This bonus episode of Women in Retail Talks features an interview with 2023 Top Women in Retail honoree Carol Glaser, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer at Bob’s Discount Furniture, one of the fastest growing omnichannel furniture retailers in the U.S. Glaser discusses what she enjoys most about working in the home décor and furniture space (1:35), why she’s chosen to grow her career at Bob’s Discount Furniture (3:12), and the opportunities she saw for growth when she joined the organization (5:07).

In addition, Glaser shares how the role of chief merchant has changed over the years to adapt to the omnichannel customer journey (6:28), the growth areas she’s focused on for 2023 (9:05), and how she’s fostering professional growth for herself and other women at Bob’s (10:20). Lastly, she discusses the skills and qualities she believes leaders must have to be successful today (12:33) as well as how her leadership style has adapted for hybrid work environment (13:46).

Women in Retail Leadership Circle’s 2023 Top Women in Retail report, which includes in-depth interviews with each honoree, can be accessed here.

As chief merchandising officer for Bob’s Discount Furniture, Carol Glaser oversees all decisions related to Bob’s best-in-class product assortment. Her responsibilities run the gamut from setting strategy to sourcing to sell-through. Glaser and her team of 20-plus merchants scour the world to spot trends and opportunities. They then utilize their strong supplier relationships to develop and bring to market the best furniture values to Bob’s 150-plus brick-and-mortar locations as well as mybobs.com.

Date: March 1, 2023

Credits: Carol Glaser

Duration: 15:54