Project Description
Designing and delivering a comprehensive merchandising training program to enhance merchandising team capabilities and support strategic initiatives.
The Client
A $3+ billion furniture manufacturer and retailer with multi-banner, multi-channel and multi-format operations worldwide.
The Challenge
The client had recently restructured its merchandising team to support the company’s strategic move from an item-driven business to a collection / lifestyle-driven focus. The restructuring included entirely new roles and responsibilities.
Traditionally, the client had only offered initial employee orientation training and recognized that they lacked a structured and comprehensive training program focused on buying, planning, replenishment, and allocation.
The Parker Avery Solution
Parker Avery worked closely with the client to design, develop and deliver a comprehensive merchandising training program, which successfully incorporated retail industry best practices and insights.
The training program was position-specific focusing on the responsibilities of buyers, planners, replenishment and allocation roles, as well as emphasizing the importance of team collaboration. Content areas included buying, planning, product selection and visual merchandising; key topics included “Big Idea” methodology and “The Art of Vendor Negotiations.”
The program also included extensive content around retail math and its importance in daily merchandising tasks.
Key project activities included the following:
- Defined the training curriculum
- Developed detailed training content
- Conducted instructor-led training for the client’s entire merchandising department
- Conducted and assessed a post-training survey to capture participant feedback
The Result
Upon completion of the training program, the client’s merchandising team was fully prepared for market and able to support the company’s new focus. The participants’ feedback was highly positive, enabling the client to identify enhancements for additional training efforts and positioning the new merchandising training program for ongoing use and sustainability.