulatory changes affecting business operations.
- Managed operations budgeting, EBITDA, accounts payable and accounts receivable and payroll.
Senior Flagship Store Director
Lacoste Group USA
COSTA MESA
09.2019 - 08.2021
- Gained Top Flagship location on the West Coast of North America. From #7 to #1 in less than 2 years.
- Top Black Friday store in entire Lacoste Brand.
- Drove marginal growth 5-10%. Gained departmental sales 3-5%. Driving sales & double digits comps 23% in 2020 and 34% in 2021.
- Strength departmental business through money mapping of stores life cycles & seasonal rotations.
- Worked daily/weekly with buyers & executive leadership to ensure location had adequate product to comp and drive sales.
- Successfully launched & Spearheaded WorkDay scheduling systems to all GM’s in the North America.
- Lead & took part of town hall meetings for all of North America.
- Facilitated HR operations, including strategic workforce planning, performance management, staffing and administration of benefits.
- Analyzed variable data for operations to determine areas for improvement, increased efficiency and potential EBITDA cost savings.
SENIOR FLAGSHIP GENERAL MANAGER
West Elm
COSTA MESA
09.2015 - 08.2019
- Gained over $2m+ in sales and $1.7m in clientele dollars through building customer experiences that drove repeat business.
- Store volume rank from 9th to 1st in West Coast Stores within two years.
- Store now participates on an exclusive flagship assortment level.
- Responsible for hiring, develop, and training entire staff of 50+ employees to company standards.
- Manages and develops Operations, Visual and Sales & Services Departments.
- Development of District strategies for training all levels of management on Operations Excellence & Visual Standards.
- Created community events to increase store and business traffic revenue ranging from $20-60k of new revenues per event.
- Created strong influential relationships with Home Office Operations and buyers.
- Frequent successful CEO and EVP visits.
- Worked with franchise buyers from Dubai and Korea.
- Fostered cross functional brand relationships within the WSI portfolio.
- Developed corporate objectives and strategies collaborating on quality metrics and key performance indicators (KPI), as well as strategizing with cross-functional teams on improvement measures related to quality.
- Managed and improved requirements, gaps analysis, training and development and new program rollout resulting in +35% increase in efficiency.
- Facilitated buying process by providing customers with value proposition for products and services while promoting ALL WSI brands.
- Appraised inventory levels on frequent basis, ordering new merchandise to keep quantities well-stocked.
- Directed merchandising operations for a flagship store, achieving a +30% year-over-year increase in sales through impactful visual displays and strategic product placement.
- Championed community engagement initiatives that not only expanded customer outreach but also drove brand loyalty through localized marketing events.
- Trained and mentored a high-performing team, elevating overall service standards which directly contributed to improved customer satisfaction metrics.
- Implemented a customer feedback loop to inform merchandising decisions, ensuring product selections resonate with evolving consumer preferences.
SENIOR SOUTHEAST REGIONAL MANAGER
BCBGMAXAZRIA Group USA & Japan
Miami Beach
02.2008 - 09.2009
- Responsible for total communication from BCBG Corporate Offices to all divisions of the brand.
- Oversaw visual presentation within assigned region (120+ stores).
- Conduct routine store visits within the assigned region.
- Compile visual recap after each store visit.
- Devoted particular attention to Flagship and Arch store locations within Metropolitan areas.
- Tested visual merchandising techniques (i.e. Window displays, in-store displays and mannequin styling) in pilot stores within region to assure that new visual displays were used to make innovated decisions for the brand and gave feedback to visual department and corporate business partners.
- Trained District Managers, Store Management and Staff on visual presentation standards.
- Facilitate visual merchandising workshops for assigned districts.
- Partner with retail operations on store openings, relocations, or closures for BCBG retail, factory and partner shops.
- Recap visual merchandising trends among competitors.
- Partner with visual merchandising director and visual corporate office on 'special projects'.
- Worked with stores in NYC for Fashion Week along with Production Showroom for upcoming lines for all labels of BCBG.
- Reinforced brand standards and visual merchandising consistency in marketplace.
- Cultivated strong professional relationships with suppliers and key clients to drive long-term business development.
- Met with sales and design departments to determine project road maps and create unique products to drive profitability and champion brand.
- Used change methodologies to increase sales and led projects for increased productivity.
- Travel 65-75%.
SENIOR FLAGSHIP GENERAL MANAGER
Gap
Miami Beach
11.1999 - 02.2008
- Developed district, regional and zone with multiple operational/visual functions in numerous complex assignments managed all complexities of 4 stores with all 5 Gap brand labels.
- Managed two separate locations during Holiday 2006, as Senior Flagship Center Manager.
- Received several awards for top sales to budget, visual presentation and overall performance in store rankings.
- Worked with GAP Corporate on Hot Store strategies with all brands and launch of Maternity. Worked on branding opportunities across North America & Canada.
- Implemented successful business strategies to increase revenue and target new markets.
- Reviewed financial statements and sales or activity reports to measure productivity or goal achievement.
- Monitored progress by establishing plans, budgets and measuring results.
- Created effective business plans to focus strategic decisions on long-term objectives.
- Have lead store countless new store openings throughout career with Gap. Training and developing teams in all aspects of store business and company standards.
- Worked with Regional Directors & District Managers on store walkthrough and presentation assessments of stores, layout, fixture placement, product elevation, and profitability of store layout and overall visual presentation.
- Responsible for Direct Reports in charge of all window presentations, in-store visuals, product placement, business analysis, reporting, and elevation of product.
- Worked in coordination with headquarters and field business partners on the Missy & Madonna Campaign, and Sarah Jessica Parker Campaign in New York & Miami.
- Worked in coordination with numerous headquarter business partners in visual, operations, distribution and marketing.
- Developed change in marketing strategy for Spanish / English speaking markets in Miami.
- Participant in headquarter forums for Visual Merchandising and Operations.
- Worked with buyers and C-Suite Teams for product assortment with customer demand and customer experiences hand in hand.
- Analyzed variable data for operations to determine areas for improvement, increased efficiency and potential cost savings.
Education
College Prep. - Business Management & Administration
Indian Creek Senior High School
Trafalgar, IN05-2001
Skills
- Strategic Merchandising
- Inventory Optimization
- Visual Merchandising
- Brand Management
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Data Analysis & Market Trends
- Customer Experience Enhancement
- Team Development & Leadership
- Result Oriented
Timeline
Senior Executive Business Administration Manager
Bloomingdale's Department Store
09.2022 - 01.2025
Senior Flagship Store Director
Lacoste Group USA
09.2019 - 08.2021
SENIOR FLAGSHIP GENERAL MANAGER
West Elm
09.2015 - 08.2019
SENIOR SOUTHEAST REGIONAL MANAGER
BCBGMAXAZRIA Group USA & Japan
02.2008 - 09.2009
Owner & Creative Director
Luxe Dezign
01.2008 - Current
SENIOR FLAGSHIP GENERAL MANAGER
Gap
11.1999 - 02.2008
College Prep. - Business Management & Administration
Indian Creek Senior High School