SO MAJOR's CEO on the Limitless Opportunities of Pop-Up Shops
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Associate Content Editor Kristina Stidham speaks with Jan Croatt, CEO and founder of Winston Retail and SO MAJOR, an exclusive series of pop-up shopping events around the country. Listen in as Croatt discusses SO MAJOR’s event themes and products; the types of brands the company features at its pop-up events; and the unique locations that SO MAJOR chooses for its pop-up shops, including malls, airport terminals, and luxury hotels. Croatt offers her expertise into why the pop-up model is important to retail today as well as provides best practices for retailers looking to test a pop-up shop. Lastly, Croatt gives a sneak peek into SO MAJOR’s next event theme and locations, as well as her future plans to expand the company.
Jan Croatt founded Winston Retail Solutions with Eric Rothfeld in late 2003. She recognized the need in the industry for brands and retailers to have an experienced alliance from strategic planning through the creative development process to flawless implementation at retail. Her passion for high-level design and results-oriented service has guided the company through years of explosive growth. Jan has more than 30 years of experience in the retail and apparel industries. Among her previous senior-management positions she has held: Director of Store Design, Development and Visual Merchandising at Levi Strauss & Co.; Corporate Vice President Retail Development at Kenneth Cole Productions; President Todd Oldham and Vice President Retail Development at Polo Jeans Company, both of the Jones Apparel Group. Jan has launched numerous new brands in apparel and accessories in her career. Her experience has also ranged globally in Asia, Europe and South America.
SO MAJOR is an inclusively exclusive series of curated pop-up events around the country. Each month, the pop-ups will introduce a thematic collection of highly-edited items, ranging from unique labels to special edition products, presented directly to customers – versus the customer having to go to multiple retail stores. The SO MAJOR shops will debut for three days a month, within an existing brick and mortar location, as an alternative to a permanent retail store. Following this physical location pop-up, customers will be able to shop the product assortment at somajorshop.com, and can sign up to receive emails, notifying them of future sales. This innovative retail marketplace will cater to both male and female shoppers, offering multiple product categories and first-to-market items to encourage and maintain customer excitement. SO MAJOR will be a reflection of how consumers shop today – a blend and scale of brands.
Date: July 16, 2019
More Episodes
The Leadership Driving Fossil Group's Turnaround: A Chat With Brand Chief Melissa Lowenkron
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli interviews Melissa Lowenkron, chief brand officer at Fossil Group, a global design, marketing, distribution and innovation company with a diverse portfolio of brands specializing in lifestyle accessories. They discuss how brands can grow during times of change. Lowenkron details why stepping into a chief brand role requires a mindset shift; how she leads the authentic storytelling that's key to Fossil's turnaround; her advice for leaders driving business transformations; and more.
22:39 How Lowe's is Building a Household Loyalty Ecosystem
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Managing Editor Marie Albiges interviews Amanda Bailey, vice president of customer marketing and loyalty at Lowe's. This interview was recorded at Shoptalk in Las Vegas last month, where Bailey spoke on a panel exploring innovative approaches to marketing across the customer journey. Bailey discusses treating loyalty as a relationship beyond transactions; serving both DIY and pro customers via one loyalty platform with tailored benefits; building executive influence; and more.
22:06 Wayfair CTO Fiona Tan: 'Tech Leaders Should Plug Into the Business Side'
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Managing Editor Marie Albiges interviews Fiona Tan, chief technology officer of Wayfair. This episode was recorded at Shoptalk in Las Vegas last month. Listen in as Tan discusses Wayfair's use of generative artificial intelligence and large language models; how she approaches new technology investments; and her advice for other female retail technologists who aspire to C-suite leadership roles.
17:27 CAMP CEO and President Jenica Myszkowski on Scaling Immersive Retail Experiences
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli interviews Jenica Myszkowski, CEO and president of CAMP, an experience company that brings families together through immersive adventures that inspire play. This discussion was recorded at Shoptalk in Las Vegas last week. Myszkowski discusses how previous roles shaped her as a leader; overcoming challenges as CAMP scales and opens new stores; how she stays inspired and creative; and more.
11:27 Motivating Teams Through Radical Transparency: Insights From Lulus' CEO Crystal Landsem
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli interviews Crystal Landsem, CEO of Lulus, the attainable luxury women's fashion brand known for trendy, stylish and feminine apparel, footwear and accessories. Landsem discusses the challenges and experiences that have informed her leadership style; her career journey from finance to fashion retail; motivating teams through radical transparency and servant leadership; her advice for young women leaders; and more.
20:54 RERUN: How BARK CXO Meghan Knoll Brings Storytelling to Dog Toy Design
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Managing Editor Marie Albiges interviews Meghan Knoll, chief experience officer (CXO) at BARK, the leading global omnichannel dog brand known for its monthly subscription, BarkBox. Knoll provides an overview of her primary responsibilities as CXO, a few learnings from building the BARK business to where it is today, how she empowers her team to be innovative, her push-pull approach to work-life imbalance, and more.
40:09 Inside TOMS’ Turnaround: CCO Katie Wagner on Wholesale Growth and Brand Reinvention
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Managing Editor Marie Albiges interviews Katie Wagner, chief commercial officer at TOMS, a Certified B Corporation global lifestyle brand known for its iconic shoes and giving model. Listen in as Wagner reflects on the first 20 years of the TOMS brand; balancing its iconic heritage with a brand refresh; lessons learned from her time at Crocs; creating a culture of curiosity; and more.
36:46 ButcherBox Commercial Chief Reba Hatcher on 'Mastering the Spin' in Career Transitions
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Managing Editor Marie Albiges interviews Reba Hatcher, chief commercial officer at ButcherBox, a delivery subscription service that offers high-quality, humanely raised meat and seafood. Hatcher shares insights about ButcherBox’s evolution over 10 years; using data to achieve growth while staying connected to customers; her varied, nonlinear career trajectory; advice on navigating cross-industry career changes; and more.
32:41 Rothy's CEO Dayna Quanbeck on Growth and Credibility Rooted in Sustainability
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli interviews Dayna Quanbeck, CEO and president of Rothy's, a direct-to-consumer company which takes a whole-brand approach to sustainability in manufacturing, transforming recycled materials into shoes, handbags and accessories. This episode was recorded at the National Retail Federation Big Show in New York City last week. Listen in as Quanbeck shares how Rothy's evolves while maintaining core values; what strong executive credibility looks like; lessons from her mentor, friend and former Rothy's CEO Jenny Ming; and more.
21:29 Boden Commercial Chief Katherine Danneberg Taps Into Her Leadership Purpose as an Enabler of Creativity
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli interviews Katherine Danneberg, chief commercial officer at Boden, the quintessentially British clothing brand for women and children. Listen in as Danneberg explains the evolution of her leadership style, her leadership purpose, hiring the right team members to fit Boden's brand values, strategies for developing future leaders, and more.
25:51 
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
YouTube Music
Amazon Music
Pandora