Responsible for all aspects of Category Management and Shopper Insights within the Drug, Military and Mass retail channels nationally. Supporting customers including Target, Meijer, Walgreens, CVS and RiteAid

Managed category partnerships of States within Eastern Control States, including advisory roles in Virginia and OhioLeveraged research from partners like Kantar, Suzy Insights Platform, and Texas A&M Behavioral Lab to develop state-specific recommendations that meet consumer demand and drive category performanceCollaborated with individual states to develop shelf merchandising principles based on category strategy and consumer insightsDeveloped and maintained reports using syndicated data for State Managers to track key initiatives and program performance to meet annual goalsAligned with broker partners to ensure quality execution of merchandising standards at retail

Expanded managed accounts and Category Captaincies from 2 to 5 regional chains, including both Grocery and C-Store channelsManaged all aspects of Space and Assortment, including:-Developed assortment recommendations and planograms for new and remodeled stores-Managed Spring and Fall reset processes, including assortment analysis and SKU rationalizations-Supervised the development of 500+ store-specific planograms-Conducted after-action reviews on Space and Assortment changesAdvised grocery chains on feature strategy, resulting in improved ad efficiency and enhanced features for MillerCoors by utilizing Nielsen Answers and NumeratorAnalyzed retailer customer shopper data to develop recommendations for seasonal programs and cross-merchandising opportunitiesDeveloped and maintained reports to analyze sales volume, distribution, and share trendsBuilt distribution forecasts for new items by account and analyzed launch performanceSelected for, and completed, MillerCoors Beer Merchant 101 (finished 1st in class) and Beer Merchant 201

Space Planning – Draw store specific planograms for 200+ locations to maximize assortment and efficiency of sets using JDA Space PlanningSpace and Assortment Analysis – Analyze performance of sets to maximize sales and in stock conditions by determining growth patterns within segments and value of added/deleted items Merchandising Guidelines – Assist in writing retailer specific merchandising guidelines to ensure the highest level of merchandising standards and best in class practices are followedNew Item Reviews - Participate in individual meetings with 70+ suppliers to discuss the performance of their brand portfolio, determine opportunities for new items, and potential for expanding distribution on current items based on contribution to overall category performanceWeekly Sales Recap – Summarize retailer’s weekly performance and benchmark against their internal goals and performance of competition to be used with Senior LeadershipCustomer Shopper Data – Utilize retailer’s internal shopper data to make category recommendations based on insights from scanner data.Nielsen ReportingSales Forecasting for new item launchesDeveloped new store opening process to use with suppliers and distributors in combination with retailers timeline to ensure beer department is set 100% to planogram by grand opening date.

Category Reviews – Analyzing the overall performance of each category across 8 divisions in CanadaRequest for Proposal – Managing RFP process from initial data mining to final decisions and product launchOrganizing Marketing Events – Food shows, DSR training, sell sheets, sales competitionsProduct Sourcing – Working with vendors to find/develop products to fill gaps in the marketSKU Rationalization – Removing failing SKUs and aligning product mix nationallyManaging Special Milk Class Permit Program – Ensuring company adheres to standards set by the Canadian Dairy Commission

Managed internal product setup, restrictions, and imagingExecuted system-wide promotions through price drops and print advertisementsMaintained planogram integrity to ensure accurate store-specific product assortmentsAssisted in the new item selection process and SKU rationalizationsManaged a network of over 120 alcohol vendors across five states