Kristen Kessler Email & Phone Number

Portland, Oregon, Us

Walpole, Massachusetts, Us

Leads and mentors Merchandise Planners, providing guidance, leadership, and strategic direction.Empowered teams with data drive insights to align with company goals.Produces tailored reports using Power BI and provides data exports for integration into team's excel analysis.Partnered with internal and external teams to for inventory, sales and issue resolution.Managed Demand Planning and Inventory for 14 brands and 300+ unique itemssmooth communication with partners for inventory, sales, and issue resolution.Analyzed data to identify opportunities for improvement in stock management processes.

Walpole, Massachusetts, Us

Seattle, Wa, Us

As the Director of Demand Planning and one of the company's six key strategic partners, I led diverse strategic initiatives in Planning and Purchasing for over 5 years. My responsibilities encompassed supporting Omni Channel Planning and Purchasing efforts through activities such as forecasting, allocation, production scheduling, inventory management, supply chain management, email scheduling, and comprehensive reporting for the organization.o Led, developed, and trained Demand Planning and Allocation teams over 6+ years, responsible 11 team members. Direct reports included Planning/Purchasing Manager, Business Process Manager, Item Master Specialist, and Packaging Project Manager.o Administered the Open-To-Buy (OTB) allocation by category at the cost of goods sold (COGS) level.o Suggested new opportunities and pinpointed potential risks to the planning and merchandising teams through analysis of historical data.o Assist Demand Planners in aligning category/class demand forecasting with seasonal plans.o Conducted in-depth analysis and delivered presentations to senior leadership on crucial metrics, including season-to-date and year-to-date sales performance, highlighting sell-through rates, stock-to-sales ratios, and potential inventory risks.o Collaborated closely with the Director of Merchandising and Product Development to optimize product placement with our vendors, facilitating strategies for healthy margins, effective inventory management, and informed financial decision-making.o Played a critical role in driving process and tech enhancements for planning and purchasing, D365 ERP system.

Seattle, Wa, Us

Seattle, Wa, Us

Seattle, Washington, Us

Responsible for the breadth of the assortment and depth of items, created and managed the buy.Managed inventory in season, ensuring effective decision making around analysis, markdowns, claims, re-orders, etc. Partner with Buyer to develop a plan to support seasonal department merchandising strategies based on customers’ expectation and fashion trends for both mainline stores and our online store. Developed strong vendor partnerships with monthly calls and market appointments. Recognized as Merchandising Team of the Year for the entire company 2010 Recognized as Multi Channel Buy Planner of the Year for the Accessories and Women’s Specialized Division 2010 Launched new suppliers successfully from start and manage for continual growth and success 

Seattle, Washington, Us

Drove replenishment item performance through planning, ordering and managing of items to drive maximum volume and to support presentation. Partnered with the buyer to understand the vision of the product picked in market.

Seattle, Washington, Us

Execute and write orders, review past and present selling to determine best placement for the buy for location. Partnered with buyer in market appointments on product selection

Seattle, Washington, Us

Supported 2 Regions within the 3 years NORDSTROM, DALLAS, TX JUNE 2004 TO JANUARY 2006Regional Merchandise Manager for the South Region14 Stores within 3 states (Texas, Florida and Georgia), the largest region in the companyNORDSTROM, PARAMUS, NJ SEPTEMBER 2003 TO JULY 2004Regional Merchandise Manager for the North East9 stores within 4 states (New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Philadelphia). Drove sales by developing and mentoring department managers. Partnered with Regional Visual Merchandising Manager for merchandising presentation standards to support vision of product to best drive sales. Maintained a strong partnership with Buyers, National Merchandise Manager, Regional Manager and Store Managers. Supported teams during events, remodels and new store openings