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About Us

This is Us: The Retail Management Institute

The Silicon Valley based Retail Management Institute (RMI) provides a platform for deep collaboration between leading academics and industry luminaries into the emerging and evolving concepts impacting retail today. The knowledge generated from this innovative collaboration, forms the basis of distinct retail studies curriculum and experiences that prepare Retail Studies students and industry executives for success in the new world of technology driven retail.

RMI, with its remarkable 40-year history of leaning into the future of retail, has turned out nearly 1,000 alumni who lead and influence across the retail sector.  Since 1980, we have pioneered breakthrough research related to the impact technology has on retailers. We were there with IBM when they deployed their mainframes and POS systems; we were instrumental in developing retail revenue management; our academic research on retail markdowns had breakthrough implementations at Mervyn’s and impacted the rest of the industry; our faculty have guided technology companies such as Google as they became an indelible part of the retail landscape. We have educated the industry on a global scale about Silicon Valley retail innovation through our executive programs. RMI continues to innovate and educate on the technologies and emerging trends that are creating retail’s future.

 

 

 

Our distinctive curriculum model takes a technology centric view of the retail industry. Based on Collaboration, Knowledge Creation and Experiences, these critical touch points form an expansive one-of-a-kind retail studies program that encourages discovery, conversations and a drive to challenge and transform right here in our own backyard, Silicon Valley. 

Collaboration

Much like the retail industry - RMI’s transformation comes from collaboration with our Advisory Board Members, Sponsors, Partners and the themes and interactions brought to us through access to industry influencers and disruptive innovators. This is where the real magic happens – The Future of Technology Driven Retail discovered by RMI through strategic collaboration.

Knowledge Creation

RMI produces knowledge using scientific principles that reflect on the structure and practice of technology driven retailing. Our collaborative model aspires to create knowledge that is current and predictive of the future—tomorrow’s wisdom today. Too often academia and industry speak around and passed each other, not to each other. Through collaboration, we move towards RMI RealTalk, an approach that realigns the opportunities and learning that can authentically surface through real conversations contributing to the building of shared knowledge. Our goal – to generate knowledge around the impact of technology and its impact on retail.

Experiences

One of RMI’s differentiators is we actively pursue opportunities for our students to have access to the best real-world experiences here locally in Silicon Valley, with retail field experiences in the San Francisco Bay Area and conferences in New York and Las Vegas. These exclusive experiences offer a holistic view of the industry and exposure to its many career opportunities. We understand the ROI on experiential learning as a service to our students and the overall value to their journey.

 

 

group photo of RMI team

Our Faculty & Staff collectively prepares retail studies students for a career in retail. Whether in the class room or in our office suite, students receive balanced guidance in many areas to ultimately provide them with a full view of the industry and the tools necessary for their success. 

With extensive experience in both the retail industry and higher education, the Retail Management Institute’s faculty and staff are valuable resources for assisting retail studies students with internship opportunities and jobs post-graduation. We are proud to claim 100% of our students have secured a job within three months of graduation. Providing experiential curriculum, scholarships, industry opportunities and an extensive support network, the Retail Studies Program has developed nearly 1,000 graduates into industry leaders and influencers, since 1981.

Learn more about each of our nationally recognized faculty and staff.

 

One Product. Our Students.

Similar to launching a new product into the marketplace, RMI launches its students into industry with a deep perspective on retailing. To receive a minor in Retail Studies from Santa Clara University, our students are required to take a set of core classes to build and expand their knowledge and abilities. We are proud to attract Retail Visionaries, Entrepreneurs and Silicon Valley Executives to Santa Clara University to directly connect Retail Studies students to business insights and technology innovation.

The Retail Studies Program provides our students with many opportunities.

The Retail Studies Student Association (RSSA) – Gathers our students together. Involvement includes mentoring one another, special events and socials, panel conversations with our alums, meet & greets with the RMI Advisory Board Members, Mission Outreach to raise funds for the local underserved in the community and production of the RMI Magazine and Instagram @ retailsantaclarau curation

Scholarships – RMI awards several financial scholarships, the Jill Curran Scholarship for a New York Immersion Trip, and access to apply through industry organizations for their scholarships offerings.

Silicon Valley Field Experiences – RMI is located in the heart of Silicon Valley and has easy access to San Francisco– based retail companies including Levi’s, The Gap, Williams-Sonoma, Cost Plus World Market, Stitchfix, Lolli & Pops and Pinterest just to name a few. Throughout the school year, RMI offers many organized retailer visits and immersion travel opportunities. RMI’s ability to provide location-based experiences right at the intersection where technology meets retail, is a distinction no other retail program can claim.

In their Junior year, retail studies students take Intro to Multi-Channel Retail, participate in Interview Skills Workshop, engage with our retail partners at the annual RMI Internship Faire and prepare for Summer Internships.

In Senior year, students take The Art & Science of Merchandising and The New Retail Disruptors + Capstone Project as a core requirement to receive their minor in Retail Studies.

RMI has assembled CEOs, Presidents, SVPs, CTOs CMOs and Directors from influential Silicon Valley and San Francisco Bay Area companies. The Advisory Board meets twice a year to provide insights and perspective to ensure RMI remains a top destination for a retail business education. Learn more about RMI advisory board members here..