Position summary: 

The VP of Retail Business Development is responsible for securing new retail partners and managing existing retail relationships for ABG’s celebrity & entertainment brands, to grow ABG’s overall retail footprint to maximize brand exposure and drive revenue goals. She will help drive ABG’s retail strategy, collaborating with business development, brand, creative, and marketing teams to drive retail sales growth in target categories in support of long-term business objectives. 

Job Description:

• Identify and exploit opportunities to open up new distribution channels, or accounts for ABG’s brands including but not limited to direct-to-retail, shop-in-shop, e-commerce, pop-up’s etc. 
• Identify strategic retail targets across multi-brand portfolio 
• Develop and execute retail solutions, including multi-faceted cross-category merchandising and promotional programs with all relevant retail accounts 
• Pitches and creates direct-to-retail programs with retailers 

• Manage relationships with retail partners across all tiers of distribution both national and with key global accounts 
• Lead retail contract negotiations and agreements 

• Ensure all retail marketing programs are in line and consistent with overall brand positioning and strategy 
• Educate retailers about ABG and key ABG properties, our partners and their products 
• Identify seasonal retail opportunities to drive incremental sales 
• Work with brand and marketing teams to develop promotional support of product initiatives to be delivered at retail 
• Deliver strong and compelling retail presentations that inspire, across a breadth of retailers 
• Maintain a database of retail buyers by account and department 
• Work with brand and creative teams to create and ensure segregation by retail tier/channel to maximize revenues 
• Update internal stakeholders and liaise with international partners on new retail initiatives, successes and retail trends. 

Education and Experience Qualifications:

• 6-8+ years of retail business development 
• Exceptional, all-level retail relationships 
• Strong buyer, DMM and retail marketing relationships across a variety of retail channels 
• Knowledge of retail analytics 
• Prior experience developing cross-category programs that included key licensee categories 
• Proven track record in successfully leading retail programs 
• Shrewd eye for product, trends and merchandising 
• Understanding of product development cycle and go-to-market process 
• Excellent presentation skills 
• Superior organization, project management skills and attention to detail 
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to effectively communicate, both written and verbally 
• Creative thinker with strong problem-solving skills 
• Ability to travel as required 
• Strong knowledge of MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook 
• Bachelor’s Degree