The Edge Retail Academy hires industry vets

About Retail

The Edge Retail Academy hires industry vets

September 24, 2009
Shelton, Conn.--The Edge Retail Academy, a partnership between retailing and management consultancy Retail Edge Consulting and retail-automation provider Abbott and Shapiro LLC, has recently signed on several of the jewelry industry's most respected, admired and accomplished figures.

One of the new arrivals is Dr. Charles "Chuck" Lein, whose accomplishments include 15 years as president and chief operating officer of Lafayette, La.-based Stuller Inc., a leading jewelry wholesaler and manufacturer.

"I have a passion for helping others be successful, and I think the model that The Edge Retail Academy has is ideal," Lein said in a media release.

Also joining The Edge Retail Academy team are Michael and Carol Druan, who have decades of management consulting and jewelry industry experience between them.

Both Druans have worked extensively with independent jewelers. Michael has an MBA in business administration, a bachelor's degree in marketing and a bachelor's degree in business management. His primary skills are helping retailers make the numbers that are available from sophisticated technology such as The Edge work to their advantage.

"The jeweler of 2009 and beyond is going to have extensive amounts of information available to them as far as what their customer base is, what the trends are, what products are available, how well they sell, and the quality and styles and characteristics of their products," Michael said in the release. "The more information they have at their fingertips, the more quickly they can stay on top of things that are changing with styles and trends."

Carol has a degree in business management and more than 25 years of hands-on experience.

"What drives me to do what I do and to work with these people on a daily basis is the ways that I can improve their quality of life," Carol said in the release. "So many independent jewelers work so hard year after year to make ends meet and to figure out how to pay themselves in the process. They have no family life, no personal life. All they have is getting up and going to work and staying late and worrying the rest of the night away. That's no way to live."

According to Carol, effective use of technology can break that cycle and bring prosperity to storeowners.

"My goal is to get [retailers] to understand that if you run this business as a business, you will be able to generate not only a living, but a good living," Carol said in the release.

With their ability to track trends and give stores control over their operations, modern retail-automation systems give stores capabilities far beyond simply ringing up sales and printing out receipts. State-of-the-art automated systems give retailers the ability to see trends evolve on a real-time basis and the insight and flexibility to compete effectively against both other independents and chain stores.

"What The Edge Retail Academy does is to complete the loop," Michael said in the release. "The Edge makes it easier for retailers to do business than ever before. The more information stores have at their fingertips, the more quickly they can stay on top of things. The key here is that the more sophisticated the software becomes, the more imperative it is to have a resource to turn to for assistance and interpretation such as The Edge Academy. You need someone who can not just pull reports, but who can really analyze those reports and make sense of them in a way that is going to generate higher levels of sales and more profits."

According to the organization, more than 160 independent retailers are now working with The Edge Retail Academy, and they're reporting terrific results.

"In the last two or three years since I've been with The Edge Retail Academy, we've increased everything from our gross profit margins to our average revenues per salesperson," said Stephen Barnes, president of Barnes Jewelers in Goldsboro, N.C., in the release.

Help from The Edge Retail Academy and information from The Edge system are a primary reason Barnes is about to open a new store in the toughest economy in decades, the organization said.

"With the new store, they've helped me determine what level of inventory and stock I need to carry," Barnes said in the release. "They've helped me determine my budget within that inventory, and what kind of sales projections I need to make for that inventory," Barnes says.

The Edge Retail Academy's U.S. office is located in Henderson, Nev., with phone number (877) 910-3343. For more information, contact Carol Druan at (702) 982-1704.

Save

E-mail

About Retail

A landmark lives on

In September 2009, Salt Lake City retail jeweler O.C. Tanner opened the doors to its new flagship in a beloved landmark building, an endeavor that was two years--and $24 million--in the making. Read More

The four Cs of leadership

Color coordinating at Solomons Jewelers

Traditional Jewelers: One to watch

'Passion' party fires up sales at Northeastern

More About Retail

Design Portfolio

BROWSE

Video

Jewelry Information On The Web

Retailer Toolbar

Best of Awards
A monthly contest held in every important jewelry category to recognize the industry's most outstanding product design and marketing.

Newsletters
Topic-specific newsletters that deliver the latest news on jewelry, diamonds, wholesale operations and high-volume buying directly to your in-box.

ReaderConnect
Supplier information presented with every article, bringing you related, actionable content on every topic.

Yellow Pages
A comprehensive listing of associations, organizations, suppliers and services for the jewelry industry.

Classifieds
A comprehensive listing of job postings, product offerings and other materials for sale for the jewelry industry.

CustomerConnect
The most sophisticated suite of marketing services available for jewelry retailers, from Internet tools to data marketing.

About Retail

The Edge Retail Academy hires industry vets

About Retail

A landmark lives on

More Like This

Design Portfolio

Video

Jewelry Information On The Web

Retailer Toolbar