Sarah McGuire Annelli swaps Catalyst Brands for Five Below and new native mobile app challenge
Sarah McGuire Annelli has left Catalyst Brands, where she served as Senior Product Manager, and joined American discounter Five Below as Senior Product Manager, Mobile App.
In a LinkedIn post, Annelli, who has also worked at Tapestry and kate spade new york, said: “Looking forward to helping bring a new native app to life with an awesome team and company. Big thanks to my mentor and friend Tiffany D'Amato (VP, Head of Digital at Five Below) for making the connection, and Courtney Mackedanz (Director, Digital Product Management) for the opportunity!”
Invent.ai
Last year, Invent.ai was selected Five Below to optimise demand forecasting and replenishment through AI driven technology.
Five Below currently operates over 1,800 stores in the United States. It needed an inventory optimisation solution that could account for its diverse product categories and objectives, and opted for invent.ai’s retail planning suite.
“Invent.ai has been a game-changer for our operations, helping streamline replenishment processes across a wide range of product categories and a large store network,” said Graham Poliner, Chief Strategy and Analytics Officer at Five Below.
“We expect invent.ai’s algorithms to continue to help us optimise inventory levels, reduce stockouts and overstocking while ensuring that each location has the right products at the right time. The invent.ai team has been an exceptional partner, working closely with Five Below to tailor the capabilities to our unique needs.”
The pair implemented a pilot over three months across several categories and subsequently expanded to all categories of the business. The partnership will continue beyond implementation through invent.ai’s “Hub Model.” Five Below will now work with a dedicated team of its experts on an ongoing basis to identify opportunities on the platform.
“AI is completely reshaping how the retail industry approaches inventory management, and early adopters will be well positioned for financial success. We’re excited to partner with innovative retailers, like Five Below, and help them leverage our platform to drive profitable growth for years to come,” said Gurhan Kok, Founder and CEO at Invent.ai.
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Mobile retail will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out our 2025 winners here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
