I was responsible for the overall operations of 203 stores in seven west coast states including 11 Regional Directors, 25 Operation Specialists and 20,000 team members. I managed performance and achievement of planned and expected results in customer satisfaction, sales and profitability, labor, shrink, food safety, safety and operational KPIs. In this role, I set operating budgets and sales plans; approved and drove projection process; evaluated store results and adjusted plans (sales, gross, labor, operating expenses) accordingly. Additionally, I worked with Division Real Estate Director on demographic, economics and proformas for store site selections. Furthermore, I collaborated with senior management to develop effective COVID-19 protocols.

In this role, I was responsible for all merchandising, marketing and operations for 26 Pavilions bannered stores and 2,900 team members with complete Profit and Loss responsibility. I assembled and developed merchandising, marketing and operations teams, which were successful in re-launching the Pavilions brand within 18 months of inception. Worked across functional teams to support P&L agreements to sustain stores.

Reported to COO of Albertsons Companies and served as the liaison between corporate initiatives and division strategic plans. I developed cultural assimilation between merging companies, and worked closely with the Integration Management Team in implementing and onboarding system conversions within divisions.

In this position, I reported to the Division President, served as a liaison between merchandising, marketing, and operations to develop and execute plans to drive sales. I was the transitional lead for conversion activities between Supervalu and Albertsons LLC for the Southern California Division. Additionally, I developed models for pricing investments for all 192 Southern California stores, and created annual financial plan and capital expenditures with Division President, VP of Marketing/Merchandising, and VP of Operations.

I built and led team of 28 operations specialists who provided coaching and tactical support to help store teams achieve operational excellence. I led the team in identifying key departments with sales opportunities and worked with leaders to improve key metrics. In this role, I managed achievement of projected results in overall customer satisfaction, sales, shrink, EBIT, inventory, gross margin, labor, and store team development. I spearheaded the company’s segmentation strategy to better meet the customer needs. I developed a business plan approved by the division president and company CEO to remodel and remerchandise stores to a specialty store format, resulting in improved identical sales, customer perception, and profits in all stores.

In this role, I assembled a high-performing organization that maximized sales for 110 stores. I managed execution of planned and expected results for customer service, sales and profitability, and quality/safety. In addition, I Identified loss stores or key problem departments with sales and profit opportunities, and I guided the operations teams as needed to build plans for improvement. I provided feedback for merchandising strategies to marketing and merchandising leads. I hired, developed, and coached up or out the “right people” to create a positive leadership environment and a dynamic culture of change to optimize performance and results.

I led a team of 36 Black Belts, five Master Black Belts, two Regional Project Development Managers, two Regional Financial Analysts, two Regional Data Analysts, and was indirectly responsible for 400-500 Sigma Project Sponsors. While overseeing a $47 million budget, I directed development and coordination of Six Sigma activities, including mentoring day-to-day activities of a diverse group of Black Belts, provided business expertise, leadership, and direction. I contributed to regular and ad hoc reporting on project status and financial benefits to senior division/functional leadership.

I was responsible for total store operations for the district with annual sales of $455 million. I oversaw 20-25 store managers, 120 department managers, food clerks, general merchandise clerks, and courtesy clerks.