Fred Arthur Email & Phone Number

Memphis, Tennessee

Lead the global Brand Building Team. Support our high performance team that creates and manages the marketing guidance for the home improvement, hardware and farm and ranch segment for both the retail and pro trade in the US, Canada, the Caribbean, Central America and beyond. Coach and advise our dealers to strategically implement integrated marketing methods to reinforce, grow and strengthen the importance of their individual brands in the marketplace. Share learnings and best practices accumulated from 25 plus years of retail buying, planning and marketing. Support our Brand Building team and their efforts to provide world class service to our dealer base. Help our customers navigate the evolution of marketing as the digital element becomes more important than ever.

Baldwyn, Ms

Manage of all facets of merchandise planning for the company (annual sales of $280-million). Responsibilities include managing a team of planners that develop department, class and sku level plans, projections and analysis. My team develops all departmental plans prior to the beginning of the fiscal year. During the fiscal year, my team monitors actual metrics versus the plan and history and makes strategic decisions in season to maximize opportunity and minimize liability. Forecasts are developed at all levels that the business dictates, from topside department projections down to a single sku. Assembled Merchandise Planning to as an upstart division at Hancock Fabrics in the spring of 2012. Developed a ladder planning tool to be used to forecast key item skus to ensure proper receipt timing to support the monthly and weekly sales.Developed class planning tools to support all businesses not on automatic replenishment.Built the planning division and assigned planners to all departments within the company.Developed and manage the majority of all department, class and sku reporting that is published weekly, monthly and quarterly.Implemented monthly departmental post-mortem business meetings with each buyer to document key learnings and develop strategies for the next fiscal year.Created and implemented the topside annual planning process that details sales, margin, receipts and adjustments by month, by department and rolls up to division and company totals.Redeveloped the existing Open To Buy tool used by the merchants weekly to be more stable and accurate through automation and increased protection. Responsible for the development of the planner’s abilities to efficiently pull data and properly interpret trends and deliver sound results oriented action plans.Served as interim Director of Replenishment and Allocation for 10 months while the position was vacant.

Buyer for a $25-million paint, plumbing & home decor business. Responsibilities include making all purchasing decisions, creation of promotional plan, reacting to market conditions, pricing strategies, top-line sales performance, and gross margin return on investment. Negotiate all terms, costs, advertising allowances, buybacks and returns. Work closely with purchasing assistants, finance, traffic department & accounting. Participate in all monthly, quarterly and year end financial review conferences. Communicate price changes, promotions, buybacks, new products & end cap product presentation to stores. Introduced upholstered furniture to all locations and added $1 million in Incremental annual sales.Championed stock projection management to help strategically control inventory levels for the company.Reduced product duplication in paint sundries, bath mirrors and hardware, and faucets.Developed and executed new sets in flooring, paint, mirrors and medicine cabinets in the 7 recently opened new locations.Reduced stock levels by a combined $1.5 million in paint, plumbing, and home decor.Identified four unproductive categories that upon liquidation will create an additional 36 feet of space to test new concepts.Created financial plan and marketing calendar.Negotiated over $325,000 in advertising funds for three straight years.

Financial planner for an $80-million private-label business. Provide strategic planning direction to a large group of internal clients in 240 locations. Track and analyze performance of all products in the area throughout its life cycle. Identify appropriate price positioning and coordinate entry and exit plans for all products within the line. Work closely with product-development team. Implemented changes to assortment to maximize business trends and generate $3 million in incremental revenue.Reduced Men's & Ladies sportswear assortments through SKU rationalization analysis.Managed, monitored, and executed order distribution process during the Parisian-Belk transition.

Developed financial plans to support $20-million global ESPN merchandise business represented in nine major cities including Walt Disney World in Orlando. Managed inventory levels to be size and content appropriate based on trend. Controlled the timing and size of all orders. Worked with suppliers to manage ESPN merchandise production levels. Successfully merged the ESPN Club & ESPN Zone product planning operations from a dual structure; a single operation in Florida in 2002 resulting in an annual savings of over $250,000.Reduced the ESPN Zone SKU base in 2003 to half its original size, while increasing total profit dollars, accelerating stock turn, and reducing markdown rate.Led a team in 2003 to consolidate the information systems and distribution centers for the ESPN Zone & ESPN Club resulting in annual savings of over $500,000 in reduced carrying costs. Served as Chairman of the Merchandise "Environmentality" team from 2003 through 2004. Led a group of 20 associates to reduce waste of energy and office supplies in the day-to-day work environment.

Purchased sports equipment to support a $12-million fitness, golf, racquet sports, skate and watersport business. Created a corporate template to be used buy the entire buying staff for sales and stock projection purposes improving topside visibility of the total company business for upper management.Awarded Buyer of the Year in 1998 for outstanding performance of sales, stock turn and profitability.Identified and implemented multiple businesses opportunities not traditionally found in a sporting goods environment including novelty games and non-sports trading cards. This resulted in over $500,000 in incremental sales volume.

Purchased apparel to support a $4-million professional and collegiate apparel business.Capitalized on the National Championship of The University of Alabama in January 1993 generating over $200,000 of volume in apparel sales in one week.Tracked business by week, month, and season to identify trends, opportunities, and liabilities.

Ba, Economics

Minors include Physics & Chemistry

Transferred, Microbiology

Education record