Patrice Bunch

I align product strategy with business goals to turn insight into impact across every category I touch.

I align product strategy with business goals to turn insight into impact across every category I touch.

Senior Merchandiser

SENIOR MERCHANDISER | LUXURY & PREMIUM PRODUCTS | WATCHES, JEWELRY, HANDBAGS, ACCESSORIES, FASHION

Merchandising leader with over nine years of experience across fine and high medium-high jewelry, luxury handbags, accessories, watches (both luxury and commercial), and fashion. Known for driving regional product strategy, optimizing complex assortments, and leading high-impact initiatives including Made to Order and pre-sale programs. Skilled in blending analytics, storytelling, and cross-functional execution to deliver measurable results across premium and luxury markets. Brings deep category ownership, strong retail insight, and a hands-on approach to building performance-driven merchandising strategies.

My Approach

  • Analytical Merchandising

    I use data to drive decisions—from optimizing SKUs across multiple categories to identifying multimillion-dollar growth opportunities in jewelry, watches, and leather goods.

  • Cross-Functional Execution

    I lead across functions. I work seamlessly with retail, e-commerce, logistics, finance, and marketing to translate merchandising strategies into real results in stores and online.

  • Assortment Strategy & Buying

    I manage complex product strategies across fine and high medium-high jewelry, accessories, handbags, and watches—balancing regional business needs with global brand direction through both creative development and commercial planning.

  • Process Innovation

    I build systems that work smarter. From reporting automation to pre-sale workflows, I create tools and processes that improve visibility, speed, and sell-through.

Experience

December 2023 - September 2024

  • Led regional strategy for large leather goods and accessories in North America.

  • Executed the Mary Katrantzou handbag relaunch ($5,000–$75,000 price range), achieving a 75% sell-through within one year through strategic in-store storytelling and sales activation.

  • Launched field training initiatives that increased store pre-orders by 900%, strengthening sell-in performance across boutiques.

  • Designed and deployed Power BI dashboards and Excel tools to streamline planning, buying, and reporting.

  • Partnered with retail, visual merchandising, and training teams to align product execution with brand and sales goals.

  • Ended role in 2024 to pursue professional development and personal goals.

Senior Merchandiser

Category : Large Leather Goods & Accessories

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December 2022 - December 2023

Merchandiser

  • Directed jewelry and large leather goods merchandising across the U.S. and Canada.

  • Elevated Serpenti from the #3 to the #1 regional jewelry line, with over 100% YoY sales growth.

  • Drove a 30% increase in jewelry sales through improved category planning and retail engagement.

  • Led assortments and store rollouts across 32+ boutiques.

  • Created reporting tools and seasonal buy strategies to support ongoing performance optimization.

Category : Jewelry , Large Leather Goods & Accessories

June 2017 - December 2022

Product Specialist

  • Oversaw merchandising for jewelry, watches, large leather goods, and accessories across 20+ North American boutiques.

  • Managed $150M+ in annual product buys, balancing global strategy with local market needs.

  • Optimized 4,000+ permanent SKUs and onboarded ~500 seasonal products per year.

  • Maintained oversight of over 10,000 inactive references, ensuring catalog accuracy across all active stock.

  • Scaled yellow gold jewelry revenue from $1.3M to $8.7M over 7 years (+569% growth).

  • Designed regional assortment strategies that cut boutique inventory costs by 20%.

  • Built Excel-based tools that reduced reporting time by 50% and improved visibility of key performance indicators.

  • Worked cross-functionally with demand planning, global HQ, e-commerce, external retail partners, and operations teams to execute full product lifecycle from buy to sell-through.

Category : Jewelry, Watches, Large Leather Goods & Accessories


May 2017 - June 2017

  • Monitored inventory levels across outlet locations, ensuring stock availability for key retail periods and promotions.

  • Flagged potential stockouts or overstock situations by tracking sell-through and replenishment cadence.

