JANICE SEARS

MERCHANDISING + PLANNING

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PRINCIPAL

Janice has been helping organizations of all sizes to increase their productivity and profitability while enhancing their teams for over six years. She specializes in working with multi-channel retailers and wholesalers and focuses on identifying, developing, and implementing solutions that are highly tailored to meet her client’s unique business needs and achieving their business objectives.

SERVICES

Services provided by associates

  • Product Development
  • Sourcing
  • Design
  • Detailed Business Process Mapping
  • Logistics

CLIENTS

Nasty Gal, evo, Outdoor Research, Lucy, Sur La Table, Sage, Belkin, Charlotte Russe, Lane Bryant, d Alliance 4 Education, Crosstown Traders, Bratz, Front Porch Classics, Jarlathdan

BACKGROUND

Janice brings more than 20 years of broad multi-channel retail and wholesale experience in Merchandising, Planning, Marketing, Finance, and Operations to her clients. She is a Certified Management Consultant (CMC), and received her MBA in Finance from the University of Colorado.

As a former Vice President at Eddie Bauer, she was accountable for $1.6 billion in annual sales, which included 400+ stores in the US and Canada, catalog and internet sales, along with margin and profit. Janice directed strategic business planning, merchandise planning, inventory and margin management, and led the cross-functional business teams by channel to manage the P & L. Janice also drove system and business process improvement projects, and was involved with marketing, assortment planning, and organizational development and evolution.

Janice held key buying positions with May Co for several years after beginning her career in merchandising and buying with Federated Department Stores.

EXTRAS

Janice currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Crystal Chalets in addition to other community services. She is a past Board Member for the Grange Supply and has served as certification panelist and consultant mentor for the Institute of Management Consultants.

She also served on the Board of Directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound for over ten years in a variety of capacities including the Executive Committee all while being a Big Sister herself.

JL Sears Consulting, Inc. is a former member of 1% for the planet and continues to focus its 1 percent donation on saving Puget Sound and supporting our National Parks.

Janice is an avid skier and cyclist who enjoys NW urban living and time with family and friends from her Seattle home.

  • “Janice was able to quickly identify the high priority issues and build a game plan to implement and train our team on a new tool set...almost immediately translated into better buying decisions, better in-stock and better turns. Needless to say, sales and profitability are ahead of plan.”
    Dan Nordstrom, CEO, Outdoor Research
  • “The strategic planning process and investment in infrastructure, lead by JL Sears Consulting was a major contributor to our bottom line success this year!”
    Kathy Tierney, CEO, Sur La Table
  • “Not only did Janice surpass all of our expectations when it came to implementing the structure and helping the team execute at a higher level, she has been embraced by all that she has worked with.”
    Bryce Phillips, Founder and CEO, Evogear
  • "She combines expertise from past experience in executive roles with her skill as a service provider to deliver the right solution to her clients and projects."
    Ed Wong, Chief Operations Officer, Charlotte Russe
  • "Janice completely exceeded my expectations of developing and implementing a new planning process and key metrics that has enabled my team to be more strategic and make better cross functional business decisions."
    Lori Twomey, President, Crosstown Traders