Ignas Vitkauskas

Managed sales for over 50 luxury brands include: Balmain, Balenciaga, Burberry, Jacquemus, Dries Van Noten, Chloe, Stella McCartney, Loewe, Khaite, Rabanne, Zimmermann, Jil Sander, Moncler, MaxMara and many others across various departments. Assisted in managing Designer Shoes and International Designers Accessories departments. Built relationships with brands and stakeholders. Led a team of over 30 members, including 2 Assistant Managers. Sales & Service Customer-centric mindset at all times. Assisted and resolved any customer issues (refund, exchange, damaged goods etc). Drove sales & service by leading by example and instil a clientelling mindset within the team. Drove the loyalty score of the department from 40% client attachments to a consistent 85%. Developed the clientelling and ensure that steady sales comes from it. VIP clients include Queen Rania of Jordan, Ellie Goulding, Goldie Hawn, Maria Bacardi, members of the al - Thani family and members of Saudi Royal Family. Hosted and drove clientelling events. Annual Amex event generated £70k across shoes and RTW and £37k across Accessories. Monitored and drove team and department sales & KPI targets. Ensured revenue growth for all categories within the department, increased +20% vs LY. Ensured shop floor standards are maintained at all times. Ensured Harvey Nichols 3 roles of luxury service is consistently delivered on the floor. Commercial Acumen Develop business and saldes strategies for short and long term goals. Lead floor walks with Buying and VM teams: Suggested floor moves to boost sales and manage best/worst sellers. Through strong competitors and market knowledge & analysis, I identified opportunities/missed opportunities within department and store. Team Recruited, trained and developed Style Advisors, Brand Consultants, Supervisors & Assistant Department Managers Tailored training to individuals and the departments to increase product knowledge, KPI's and client satisfaction Developed and implemented lateness and absence trackers and procedures, reduced team lateness by 80% Created and delivered ongoing coaching, regular catch-ups, 1-2-1’s, Return to Work, File Notes, Probation Reviews, Yearly Reviews Created rotas for the team, ensuring maximum floor cover Worked closely with HR department and chaired the following HR meetings: investigations, welfare meetings, absence management meeting, flexible working request, probation reviews. Operations Ensured stock accuracy, minimised stock loss and investigated missing stock Organised recalls and IBT stock request, transfers in when stock levels were low Ensured stockroom standards and efficiency, working closely with Operations department. Optimised scheduling practices to ensure adequate staffing during peak business hours without sacrificing employee satisfaction or budgetary constraints. Implemented quality control measures that resulted in improved products or services within the department offerings.

Successfully managed Ladies-Wear Department with a yearly turnover of £25 mln across 3 fashion floors. Achieved financial objectives by preparing annual budgets, scheduling expenditures, analysing variances and initiating corrective actions. Managed a team of over 80 employees, including 2 Floor Managers, 2 Commercial Managers and Head Cashiers Analysed KPI’s, managed hours, rotas, payroll and recruitment. Developed empowering employee culture focused on equipping employees to independently meet customer needs. Kept employee workloads fair and balanced to achieve objectives while maintaining high job satisfaction. Managed merchandising team to plan and execute floor moves, merchandise placement and overall sales set-up. Worked actively with management team to create daily and weekly sales plans based on weekly sales trends. Created and enforced department policies, procedures and standards to establish productivity and quality. Recruited, interviewed and hired employees and implemented mentoring program to promote positive feedback and engagement. Maintained positive customer relations by addressing problems head-on and implementing successful corrective actions. Defined clear targets and objectives and communicated to other team members. Managed department operations including online business Developed and trained over 10 employees to higher positions.

Managed team of up to 9 merchandisers, including merchandising managers, across multiple flagship stores in London, such as Oxford Street, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road and Kinds Road. Created visual displays to promote products in alignment with stores sales objectives. Created work schedulers for the team. Planed the commercial and visual activity of the stores in a daily/weekly and seasonal manner. Monitored sales team performance, analysed sales data and reported information to area managers. Supported Regional Team with store refits and new stores openings. Successfully trained and developed Visual Merchandisers and Visual Merchandising Managers Ensured the maintenance of store operations by implementing effective replenishment strategies. Collaborated closely with the HR team to support team management and participated in HR meetings.