"At L.L.Bean, we believe the outdoors brings out the best in all of us. We are committed to fostering a culture of diversity and creating safe, inclusive spaces where everyone feels welcome—both here and Outside. We value individual differences and are dedicated to maintaining an inclusive work environment where everyone can bring the best of their experience and talents and truly thrive."
Are you ready to embark on an exciting summer internship journey with one of Maine’s most iconic outdoor brands? At L.L.Bean, we’re not just about selling gear; we’re about inspiring and enabling people to enjoy the great outdoors. Whether you’re hiking up a mountain of data, paddling through event planning, or navigating the trails of hiring top talent, you’ll find your place here as a summer intern. Lace up your boots, grab your backpack, and get ready for an unforgettable adventure like no other with L.L.Bean’s Summer Internship Program.
Retail Visual & Store Experience Internship
Job Description Summary
A summer internship at L.L.Bean is an introduction to our company that provides an opportunity for the right individual to contribute to moving the business forward and to gain exposure to key areas of the organization. Interns supporting the Retail Visual Merchandising team will assume some various project roles and responsibilities to our 60+ retail stores (and growing!) including our Flagship Freeport store, while working on current business opportunities cross-functionally that directly benefit L.L.Bean. Typical internship periods are 10 to 12 weeks in duration, beginning June 2, 2025 and ending August 8, 2025.
Retail Visual & Store Experience Internship – Home Office Role, Freeport Maine HQ
The Summer Retail Visual Merchandising Intern will work alongside the LLB visual team, supporting the Senior Manager of Store Experience & Visual Merchandising, the Visual Merchandising Manager, and the entire Retail Visual Merchandising team. This role supports our retail stores across the country to ensure visual consistency, brand alignment, create brand standards and provide clear communications to the stores. This team’s goal is to bring the Brand’s merchandise vision to life in stores through compelling product presentations that promote a positive customer experience and maximize company sales growth and profitability. They create and communicate the visual directive that conveys a holistic representation of the L.L.Bean brand through consistent product presentations and selling strategies across all store locations. This team works hard to plan, communicate and direct a strong visual merchandising strategy to Stores. The Visual Merchandising team effectively sets the stage for an exceptional customer experience in our stores.
The Summer Retail Visual & Store Experience Internship will include a designated project that will be a combination of the interns’ interests, field of study and future career goals, while fulfilling a need for solution in the retail visual organization. Compelling presentation skills required, as project results will be presented and defended to Senior Leadership at the end of the summer.
Responsibilities:
Assist with manipulation of design files using Adobe Illustrator and InDesign (experience in Adobe Suite not a prerequisite but preferred)
Learn and shadow all levels of the Visual Merchandising team
Assist in coordination and preparation for mannequin presentations, product presentations and visual display photography in the Retail Lab
Aid in sample acquisition for the Retail Lab
Hybrid work opportunity with a lean towards working in the Retail Lab a minimum of 2x/week
Support of process improvement and daily support of store issues.
Provide Retail Home Office administrative support such as calendar management, file management, meeting preparations, and communications
Visual & Store Experience content collection and delivery to support ongoing education initiative's, morning meetings, communication tools, leadership conferences and seasonal manuals.
Demonstrate leadership that promotes L.L.Bean’s core values, brand, culture and mission
Execute inspiring brand presentations through visual and marketing efforts
Foster a supportive work environment and lead a service and selling culture
Demonstrate problem solving and critical thinking skills in a fast-paced and dynamic retail environment through action planning and execution to meet service and sales goals
Deliver legendary world-class customer service
Follow store Standard Operating Procedures to create a seamless shopping experience
Lead and execute compliance with Loss Prevention policies and procedures
Assume additional responsibilities as assigned.
Qualifications:
Must be currently enrolled in a 4-year college or university degree program with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
An interest, passion or experience in visual merchandising... and desire/curiosity for pursuit of career in the visual merchandising world of the outdoor apparel and gear industry
Must have reliable transportation for the duration of the internship, as this is not a remote role and requires one to be in our Freeport Maine HQ 5 days/week
Must be able to find personal housing accommodations within a commutable distance to Freeport, ME (housing leads and referrals will be provided)
Previous experience in retail stores, and understanding of how a store operates
Work a variable schedule that may include nights or weekends
Prior retail or service experience required
Passion for the outdoors and L.L.Bean’s core activities
Have proven leadership skills, with the ability to develop and motivate others
Capability to build strong partnerships and to work collaboratively to achieve goals
Demonstrated problem solving and critical thinking skills
Ability to maintain a high level of enthusiasm, motivation and a positive attitude
Established time management and organization skills
Demonstrated interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills
Some previous customer service experience required (retail, restaurant, hospitality, etc.)
Strong business acumen with the ability to achieve sales and service goals
Ability to work a flexible schedule to support retail if needed
Self-starter with strong ability to multi-task
Attention to detail
Highly collaborative
Health and Safety Requirement: Ensures compliance with the L.L.Bean Comprehensive Health and Safety program by knowing and following all safety guidelines, policies, procedures and expectations. Take immediate and appropriate action to rectify any unsafe conditions.
"If you care about the outdoors, joining L.L.Bean is a great way to feel good about what you do. Our benefits package makes a good thing even better, with programs and perks designed to support your health and financial goals. Plus, maintaining a healthy work-life balance and re-charging outside are all part of the plan.
If your experience looks a little different from what we've identified and you think you'd be great at this role, we'd love to learn more about you! At L.L.Bean, we believe the outdoors brings out the best in all of us. We strive to reflect this every day in our commitments to employees and partners and in our efforts to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and sustainability."