Andrea Foster Seattle, WAandrea.foster117@gmail.com

(864)-979-4612

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Assistant Buyer – Men’s Tailored Clothing, Dress Shirts, & Ties Belk – Charlotte, NC February 2016 – present Planned and executed pricing, advertising, and store merchandising initiatives

Assisted product development team in creating styles for $3.5M Spring FY17 chase assortment Responsible for creating private label Crown & Ivy direct mail, circulars, and merchandise guides Evaluated and reforecasted sales and inventory weekly using ladder plans, Tableau reporting, and

daily sales reports Responsible for allocating $50.3M in merchandise using Oracle Allocation by analyzing store

reports, in stocks, turn, and projected sales Trained and developed new team members in vendor relations, pricing, advertising, and order

writing duties

Merchandise Assistant – Men’s Moderate Bottoms and Outerwear, Belk – Charlotte, NCMay 2015 – February 2016

Executed all pricing, signing, advertising and order-writing duties for the second largest grossing buying office in the men’s division

Managed reorders for denim department on Belk.com by analyzing ratio of stock to sales and size profiles resulting in sales growth of 25% to last year

Created specialized library and custom store signs coinciding with promotional strategies Ran and analyzed weekly reports, enabling the team to track business and identify opportunities to

drive sales Built and analyzed weekly ladders that assisted vendors in developing seasonal sales and receipt

plans

Visual Assistant, J. Crew – Greenville, SC January 2015 – May 2015

Merchandised sales floor and assisted in visual floor sets to maximize floor plan and drive sales Assisted visual manager with monthly and bi-monthly rollout of new merchandise Analyzed stock-sales reports to make effective product placement decisions attaining an 11%

increase in sales Worked alongside Visual Manager during visual workshops held by J. Crew Visual Market Director

Freelance Visual Merchandising Consultant, Imagine This Boutique – Columbia, SCOctober 2015 – December 2015

Merchandised and styled boutique/showroom space to lift consumer interest and sales Visually merchandised to showcase boutique’s top selling accessories, apparel and increased

consumer interest in new merchandise Collaborated with boutique owner on new lighting and theme for in store visuals Rebuilt window display to capture consumer attention

Visual Merchandising Manager/Intern, Stein Mart – Columbia, SC May 2014 – January 2015 Created aesthetically and visually interesting merchandise displays to increase consumer interest in

store merchandise Maximized sales opportunity through strategic merchandising Granted creative control to plan and set both window and in-store visuals – including mannequins,

lighting, and propping

SKILLS

Adobe InDesign, Photoshop

Proficient Microsoft Office 3+ years Visual Merchandising 6+ years Retail Sales Clear and effective written and verbal communication

Education

University of South Carolina – Columbia, SC August 2011-December 2014

Bachelor of Science – Fashion Merchandising Minor: Art History