“Share the Magic of Historically Black Colleges and Universities” by advancing the concept ofhigher learning to young children through play.

Conduct product allocations under the direction of the buyer. Submit purchase orders that maintain the integrity of the open-to-buy budget and calendar. Set up new items with pricing and attributes that maintain the strategy and consistency of the organization for accurate sales and reporting. Assortment planning and execution for new stores. Communicate with vendors to ensure timely order shipment and all agreed upon terms are in compliance. Create adhoc reporting and analysis for buyers and suppliers as needed. Maintain promotional calendar and markdown list for field communication to achieve sales plan. Review new product submissions and determine suitability based on assortment and company objectives. Respond to specific field request fulfillment including vetted product requests, handling shipment issues, cost and retail issues, etc.

Built assortment plans with over 350 SKUs across a wide range of product categories and customer segments. Analyzed and forecasted sales for $65 million worth of inventory. Identified emerging trends for sourcing, product development and lifecycle management. Collaborated with inventory analyst to manage in-season decisions and opportunities. Responsible for direct import business ($14 million) and managed 3rd party distribution. Cultivated professional relationships with vendors while negotiating terms to achieve results; Regularly negotiated costing, shipping, and cost concessions to maximize profit. Teamed with visual merchandising, amusements and marketing to maximize guest experience. Monitored competitor merchandising and assortment to ensure market advantage.

• Analyze merchandise redemption data used to make buying decisions• Manage direct import merchandise throughout supply chain • Liaison between stores and corporate purchasing to ensure proper communication• Key point of contact for vendors on pricing, shipping and merchandise availability• Research and identify emerging trends to source new merchandise

• Created purchase orders to guarantee accurate purchasing and shipping from vendors• Utilized key performance indicators which analyze sales, profitability and inventory productivity• Created plan-o-grams to communicate visual merchandising to the stores• Ensured accurate pricing and signing to adhere to legal compliance• Communicated with vendors and supply chain to ensure timely and accurate receipt of merchandise• Conducted pre-season, in-season, and post-season analysis of business opportunities and risks

• Allocated merchandise to over one thousand stores while managing assortments based on a buyer's intent and allocation objectives• Reviewed merchandise plans created by buyers and planners to ensure sufficient pre-season quantity • Monitored J.C. Penney warehouse inventories, to minimize costs and increase sales• Collaborated with buying team to manage visual merchandising• Liaison between stores and buying team through communications and store visits