Eric Hedberg Email & Phone Number

Goodlettsville, Tn, Us

Goodlettsville, Tn, Us

Senior Buyer for Lawn & Garden, with direct responsibility over Toys for over 15,000 stores with total volume responsibility over $900 MM

Source off-price and opportunity buys to drive volume and traffic for automotive internet company

Consultant for Mori Luggage stores in Atlanta airport, including Luggage, Handbags, Small Leather Goods, and Gift categories• Produced 25% increase in daily sales in targeted stores through detailed sales and assortment analysis; appropriate order flow; revised store layouts focused on key items, categories, brands• Negotiated 10-20% cost reduction in key items• Secured return of $40,000 non-productive inventory

Brentwood, Tn, Us

Buyer for Truck, Trailer, and Towing departments for over 850 stores, volume responsibility over $210 MM• Create comprehensive merchandising strategies that consistently increased sales by focusing on growth opportunities in existing key items, development of new items, and through detailed sales analysis and forecasts• Build targeted product assortments through analysis of current consumer and competitive trends; evaluation and knowledge of all vendor product lines• Develop and maintain effective vendor relationships; execute line reviews and negotiate wholesale price concessions resulting in consistently improving gross margins• Create detailed promotional and marketing plans that drive volume, and negotiate all vendor support • Collaborate with marketing, visual presentation, and store management to create and execute innovative and productive store-line merchandising strategies• Expanded import purchases to over $100 MM annually that improved total gross margin over 200 basis points• Generated $1 MM increase over plan of $21 MM in 2008 for major seasonal promotional event; planned assortments, developed purchase plans including over $12 MM or direct imports, merchandise presentations, and negotiated all promotional support• Generated $2 MM increase over plan of $18 MM for 2007 seasonal promotional event• Executed category management process in lubricants focusing on sales analysis by SKU by brand, and price optimization strategies that resulted in 20% comp sales increase • Leveraged category management analysis in truck box category to reduce assortment by 20%, and improve margins by 10%• Reduced costs by 5-20% by category through line reviews in truck boxes, towing, truck accessories, tires, and private label lubricants

Atlanta, Ga, Us

Senior Buyer for 325 stores in 61 locations throughout the United States and Canada, with total volume responsibility over $80 MM.• Grew sales volume of total responsibility from $10 MM to $80 MM • Increased sales in toy category by 500% through focusing on growth opportunities in key items, and development of new items , categories, and vendors• Created and executed entire merchandising program for new Georgia Aquarium stores, including toys, souvenirs, gifts, and apparel, that opened in November 2005 resulting in $1 MM increase over plan of $4 MM• Developed entire assortment of toys and souvenirs for the Coca-Cola Olympic City project; total volume was $1.5MM and 30% of total business over four months of the project• Exceeded sales plans as Brand Manager of Kidzoo and General Motors specialty gift stores through product line development and strategic assortment planning• Tripled sales in luggage through development of value-priced merchandise program• Coached and developed Buyers in gifts and souvenirs, and ladies accessories

New York, Ny, Us

• Developed and executed all seasonal financial plans in Small Leather Goods, analyzed all business opportunities constantly to maximize volume and margins, consistently under inventory plan. • Produced a $500K increase in Christmas outposts and gift shops in all 48 stores for Fall 1989 – 1991. • Developed and executed seasonal training classes in Home Store areas for management and associates.