Dan Fairbanks Email and Phone Number

Set vision, developed strategy, and successfully led PriceSmart’s global private label initiative. Accountable for all aspects of PL program including sales, merchandising, marketing, and product development across each of the 13 countries in which PriceSmart operates. Responsible for strategic planning, budgeting, forecasting, P&L management, team development, and cross-functional leadership. Reported to Chief Merchandising Officer. Hired and led a team of 10 product developers, packaging designers, and business managers. Additional responsibilities included:• Oversaw end-to-end private label product development process including ideation and innovation, specification and formulation approval, supplier selection, packaging design, manufacturing and production, food safety and quality, and retail execution.• Leveraged insights from syndicated market data, consumer research, internal sales analytics, and various other information sources to identify, prioritize, and initiate new product development projects.• Collaborated with corporate, regional, and local buying teams to identify new product development opportunities and determine the best source for highest-quality merchandise at the lowest possible cost.Key accomplishments:• Defined brand strategy and positioning, established brand identity guidelines, redesigned existing packaging, and rolled out a complete brand redesign across entire organization.• Quadrupled sales of private label program, with eight consecutive years of double-digit revenue growth and a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 20%.• Developed and launched over 1,000 new private label products across all major merchandising areas including foods, fresh, bakery, food service, hardlines, softlines, and seasonal. • Increased private label penetration to nearly 25% of company sales by expanding portfolio into new merchandise categories including apparel, domestics, housewares, furniture, outdoor patio, and optical.

Directed Fresh & Easy’s largest commercial business unit, Dairy, Deli and Refrigerated Foods. Oversaw all aspects of buying & merchandising, including strategic planning, budgeting, forecasting, category & item management, supplier relations, and private label product development. Held full P&L accountability. Supervised team of 6 buyers, technical managers, and business analysts.• Negotiated and collaborated with suppliers for lowest cost of goods, custom merchandising programs, product and packaging innovation, private label manufacturing opportunities, and strategic sales driving initiatives.• Utilized data from IRI, ACNielsen, and other market research partners to understand consumer trends, identify growth opportunities, and develop long-term, customer-centric business plans.• Developed annual, monthly and weekly merchandising plans to achieve budgeted financial objectives.Key accomplishments:• Led company in sales growth with 156% increase over a 4-year period, through strong customer focus, strategic planning, and innovative product development.• Led company in gross margin improvement during same time period through cost reduction initiatives, efficient promotion management, and retail price optimization.• Developed and successfully launched over 225 private label SKUs.

Delivered actionable business and consumer insights to strategic retail partners by leveraging IRI’s portfolio of syndicated market information, consumer panel, and state-of-the-art business analytics. Led Western US retail sales team with full P&L accountability. Supervised team of 7 direct reports.• Consulted with senior retail executives to understand their critical business issues and delivered innovative solutions to help them achieve their strategic objectives.• Provided thought leadership and expertise on key industry topics such as category management, consumer-centric merchandising, customer segmentation, and marketing analytics.• Coordinated and delivered high quality on-going and ad-hoc analytic requests.• Built and maintained mutually beneficial relationships with senior level client stakeholders.• Developed and executed strategies for client acquisition, business development, and contract negotiation.Key accomplishments:• Exceeded annual sales objectives in both 2007 and 2008 by 15%.• Generated over $18M in incremental revenue by facilitating Albertson’s category business planning process.• Developed web-based marketing information portal to improve access and visualization to syndicated market data.

Directed corporate buying and merchandising operations for Safeway’s General Merchandise department, with over $875M in annual revenue. Responsible for sales, profit, budgeting, forecasting, strategic planning, and execution across more than 1,600 retail stores. • Established strategic vision for department and developed comprehensive merchandising plans to deliver annual, period, and weekly financial budgets.• Managed relationships with key vendor partners and garnered support and resources to drive strategic vision.• Collaborated with national CPG manufacturers in annual joint business planning process.• Oversaw development and sourcing of products to deliver innovation, quality, and value to customers.• Identified opportunities for private label development and set objectives for individual categories.• Negotiated and approved contracts and long-term business agreements.• Participated in development of corporate programs, initiatives, and strategies.• Created and presented business cases for capital expenditures.• Managed department P&L to deliver sales and profit budget.• Led, coached, and developed high-performance team of 8 Category Managers and Category Analysts.

Managed sales and gross profit for Safeway’s two largest operating divisions, Northern California and Vons, with revenue totaling over $7.4B annually.• Developed marketing plans to achieve weekly and period-end financial budgets. • Planned, designed, and approved external promotional materials, including weekly ads and targeted mailers.• Analyzed local sales opportunities, trends, and preferences to ensure relevancy of merchandising plans.• Worked cross-functionally with Category Management and Operations to ensure execution of weekly plans.• Managed team of 2 direct reports.

Oversaw multiple non-perishable categories corporately, with annual sales totaling more than $420M. Led the category review process and made national decisions on item selection, pricing, promotion, and space allocation.• Facilitated transition from regional to centralized buying. • Optimized assortment across all 10 Safeway divisions.• Negotiated with manufacturers and suppliers for cost of goods, merchandising programs, and new items. • Developed and implemented multiple strategic category business plans.• Analyzed consumer and market information from IRI and ACNielsen to identify business trends and sales opportunities.

Provided merchandising and marketing support for Safeway’s online grocery delivery business, Safeway.com (formerly Groceryworks.com). Assisted with product selection, item setup, content management, pricing, promotion, and supply chain.• Optimized assortment and increased online selection to 17,000 SKUs.• Reduced COGS by transitioning procurement from 3rd party distributors to Safeway’s supply chain.• Worked with CPG manufacturers to accurately provide and maintain web content such as item descriptions, images, nutritional information, and product copy.• Conducted financial analysis and reviewed KPIs to measure performance and identify sales opportunities.• Managed operational challenges and led process improvement initiatives. • Assisted IT with testing and validating new site enhancements and changes.• Delivered large quantity of work in a high-energy, fast-paced environment.

Managed over $350M in fluid dairy and refrigerated food sales for Safeway’s Seattle division.

Forecasted demand, wrote purchase orders, and managed warehouse inventory for multiple food product categories.

Supervised evening operations of a high-volume grocery store, reconciled sales, and performed closing duties.