Craig Grayson Email & Phone Number

Boston, MA, US

Framingham, Massachusetts, US

• Shaped and implemented business vision, go-to-market strategies, and organizational planning for Staples’ $800M customer-facing services portfolio consisting of Print & Marketing, Shipping, Technology, and Travel.
• Served as a key thought leader and instrumental voice on the senior leadership team known for recommending innovative strategies that aligned with company’s core business and consumer goals.
• Continually surpassed profit and margin goals, delivering strong double-digit sales growth YOY across entire portfolio and 15%+ YOY store traffic improvement through new shipping and returns partnerships.
• Strategically overhauled organizational structures, integrated teams, and reallocated resources without reducing labor, creating more consistent and cost-effective practices across the large, matrixed organization.
• Managed and mentored 9 senior direct reports while simultaneously leading and unifying 400+ team members spanning Merchandising, Commercial Production & Operations, Technical Product Development, Store & Online.
• Applied transparent, relationship-driven leadership practices that bolstered morale, unity, and collaboration.

Framingham, Massachusetts, US

• Initiated and led the transformation strategy to strengthen the value and authority position of Staples’ Print & Marketing Services focused on the dominant small-business customer segment.
• Reimagined the go-to-market proposition around the core document copying and large-format signage categories with a simplified category focus, new partnerships, capabilities investments, and promotions that.
• Ideated post-COVID re-emergence plan, including a national marketing campaign, that dramatically accelerated sales and share growth.
• Refined customer engagement model, improving store selling behaviors, performance metrics, and NPS scores.
• Led utilization, productivity, and profit improvement across 10 closed-door commercial production facilities through product rationalization, operational investments, and a multi-year workflow-automation initiative.

Framingham, Massachusetts, US

• Led the product and vendor strategy for the $700M Technology product portfolio across PC’s, Audio, Charging & Mobility, Networking, Digital Storage, Computing Accessories, Software, and Warranties.
• Revitalized the technology business, resulting in over $10M margin expansions through renegotiated vendor agreements, overseas product sourcing, and category-level rationalization.
• Leveraged global product development experience to expand quality of private label technology products and developed new brand shop merchandising model focused on in-store POG experiences.
• Expanded key vendor partnerships including HP, Lenovo, Intel, Microsoft, Epson, Logitech, Netgear, Belkin, and Seagate to improve assortment transitions, inventory turn and category relevancy.

Merrimack, NH, US

• Steered brand and merchandising strategy for $100M product division across all business channels including Retail, E-Commerce, Catalog and Wholesale, with direct oversight of 50 airport locations.
• Served in newly created role, responsible for leading retail merchandising, assortment execution, real estate portfolio, new store format development, retail marketing, store planning, design and construction
• Identified and scaled segmentation strategy for the Airport business, which including managing full-scale product development process with Asia-based teams to deliver unique, category-specific products as well as.
• Fostered exceptional relationships with trusted overseas vendors to source and deliver top-quality products
• Managed cross-functional teams across Merchant, Product, Engineering, Marketing, Planning and Retail, empowering each to achieve goals, deliver on-time products, and maximize sales and gross margins

Merrimack, NH, US

• Directed largest merchandise category, with responsibility for developing and sourcing Brookstone-branded merchandise overseas and domestically across all business channels
• Delivered $10M in incremental margin growth in one year after revamping domestic product strategy
• Launched two largest products with US and overseas team that delivered $18M in sales
• Secured Texas Instruments relationship to produce exclusive product with the highest gross margins in 2012

Merrimack, NH, US

• Optimized brand growth through retail partner network with prominent retailers like Staples, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and Home Shopping Network, delivering rapid margin increases and 50% YOY revenue growth

Merrimack, NH, US