Chris Phillips

Experience

• 

  Christine Phillips NYC

  Principal Consultant

  Jul 2020 - Present

  • Category Consultant for e-commerce gifting business spanning eight EMEA countries, specializing in flowers, confectionary, and fragrances
  • Advise clients, including BCG, Bain, KPMG, Deloitte, and Accenture on category strategy by defining long-term growth visions and aligning priorities with market trends and business objectives.
  • My consulting expertise includes:
  • Branding: Develop end-to-end branding strategy around product lines, expansions, collaborations, USP, customer profile, voice, digital, social and in store marketing
  • Agile Product Development: Maximize the design, creation, and commercialization of relevant product for the consumer in a nimble, responsive and seasonless manner
  • Portfolio Management: Benchmark and design omni channel merchandising operating models including organization structure, roles, processes, KPIs
  • Price Optimization: Analyze assortment and promotional activities to drive higher sales, margin, and profitability
• 

  Christine Phillips NYC

  Principal Consultant | Fractional Chief Merchandising & Category Officer

  Jul 2020 - Present

  • Category Consultant for e-commerce gifting business spanning eight EMEA countries, specializing in flowers, confectionary, and fragrances
  • Advise clients, including BCG, Bain, KPMG, Deloitte, and Accenture on category strategy by defining long-term growth visions and aligning priorities with market trends and business objectives.
  • My consulting expertise includes:
  • Branding: Develop end-to-end branding strategy around product lines, expansions, collaborations, USP, customer profile, voice, digital, social and in store marketing
  • Agile Product Development: Maximize the design, creation, and commercialization of relevant product for the consumer in a nimble, responsive and seasonless manner
  • Portfolio Management: Benchmark and design omni channel merchandising operating models including organization structure, roles, processes, KPIs
  • Price Optimization: Analyze assortment and promotional activities to drive higher sales, margin, and profitability
• 

  Kenneth Cole Productions

  Chief Merchandising Officer

  Jan 2022 - Dec 2024

  • In this role, I led global merchandising strategies, product assortments, and high-profile collaborations to drive significant sales growth and brand relevance. I was responsible for overseeing design approval, managing licensed partnerships, and transforming eCommerce and wholesale strategies to optimize market performance.
  • Key Accomplishments:
  • Sales Growth: Drove over $1B in sales by leading trend strategies and product assortments for 40 global licensed partnerships.
  • Strategic Collaborations: Spearheaded high-profile collaborations with Pantone, Lingua Franca, Sofia Chang and more, elevating the brand’s product offering.
  • Market Strategy: Developed and executed a comprehensive label and distribution strategy for Kenneth Cole and Reaction, addressing both full-price and off-price market segments.
  • Category Revitalization: Relaunched Women’s and Men’s Sportswear categories, increasing global sales by $20M and enhancing brand relevance.
  • E-Commerce Optimization: Boosted sales by 50% by revamping the eCommerce strategy, introducing exclusive products, and reducing promotions, while using data-driven insights to optimize product assortment and inventory.
  • Wholesale Transition: Transitioned the women’s footwear business to licensed partnerships, generating $40M in wholesale sales.
  • Profitability Growth: Achieved a 100% increase in profitability by overseeing global product experiences and shifting eCommerce operations from third-party to owned platforms.
• 

  HUGO BOSS

  Senior Vice President, Omni Channel Merchandising, Americas

  Jan 2017 - Jan 2020

  • In this role, I led omni-channel merchandising activities across the Americas, overseeing a team of 9 Managers and 40 indirect reports. I was responsible for driving sales, optimizing assortments, and implementing strategies across a diverse range of retail locations, wholesale businesses, and eCommerce platforms.
  • Key Accomplishments:
  • Sales Leadership: Championed $400M+ in annual sales by managing merchandising for 228 full-price and outlet locations, 75 wholesale concessions, and 5 eCommerce sites across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Brazil.
  • Revenue Growth: Drove a 125% increase in sales and a 200% growth in gross margin by launching Macy’s online/store concessions.
  • ECommerce Success: Achieved a 40% surge in eCommerce sales by leading a successful site re-launch and optimizing the merchandise mix.
  • Outlet Business Expansion: Delivered $25M in growth for the Outlet Business and improved gross margin by $10M within two years.
  • Regional Transformation: Reversed a double-digit downtrend, achieving a 35% YoY sales increase and a 20% improvement in gross margin within 12 months by transforming the underperforming Americas region.
  • Assortment Optimization: Improved sell-through by 5 points by optimizing assortments in athleisure, sneakers, knitwear, and outerwear, while reducing formalwear and suits.
  • Concession Store Growth: Increased concession store sales by 45% by recalibrating assortments based on account and location, alongside updated promotional and digital strategies.
• 

