Cris Willis
Retail Clarity Coach and Consultant
After marrying into a 4th generation retail family that celebrated 143 years in the retail business and running the award-winning Parsons Gifts store alongside her husband Gary for 26 years, Cris Willis is now using her experience and knowledge to bring retail best practices to independent retailers. Those years provided Cris with a unique understanding regarding the complexities of running a family business, including opening, closing, remodeling, and rebranding stores and even more difficult decisions such as splitting the business within the family.
As the main buyer for her multimillion-dollar store, Cris has intimate knowledge of Open to Buy and Inventory Management. She has developed a strong knowledge of managing, training, and motivating multiple associates in all aspects of customer service.
Throughout the years running Parsons Gifts, Cris built and maintained a well-trained, engaged and loyal staff that seasonally was more than 80 persons. Many of her staff stayed on her team for 15 to 30+ years. Her stores’ staff retention rate was 80% compared to industry average of 40%. Parsons had a customer loyalty program with a database of over 40,000 current customers, had over 6,000 Facebook followers, and an average email open rate of 25%. Her 18,000 square foot main store maintained a 50%+ margin in the gift, boutique and holiday business, with an average dollar sale of $50, selling 3+ items per transaction, with an inventory turn rate of 3 times a year.
As the President of the Southwest Buying Group (a retail gift store association of over 500 stores), Cris gained a complete understanding of the challenges facing independent retailers. She has been an advisor to several vendors and a retail industry analyst. In addition to these achievements, Cris has also received numerous awards for her global and community outreach both personally and through her business.
Throughout the years Cris has recognized that numerous retail entrepreneurs are business lonely and need community. They inherit a business or open their own store with a passion for what they sell, only to realize they need help mastering essential retail business skills. Cris Willis offers private coaching, monthly Mastermind groups, and several other resources geared to help independent retail business owners get clarity and control of their business.
If you need Clarity and Control of your business email Cris at cwillis@retailclarity.com today!
