Melissa Pflum Email & Phone Number

Arden Hills, Minnesota, US

Butter Sales on the Kroger Account

Blackfriars, London, GB

• Led 6-person analytic team across the $880M+ Kroger and Harris Teeter portfolio management: Grocery (Condiments, Sides), Frozen (Ice Cream and Novelties), and HBC (Soap, Deodorant, Hair).
• Led Assortment and Shelving market analysis for Kroger’s potential acquisition of Albertsons.
• Led analytic approach to solving business challenges with supply chain during COVID to close OSA/LTOOS shelf voids $7MM (2023), $31MM 2021-2022.
• JBP Partner, 3CM Consult, and collaborator with Kroger and 8451.
• Utilized category insights and data analytics to influence optimal portfolio, pricing, promotion, and shelving recommendations across Unilever brands and Kroger departments.
• Budget responsibility for 8451 contracts and services and Kroger Category Management Team.

Blackfriars, London, GB

• Developed and executed strategy and insights on $250M Frozen Department business, one direct report
• Led Kroger/84.51 Strategic Projects: FROST, FAST, and Ice Cream Reinvention.
• Created and led full Kroger Team training program (8451 Stratum, Market6, Circana, Business Cases, Excel, Pivot Tables, Formulas, Storytelling, and PowerPoint)
• JBP Partner, 3CM Consult, and collaborator with Kroger and 8451.
• Utilized category insights and data analytics to influence optimal portfolio, pricing, promotion, and JDA shelving recommendations across Unilever brands and Kroger departments.
• New item and cannibalization rate forecasting.

Blackfriars, London, GB

• Managed category strategy and insights for Unilever’s $221MM business delivering double-digit sales growth for 3 years on Tea, one direct report
• Strategic JBP partner driving assortment, shelving, and sales growth.
• New item and cannibalization rate forecasting.
• Advanced analytics approach to solving business challenges.
• Led 2-year project with Kroger Category Manager April Orrand for shelf reflow (JDA), merging Naturals with Mainline, and assortment. Tea Category and Unilever delivered double-digit growth for several years.
• Developed and fostered partnership and collaboration with Unilever strategy & brand teams, Kroger buyers, 8451, PLM, and IRI.

Atlanta, GA, US

• Category insights development on $66MM business with Kroger and Harris Teeter.
• Keen focus on the 4P’s in Harris Teeter turned Georgia Pacific’s business from -9% to +5% by closing ROM gaps, running more effective promotions, and implementing planogram changes.
• New item and sales cannibalization forecasting.
• Utilized 84.51, Market6, Harris Teeter Portal, IRI and CSIA data to garner insights and to create compelling presentations and influence pricing, promotion, and sales strategies.

Paris, FR

• Category insights development on $284MM business with Kroger and contributed to the largest space gain for Dannon in 2016 through strong innovation and filling ROM voids.
• New item and sales cannibalization forecasting.
• Represented Danone in the 84.51/Kroger Yogurt Strategy Project for 2016-2017 which reinvented the yogurt set across the Kroger enterprise.
• Managed and lead 3 direct reports ensuring execution of priorities/category strategies utilizing 84.51, Market6, IRI, and Apollo. Subject Matter Expert in 84.51, Market6, IRI, Nielsen, JDA, SPINS, and CSIA panel

Paris, FR

• Led cross-functional team to deliver priorities across 12 categories for $372MM business including the infancy, growth, and expansion of Silk plant-based beverages, one direct report
• Represented WWF in Natural Foods Department Reinvention Project with Kroger/84.51 to develop Natural Foods expansion/integration strategy delivering double-digit department sales growth.
• New item and sales cannibalization forecasting.
• Regularly presented insights and strategies to Kroger and WhiteWave Headquarters.
• Cross-functional engagement with shopper marketing to develop programs for Kroger.
• Cross-functional collaboration with executive leadership, brand teams trade, strategy, and shopper.

Purchase, New York, US

• Category Management Lead for the first CSD coordinated divisions.
• Created Kroger’s Beverage CSD Scorecard for Kroger for Bill Dankworth.
• Created and lead Front-End Cooler implementation with Kroger.
• New item and sales cannibalization forecasting.
• Prepared and presented senior management presentations for Kroger divisions and Pepsi.
• PepsiCo representative for the Kroger/84.51 CSD Project in 2009.

Purchase, New York, US

• Category Management Lead for the first CSD coordinated divisions.
• Prepared and presented senior management presentations for Kroger divisions and Pepsi bottlers scorecards.
• New item and sales cannibalization forecasting.
• Subject Matter Expert in 84.51, KCMS, SPINS, and IRI.
• Assumed Sr. NASM role for 2 months innovation launches, sampling, and promotions.
• Received PepsiCo’s Compass Award 2008

Purchase, New York, US

• Developed selling stories and presented to Kroger and internal.
• Partnered with Sales and Marketing to identify sales and opportunities and deliver growth objectives.
• Developed scorecards and reporting for Kroger including Tropicana pricing, the Chilled Juice Newsletter, category reviews, and business updates.
• Wrote Apollo planograms for Kroger and created and presented insights presentations to Kroger and internally.

Purchase, New York, US

• Developed the Ohio Valley Region’s merchandising guidelines book each year and conducted space analyses, (gained +5 section feet in Giant Eagle), Spaceman planograms.
• Received “Above and Beyond” awards for dedication to growing Frito-Lay’s business.

Chicago, Illinois, US

Master Of Business Administration (Mba), Business Administration And Management, General

Bachelor Of Business Administration (B.B.A.), Business Administration And Management, General