Merchandising and Dropship Strategy Lead

• May 2022 - Present

Develop and execute merchandising and drop ship strategies for high profile retailers to assist them in scaling their business online. Drive up transaction rates and increase retailer GMV by working closely to set growth KPIs, optimize assortment opportunities and share product and partner recommendations. • Establish and drive program KPIs and goals while monitoring program success and opportunities. • Provide ongoing strategic insights and thought leadership based on industry, customer and marketplace trends to support retailers business strategy • Ensure retailer brand standards are met and vendors exceed expectations on product availability, quality customer experience and fulfillment latency.

Director of Merchandising and Planning

• Jan 2020 - May 2022

- Execute contract negotiations with suppliers and on boarded all new distribution partners for increasing business value proposition. - Optimize company’s operational efficiencies by implementing extensive process and system improvements across all departments. - Employ new ERP for forecasting / purchasing procedures and reporting systems as well as improved Website platform. - Oversee all assortment planning for co-owned retailers, including FYE and Toys r US Canada, leading new product development and sourcing initiatives within arts / crafts and trend categories across Canada and US. - Played integral role in enhancing YOY growth by 12%+ and minimizing inventory by $3M in one year. - Collaborated with sales team to efficiently create and administer total toy department for all Home Hardware 1.1K stores in Canada. - Supervised distribution assortment across Canada and US for 30K+ SKUs, comprising product assortment, inventory management, and logistics for all Toy and Trend Categories

Category Manager

• Jun 2014 - Jan 2020

Developed pre-season category strategies to boost market share within targeted segments. Optimized business performance by formulating small format stores and vendor managed strategies in Impulse and Trend. Conducted market visits / competitive research and analyzed social media trends for determining new product and pricing opportunities. ● Increased YOY growth by 15%+ interacting with merchandising team for rendering effective / productive space utilization with highly curated selection. ● Steered OMNI portfolio valued at $60M related to Impulse / Trend, Arts / Crafts, and Dolls, involving American Girl shop in shops launch; improving YOY Canada-wide market share and enhancing profit margins. ● Developed Private Label brands within the toy department to drive margin and exclusivity in the market; collaborating with departments outside of Kids to build merchandising stories

Associate Buyer

• Feb 2012 - Jun 2014

Oversaw custom orders with high profile clients to enhance formal wear and sportswear categories for Brunello Cuccinelli, Tom Ford, and Hugo Boss. Verified product stock availability by examining inventory allocation of all stores and warehouses. ● Optimized customer retention / engagement through collaboration with marketing team on the Harry Rosen Magazine and website.● Cooperated with planning department to maximize sales targets and margin / turns in line with budgetary constraints, while supervising OTB for various categories.

Assistant Administration Manager

• Apr 2009 - Feb 2012

Championed team of seven Administrators; processing overall sales transactions and store audits. Implemented recruitment / onboarding processes, originated hiring plans and training documents, as well as mentored all new Administrators to successfully achieve performance target. ● Reduced store shrink with new processes and delivered assistance to improve operations at additional store location for 6 months.● Directed fiscal year end store inventory as well as performed inventory reconciliation and investigation to determine true losses.● Boosted company’s productivity, improved loss prevention practices, and prevented shrinkage through execution of new effective policies / procedures.

Business Owner

• Jul 2005 - Oct 2008