  • Partnered with allocation and planning teams to redistribute product between stores when needed.

  • Supported preparation for promotional events by identifying SKUs aligned to markdown strategies.

  • Reviewed aged inventory to make recommendations on markdowns, transfers, or liquidation.

  • Helped execute reforecasting in partnership with planning to align buys with updated sales trends.

Merchandise Analyst - Outlet

Category : Watches

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February 2014 - May 2017

Merchandise Analyst - Licensed Brands

  • Played a key role in global product strategy, working closely with internal teams across design, production, planning, marketing, and e-commerce to build commercial watch collections.

  • Supported development across a portfolio of licensed brands by analyzing sales trends, identifying assortment gaps, and driving seasonal product direction.

  • Liaised with major business partners and global retailers—including brand teams and wholesale accounts—to align on assortment needs, pricing, and delivery strategy.

  • Collaborated across regions to support the sell-in process and ensure tailored product flow to markets worldwide.

  • Rebuilt the reporting framework, automating core templates and implementing macros to reduce manual work by 50% and improve decision-making speed.

  • Maintained SKU-level assortment line plans and delivered data-backed recommendations that informed design direction and global distribution planning.

Category : Watches


February 2014 - February 2014

Temporary Merchandising Assistant

  • Returned to support merchandising team during seasonal prep.

  • Assisted with sales reporting, line plan coordination, and product data updates.

  • Supported prep for line editing meetings and partnered with PD, styling, and design teams.

Category : Women’s Wear


October 2013 - December 2013

Temporary Product Development Coordinator

  • Managed development packages and sample logistics for seasonal product lines.

  • Partnered with cross-functional teams on quality, margin, and delivery goals.

  • Tracked production and initiated wear tests for new jewelry designs.

Category : Jewelry and Handbags


July 2013 - September 2013

Temporary Merchandising Assistant - Ecommerce

  • Built and managed web assortment for seasonal launches.

  • Created bestseller reports and managed SKU visibility based on inventory trends.

  • Supported e-commerce layout and image updates to improve conversion.

Category : Women’s Wear


April 2013 - July 2013

Merchandising Intern

  • Managed product samples and supported fabric sourcing for seasonal collections.

  • Participated in trend reviews and created competitive landscapes for line development.

Category : Women’s Wear


February 2013 - April 2013

Wholesales Intern

  • Supported showroom setup, buy meetings, and training booklets for wholesale accounts.

  • Generated reorder lists and sales reports to track post-market performance.

Category : Women’s Wear


August 2012 - February 2013

Merchandising Intern - Licensed Brands

  • Assisted in watch line development for Tommy Hilfiger, Lacoste, Hugo Boss, Coach, and Juicy Couture.

  • Produced trend boards and conducted SKU-level productivity analysis.

  • Managed internal tools and assortment boards to support merchandising workflow.

Category : Watches


January 2012 - May 2012

Merchandising Intern

  • Conducted sell-through analysis and supported showroom presentation prep.

  • Partnered with cross-functional teams to execute seasonal line development.

  • Created digital style boards and maintained the merchandise archive database.

Category : Men’s Wear


Education

  • - Data Analysis and Visualization with Power BI

    - Data Modeling in Power BI

    - Extract, Transform and Load Data in Power BI

  • - Developing Business Excellence

    - Skills For Success

    - Master Your Communication Impact

  • - PC Skills Excel Level 2

    - PC Skills Excel Level 3

    - PC Skills Excel Expert Level

  • - Masters of Fashion Merchandising

  • - Bachelors Of Art In Business Management


Merchandising Strategy
95%
Assortment Planning & Buying
94%
Analytical Merchandising & Reporting
93%
Product Storytelling & Client Engagement
91%
Cross-Functional Leadership
90%
Luxury Retailing
87%
Training and In-Field Development
85%
Product Lifecycle Management
83%
Process Improvement & Tool Development
82%
Market Research & Competitive Benchmarking
81%

Skills

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