Visual Merchandising Leadership · Luxury Retail
Stacy Van Peenen
Senior Visual Merchandising Executive
Luxury retail visual merchandising leader turning brand vision into consistent, sales-driving stores across retail, outlet, wholesale, and concessions, with 24 years at Giorgio Armani.
Butler, NJ · Open to New Jersey & New York City roles
24
Years at Giorgio Armani
51
Locations directed
11
States managed
+6pts
2025 region vs. company
Most Recent Role
Area Visual Manager
Giorgio Armani Corporation · 2018 – 2026
Retail, outlet, wholesale & concessions across 11 states
+6 pts
Outperformed company average, 2025
Region finished at −14.65% year over year vs. a −20.6% company average, driven by data-led floor sets and business reaction plans.
Regional Scope
Directed visual strategy across an 11-state retail, outlet, and wholesale region, overseeing up to 51 locations including Macy’s shop-in-shops and Dillard’s doors.
Led the region through a major restructuring, from 45 wholesale doors to a focused portfolio of 7 retail stores and 3 concession shops.
Floor Set Strategy
Executed monthly floor sets across 10 to 24 stores through both in-person leadership and remote management, using strategic product placement and targeted business reaction plans.
Scalable Systems
Built PowerPoint zoning maps, store visual direction, and before/after photo recaps for HQ leadership.
Created floor set execution guidelines and weekly visual checklists that were adopted company-wide as standard tools.
Team Leadership
Mentored three associates who advanced into Senior Regional Visual and Area Visual Manager roles across the company.
Signature Initiatives
Programs that scaled
Three initiatives from 2024–2025, each built in one location or region and then adopted as the model for others.
Retail · Company-wide
Monthly Window Riser Program
39 stores · 2025
Created a monthly program of scalable, replicable window concepts so every store could execute on-brand windows with consistent quality, regardless of team size or visual experience.
- Adopted by 39 stores company-wide
- Monthly concepts delivered as ready-to-execute visual examples
- Consistent brand quality across the fleet
Retail · Holiday Pilot Store
Black Friday Pilot Setup
Pentagon City · 2024 – 2025
Selected to lead the Black Friday pilot store setup. Developed the floor plan, product placement strategy, and a high-traffic flow model that improved customer navigation.
- Floor plan and product placement strategy for peak traffic
- Customer flow model built for high volume
- Became the operational blueprint for other retail locations
Concessions · New Store Openings
2025 Concession Launches
Garden State Plaza, NJ · Oakbrook, IL · Tysons Corner, VA
Led the end-to-end visual launch of three new Armani Exchange concession shops inside department stores, from initial build-out through grand opening, on aggressive timelines.
- Product storytelling and floor plans
- Brand standards for department store environments
- Store-team training through opening day
Portfolio
The work, store by store
Windows, floor sets, tables, and shop-in-shops across Armani Exchange retail, outlet, wholesale, and concession doors. Select any image to enlarge.
All work
33 images across windows, retail floors, tables, wholesale, and concessions.
Window Display & Mannequin Styling
Create impact through visual direction.
- One clear, cohesive story
- Lighting and breathing room to elevate perception
- Aspirational meets commercial intent
Strategy & Category Architecture
Elements of floor composition.
- Customer flow
- Accessibility
- Seasonal trends
- Visual interest
Table Configurations
Category-driven tables highlight and drive a specific department. Wardrobe-based tables curate complete looks that show how pieces work together to fully outfit the client.
Department Store Wholesale
#1 ranked Dillard’s door out of 272 locations.
Concession Shops
Armani Exchange shop-in-shops inside department stores: brand standards, storytelling, and flow in a shared space.
Career
24 years, six promotions
Grew from visual execution into store operations, product management, and regional leadership, working across New Jersey, Massachusetts, Washington D.C., and Georgia.
2018 – 2026
Area Visual Manager
Regional visual leadership standardizing execution across Northeast and Southern markets.
Promotion
Senior Product Manager
Commercial oversight of multi-channel product performance.
Promotion
Product Manager
Category management aligned to seasonal direction.
Promotion
In-Store Co-Manager
Store leadership beyond visual: opening daily, driving on-floor business decisions, full-floor merchandising, and supervising sales associates.
Promotion
Lead VM Assistant
Ownership of seasonal floor sets and presentation precision.
2002
VM Assistant
Foundation in visual merchandising execution and brand standards.
Tools & systems built
Monthly Visual Agenda System
A monthly visual agenda with weekly task breakdowns and step-by-step guides, standardizing planning discipline and execution.
Adopted across the Northeast region
Floor Set Guidelines & Weekly Visual Checklists
Execution standards that kept every floor set consistent, whether led in person or remotely.
Adopted company-wide
Business Reaction Document
A guide directing store teams on tactical merchandising moves to capture immediate sales, giving leadership a scalable tool for commercial responsiveness.
Zoning Maps & Photo Recaps
PowerPoint zoning maps, store visual direction, and before/after recaps reported to HQ leadership.
Expertise
Core competencies
Strategic retail vision, multi-unit field leadership, and the digital tools to plan, document, and measure it.
Visual Strategy
- Store visual direction
- Space planning & zoning maps
- Window displays & installations
- Seasonal floor sets
- Product storytelling
Field Operations
- Multi-unit retail & wholesale
- Regional field management
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Diverse store formats
- Team development & mentoring
Openings & Brand
- Store openings
- Concession launches
- Brand standards & compliance
- Trend analysis & forecasting
- Sales performance analysis
Tools
- PowerPoint reporting
- Excel strategic planning
- Vuem visual documentation
- XY sales analytics
- Concur admin
- ChatGPT AI mockups
Education
B.A., Fashion Studies
Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ
Graduated cum laude
Education
Associate of Arts
County College of Morris, Randolph, NJ
References
Available on request
Including three former Armani supervisors spanning 2008 to 2026.
Contact
Let’s connect
Open to senior visual merchandising leadership roles in New Jersey and New York City after 24 years with Giorgio Armani.
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Location Butler, NJ · Open to NJ & NYC