queenstown

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Type Info Here [in Master View]

Queenstown FORecap 4/15/2009


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Observations

The store has a good amount of selling floor

space. It was mostly organized, and apparel

was priced correctly.

The store’s management team were prepared

for the VM training with adequate personnel

on the sales floor. It was also apparent the

team’s VM point person watched the VM

training video and implemented the guidelines

throughout the sales floor. Deirdre Casey

(GM) and team showcased a great attitude

towards the training and were genuinely

interested in learning how to elevate the look

of their store. I also noticed excellent

customer service to every customer that

walked in.

The store has raised the bar for outlet stores,

and should continue to upkeep and develop

their skills with Visual Merchandising. I look

forward to future visits at Queenstown FO.

Challenges

•

Inventory of apparel was low

•

Store needs a steamer

•

Outlet center has low traffic during the

winter months

•

Additional sign holders are needed for

marketing signage

•

Additional mannequins needed

Opportunities

•

Elevating Merchandising Standards

•

Retagging hang tags

•

Proper sign placements

•

Attention to details


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Store Front The store did a great job in showcasing a lifestyle story in the windows! As shown below, mannequins are styled in Golf apparel for the upcoming season.

* Always remember to remove or hide the sensors on the mannequins


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T-shirt binsChallenges

The store was running very low on t-shirts, impeding them from filling in the t-shirt bins fully. They took initiative and merchandised swimming trunks for the upcoming beach season. Great job in preventing the bins from looking empty. However, once the store receives replenishment of t-shirts, the bins should be refilled with them.


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MerchandisingBefore

Under Outlet Store guidelines, merchandise should not be layered

on the walls or floor fixtures. To keep all stores consistent, this VM

guideline needs to be followed. Layering is reserved only for Originals store.

Do not face out all of the merchandise on the walls. Use shelves and other fixture add ons

to add accessories to the walls.


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MerchandisingAfter

Adding shelves to the walls is a great way of showcasing a complete lifestyle to the customer. The picture on the left shows running accessories with running apparel. The picture on the right shows training accessories with training apparel. Also, the collections are clearly separated by grouping the colors.

*Note: Store needs to go back and re-ticket the tags that are visibly hanging from the apparel. Attention to Details!


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Footwear EndcapsBefore

Do not place signs on any fixture without a proper sign holder.

Avoid showing a large gap between the footwear.


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Footwear EndcapsAfter

The pictures above shows an option outlet stores may take to add

shelving to the footwear endcaps. It allows accessories such as footwear cleaners and deodorizers to be added, as well as properly placing a sign holder on it. Also, the footwear itself has been brought closer to one another to minimize the space between

them.


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Challenges

The store needs additional sign holders, as shown above, to properly execute marketing directives.


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AccessoriesBefore After

Avoid using footwear cleaners on the accessories wall. Reserve them for the footwear endcaps. The wall should be filled with bags, as well as hats if space allows.

Always ensure the accessories wall is well organized and is easy to shop. Use, if available, bag clips to merchandise the bags. If the store is running low, order additional ones from supply one.


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Merchandising WallsBefore

XX X

X

The store did a great effort in merchandising this wall prior to

the visit. However, avoid having too many different levels on the walls. Try to keep the wall looking uniformed and consistent. Also, when possible, avoid having negative selling space on the walls. Utilize this space to add accessories or elevate your VM presentation.


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Merchandising Walls

The picture above is a perfect example how to create a lifestyle

story through proper VM presentation. The wall does not look cluttered and is easily shopped by the customer. Faceouts are shown with matching apparel and accessories. The insert picture shows how to be creative with a golf belt to elevate the golf shoe.

*The store neatly added bags afterwards to fill in the negative selling space on the right and left space of the wall.

After

Due to the merchandising done prior to the VM visit by the store’s team, I was able to teach the added details needed for a wall. Great Job!


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Follow up

The following pictures were sent to me the week after the VM visit. The store’s management and team did an excellent job implementing what they learned during the visit. They were very excited to share the pictures and asked for feedback. They have set the bar on how stores should react and continue to implement

what is explained and learned during training. Visual Merchandising is an ever evolving field and there are always new ways of merchandising the store for our customers.

The store should be very proud for being proactive and being the

first to have their post visit pictures included in a recap.

*Due to a different camera used to take these pictures, images might look different to the prior ones.


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Follow up

The store’s team did an excellent job showcasing running footwear with the proper sports category.

Color blocking was properly executed by not having two similar colors next to each other.

*Due to the category being running, avoid adding bags to it. Also, never place bags directly on the floor. It causes the bags to collect dust.


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Follow up

The store added accessories matching the sport’s category. They used soccer backpacks and duffels for the Soccer department. They also made sure the two white tops were separated by a black long sleeve top. Great color blocking!

*The only change would be to merchandise the white shorts on a different height. They should not drag on the floor.


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I had a great and productive visit at the Factory Outlet in Queenstown. The store did a great job learning via the VM video.

They took initiative executing the basic standards prior to the VM visit, allowing me to teach them the extra layer of details needed to enhance the sales floor. They have set the bar for other stores

to continue VM standards after a visit. They also showed how important it is for the store’s to watch and learn from the VM training video.

They have kept their mannequins fresh, updated, and properly styled. However, the store only has three mannequins and they are currently being used solely in one window. They can benefit from receiving additional mannequins to be used throughout the sales floor. Continuing to merchandise accessories on the sales floor, is key

to having a good VM presentation year round. The store should continue doing the great job they have demonstrated during this visit.

Going forward, any question that Marybeth Wells (GM) may have, should contact her DM and have the questions forwarded to her VM corporate contact Bridget Zadoff. The store should continue showing the great customer service I noticed when I was there.

Summary

queenstown

Business

type info

originals store

master view merchandising

master viewaccessoriesbefore

master viewobservations

outlet store guidelines

master view challenges

store isrunning low