  Michael Kors

  Vice President, Global Omni Channel Merchandising

  Jan 2015 - Jan 2017

  • Key Accomplishments:
  • Sales Leadership: Drove $2B in annual sales by developing and executing eCommerce and omni-channel strategies, overseeing merchandising for stores and the eCommerce site across multiple regions.
  • Seasonal Strategy Development: Formulated seasonal merchandise strategies and storytelling, leading cross-functional teams in creative, site merchandising, social media, visual merchandising, and store operations.
  • Sell-Through Improvement: Improved sell-through by 5 percentage points by leading a task force on markdown promotions and assortment planning tools.
  • Ecommerce Growth: Achieved a 60% increase in sales and a 40% boost in traffic by playing a key role in revitalizing eCommerce sites.
  • Cost Reduction: Reduced overhead costs by $750K by establishing an omni-channel merchandising team and restructuring buying offices.
  • Global Brand Consistency: Increased full-price sell-through by 8 percentage points by enhancing and optimizing global brand consistency across channels.
  • Leadership: Led a team of 5 Directors and 30 indirect buyers, guiding the development and execution of strategies for digital and eCommerce channels.

• NY Brands Studio

  Senior Vice President, GM - Private Brand Development for Coles Supermarkets

  Jan 2011 - Jan 2015

  NY Brands Studio specializes in developing private brand products for the retail industry.

• 

  Saks Fifth Avenue

  Vice President, Divisional Merchandise Manager

  Jan 2005 - Jan 2011

  • In this role, I was responsible for driving results across multiple categories, including Women’s Sportswear, Private/Proprietary Brands, Evening, Special Sizes, Coats, Swimwear, and Children’s.
  • Key Accomplishments:
  • Merchandising Leadership: Led merchandising strategies for a $300M business, overseeing 200+ vendors across 60 stores and digital channels.
  • P&L Management: Managed a $2.5M P&L, leading a top-performing buying team of 6 direct reports and 25 indirect reports.
  • Sales Growth: Contributed to a $6M sales increase by creating and implementing effective product merchandising strategies.
  • Brand Development: Developed branded and private label products, launching a new bridge sportswear segment with brand development, marketing initiatives, and in-store programs.
  • Private Label Success: Boosted private label and proprietary brand sales by $25M, achieving the highest gross margin with a 500 basis point improvement.
  • ECommerce Expansion: Expanded Saks.com sales from 10% to 30% of total sales by diversifying brand options and introducing promotional items.
  • Gross Margin Improvement: Improved branded gross margin by 100 basis points and achieved a 10% sales uplift through exclusive products, consignment agreements, and vendor allowances.
• 

  Saks Fifth Avenue

  Buyer, St John

  Jan 2003 - Dec 2005

  • Key Accomplishments:
  • Team Leadership: Led a team of 4 in managing Saks Fifth Avenue’s largest vendor, St. John, across 58 stores and online, overseeing an $80M annual sales volume.
  • Sales and Margin Growth: Achieved a 24% increase in sales and a 25% improvement in gross margin through strategic product classification, fringe sizing initiatives, and enhanced marketing strategies.
  • Turnaround Success: Reversed a double-digit sales decline, delivering 25% year-over-year growth and surpassing sales plan targets.
• 

  Saks Fifth Avenue

  Buyer & Product Developer - Designer Sportswear

  Jan 2001 - Dec 2003

  • Key Accomplishments:
  • Sales and Margin Growth: Achieved a 32% sales increase and a 400 basis point margin improvement by successfully launching new private brand categories.
  • Vendor Management: Oversaw 8 vendor businesses with a team of 3 associate and assistant buyers, driving over $60M in annual sales across omni-channel platforms and 45 retail stores.
  • Key Item Success: Increased Ralph Lauren sales by 30% through a focused key item cashmere program.
• 

  Saks Fifth Avenue

  Buyer, Designer Sportswear

  Jan 1999 - Jan 2005
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  Saks Fifth Avenue

  Buyer - Designer Sportswear | Store Planning Manager

  Jan 1997 - Dec 2001

  • Key Accomplishments:
  • Team Leadership and Vendor Management: Led a team of 4 in managing a $55M+ annual volume across omni-channel platforms and 45 retail stores, including a vendor portfolio with Giorgio Armani, Calvin Klein, and Donna Karan.
  • Business Growth: Drove 24% year-over-year growth in the Armani business while increasing full-price sell-through by 10 percentage points.
  • Planning and Forecasting: Led the planning and forecasting for $800M in annual sales of designer apparel, setting and achieving sales, turnover, and profit objectives through effective inventory management.
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  Saks Fifth Avenue

  Store Planning Manager

  Jan 1997 - Jan 1999