From window shopping to global store design: how one BCom grad found his lane in retail marketing

Before he had a job in retail, he was already studying it — unknowingly, but enthusiastically. “I was a student of retail marketing long before I chose a career in it. I was always interested in fashion, loved window shopping and followed trends from an early age,” says Nick Nemish, a 2009 BCom grad from the Alberta School of Business. “It wasn’t until my university days when I realized there was a legitimate career path in that world — crafting the journey and influencing purchase behaviour in ways most consumers don’t even realize.”

Like many in the industry, his start was part-time — folding denim and building displays at The Gap. But what began as a student job turned into something more. A mentor noticed his knack for product placement and storytelling and helped him discover his passion for visual merchandising. 

It’s a discipline he describes as the perfect blend of art and science — equal parts strategy, creativity and consumer psychology

 “Beyond learning the ins and outs of consumer behaviour, my time at ASB taught me how to navigate an organization and work across multiple teams, which are critical in these big retail companies,” he says. “The agility you need to excel in the retail world only comes from experience.”

After several years in store management at Nike, he made the leap into the corporate side in Toronto, steadily moving from regional retail execution to global brand leadership. “What I thought were challenges at the time were actually the moments that forced me to grow the most,” he says. His approach to career growth was intentional. “Even when I was applying for a new position, my mindset was: how do I become the eventual leader of that team?”

After almost 12 years at Nike, that mindset landed him in his current role — Director of Global Visual Merchandising & Styling at lululemon — now a $10B+ company. The work is fast-paced, especially as consumer expectations shift more quickly than ever. Staying ahead means leveraging insights that are deeply dialed in, he says, and holding true to a brand’s identity, rather than chasing trends: “That authenticity cuts through the noise nine times out of ten.”

In 2024, he helped lead the design and build of a lululemon pop-up inside Canada Olympic House during the Paris Games, one of several hospitality spaces at La Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie. The shop was open to the public, but was designed as the gathering place for athletes, friends and family to connect and support Team Canada. “The pop-up itself was beautiful and well executed, but what made it meaningful was who was there. I’ll never forget the personal stories they shared or the pride of the athletes and families.”

For him, the details matter — and always have. “The nuance in visual merchandising is what sets experiences apart and increases conversion,” he says. “It’s not just about making something look nice. It’s about guiding the guest toward what matters most.” 

From colour strategy to minimalist styling, he says every design choice is carefully considered through the lens of both the customer and the brand. And from the digital to the physical, consistency is what he considers the most effective omnichannel merchandising strategy: “It sounds simple but it’s hard to achieve. A consumer’s purchase journey isn’t linear. It can start on their couch while scrolling on their phone, or it can start on a sidewalk while passing a store window, and it can bounce around between those two points and more before they commit to a purchase. A brand has to meet the consumer consistently across platforms and channels because they experience them all.”

For BCom students interested in retail marketing or brand management, he offers two pieces of advice: “Sweat the small stuff. That’s what sets you apart. And be comfortable with subjectivity — everyone will have an opinion, but your job is to stay grounded in the customer’s perspective.”

While breaking from store-level retail into the corporate side of the business was one of the biggest challenges of his career, he’s resolute about it setting him up for success: “If you want to make that move, master your current role, build the right relationships, and make sure you’re the person they think of when an opportunity opens,” he says.

It turns out, he wasn’t just window shopping after all.