Bert Thomas Email & Phone Number

Richmond, Virginia Area

- Assist produce manager, assistant store manager and store manager in creating The Fresh Market environment- Assist in interviewing and selecting new employees.- Ensure prioritizing and delegating of daily responsibilities to employees through training, coaching and leading.-Provide exceptional customer service.

Developed and implemented freshness controls, merchandising, purchasing and inventory strategies for produce, natural foods and floral programs in Richmond area store with the lowest sales volume. Within 3 quarters, increased sales by over 20%. Also, reduced shrink from 12% (highest in area) to 6.5%. Managed produce department with the second highest volume of tonnage amongst the Charlottesville, Richmond and Virginia Beach area Kroger stores, in a store that consistently exceeded one million dollars in sales weekly. Achieved Kroger’s yearly goals of increasing sales by five percent and being below Kroger’s 6.5 percent shrink goal on a regular basis.

As one of two company owners, oversaw all store functions for a company with up to five million dollars in annual sales. Responsible for all financial planning and analysis, purchasing, inventory controls, merchandising, marketing, employee hiring and training, vendor relations and customer relations. Successfully, managed the transition from a traditional format (Billy’s IGA) (Independent Grocery Association) to a limited assortment format (Save-A-Lot). Billy’s IGA was named Virginia’s Outstanding Independent Retailer of the Year in 1995 by Progressive Grocer, a widely respected national industry publication.The deli/bakery department was featured in Supermarket News, another national industry publication, for its impact on the local, small town community. The customers were thrilled to support a local deli/bakery instead of driving a long distance to buy similar products.Selected and installed new cash registers with scanning features, the first implementation of this technology in the marketing area, and accompanying software to communicate between a network of registers and a central computer. Increased speed of check out time by 50% and showed an accuracy rate of 98.9%, as measured by Virginia State Weights and Measures Board, a state regulatory body.Planned marketing campaigns, including weekly newspaper advertisements and inserts, radio commercials, flyers, and billboards. Studied strategic merchandising and pricing strategies for best customer response, negotiated best deals from vendor and manufacturers to lower costs, decided which items to put on sale, and the most cost effective medium to advertise.

Bachelor Of Arts, Business Administration

Education record