About the role#
The 2026 Fall Retail Management Internship provides a hands-on leadership experience for college juniors, seniors, and recent graduates. You will work as an Acting Sales Lead, gaining exposure to retail operations, merchandising, and team management. This program is designed to develop your professional skills through store leadership tasks and direct mentorship.
What you'll do#
- Support business strategy and adjust operations to reach store goals.
- Drive revenue by managing the client experience as the Manager On Duty.
- Coach associates during client interactions to maximize productivity and performance.
- Utilize reports to make effective merchandising decisions and maintain visual standards.
- Perform daily operational tasks, including opening and closing procedures, to ensure the store runs smoothly.
- Collaborate with store leadership to foster an inclusive and productive team environment.
What you'll need#
- Current enrollment as a college junior or senior, or status as a recent college graduate.
- Ability to organize, delegate, prioritize assignments, and meet deadlines.
- Knowledge of visual merchandising standards and techniques.
- Effective communication skills for interacting with clients and team members.
- Flexibility to work a schedule that includes evenings and weekends.
- Ability to lift and carry up to 20 pounds occasionally.
Location & details#
- Location: The Mall in Columbia, Columbia, MD.
- Term: Fall 2026.
- Modality: On-site.
- Commitment: Approximately 20 to 25 hours per week.
- Compensation: This is a paid internship.
About KnitWell Group
KnitWell Group operates as a large specialty apparel company in the United States. Its portfolio includes brands such as Ann Taylor, Chico's, Lane Bryant, LOFT, Soma, Talbots, and White House Black Market. The business generates approximately $6 billion in annual sales. It maintains a workforce of over 13,387 employees.
How to get in at KnitWell Group
Applying early gives you a distinct advantage at a large organization like KnitWell Group because recruiters review applications before the pile grows. Intern Insider sends an instant alert the moment a role matching your target is published, ensuring you apply among the first. This timing often determines whether your resume reaches a human reader. You can use this head start to prepare your materials while others are still waiting for job boards to refresh. Intern Insider also surfaces the recruiters behind specific roles so you can reach out directly to ask about the position or a referral. Reaching out to a person rather than a queue materially improves your response rates. This approach turns a cold application into a professional conversation, which is a much more effective way to get noticed by the team at KnitWell Group.
