’s North American operations.  In conversation with Inside Retail, Levine reflected on the course of her 13-year journey working with the legacy accessories retailer. Inside Retail: Over the past 12 years, we’ve seen Coach go through a reinvention. What has it been like watching the brand go through it as you yourself were climbing up the corporate ladder? Leigh Manheim Levine: It’s been an incredible journey just seeing the evolution that we’ve experienced with so much learning along the way and being able to experience different parts of the company. Through my career at Coach, it’s been exciting to see the success that we’ve been able to achieve with so many of the strategies that we’ve put in place over the last couple of years. IR: Since starting with Coach in a merchandising role, you have held quite a few different positions during your time with the company, including wholesale buying and retail operations. How has your experience with these roles aided you in your current position overseeing the company’s North American operations? LML: It’s really helped me out because I know how different areas of the company work. I’ve been able to form relationships with different people within the company, and I think it gives me a lot of empathy and understanding. So when I ask the team to do something, I actually know what I’m asking them to do.  We’re a really cross-functional company, so being able to work across the different teams and having the understanding of what that means has really helped me. I’m so appreciative of the different experiences that I’ve had. IR: What is a lesson you learned from a previous role that specifically aided you this year? LML: It’s hard to isolate one. Even in my experiences before coming to Coach, where I worked in global merchandising with product development, design and supply chain, has helped me in my buying role and working with the stores. It has really helped me understand the product’s lifecycle from beginning to end. It’s hard to isolate any specific experience since they’re all valuable in their own way. IR: Speaking about stores, store design and brand concepts, such as the Coach Play stores, have really played a big role in the brand’s expansion over the last few years. Why do you think that this kind of experiential store concept has been resonating with Gen Z consumers?  LML: It’s been really interesting to see how our Coach Play stores have been resonating with the Gen Z consumer. Before we built our first one, we spent time with those customers, doing a lot of ethnographic research with them. This meant that we went to their homes and went shopping with them. We really tried to understand what they valued. Like, what were they worried about in their lives, and how could Coach fit into their lives?  Thinking about stores specifically, we knew that they wanted stores to feel more accessible, they wanted to feel welcome and that they wanted to feel like there was a place where they could spend more time being engaged.  So we have been trying to put those elements in our Coach Play stores, and so far we’ve seen really positive engagement and increased dwell time. IR: With regards to dwell time, we’ve also seen Coach play into another kind of experiential store experience with the Coach Coffee Shops that have been popping up. Why has Coach been leaning into that third space concept of customers not just to shop for the brand’s merchandise, but to enjoy Coach’s aesthetic and space overall? LML: Our goal is to create an engaging experience and connect with our customers beyond the transaction and really build those relationships.  The Coach Coffee Shop was another idea that we wanted to test to see if it would resonate with our consumers. While we would love for them to buy Coach merchandise too, if they only want to buy a Coach Tabby-shaped cake and a coffee, that’s fine as well. Overall, we’re seeing it boost increased frequency traffic, which helps us just drive connection and engagement with that customer. IR: Did you think that when you first started with the company in 2013, you would be getting to this place where you are now running Coach’s North American operations? LML: I always want to keep learning and keep challenging myself. I love leading teams of people, and so that’s been really rewarding throughout my career. I don’t know what I would have thought in 2013,  but I’m happy to be where I am now. Further reading: Eyeing Gen Z, luxury label Coach is building the five senses into its activations