Norman L. Email & Phone Number

Dalton, Ga, Us

Dalton, Ga, Us

Director of Merchandising, Jackson & Perkins, Wayside Gardens & Park Seed Helmed efforts to develop and execute strategic product plans while supervising cross-functional teams to deliver an exceptional and consistent customer experience that differentiates the company in the marketplace. Harnessed in-depth knowledge of direct channels of distribution – websites, catalog, and retail – to improve brand presence and surpass ambitious business goals for Jackson & Perkins, Wayside Gardens, and Park Seed. Supervised six direct reports, including four brand managers and two merchandise assistants, in merchandise assortments, buy plans, sales budgets, promotions, and new product introductions. Achievements: Accelerated business growth by building a high-performance team and developing a strategic vision. Effectively integrated all three websites to deliver a one-stop shopping experience that increased sales – introduced a new garden tool and accessory product lines based on consumer demand for these items. Applied out-of-the-box thinking and problem-solving aptitude to develop new approaches to accomplish a goal – led the transition from $1.00 discount items to live plants, garden accessories, and garden décor. Commended for developing and executing merchandise planning strategies to maximize sales and profitability.

Developed and executed tactical product plans, operational goals, performance metrics that drive customer loyalty. Responsible for producing robust merchandise assortment plans with an eye on the budget for stationary, toys, party goods, soft lines, seasonal products, and closeouts. Consistently ensured all products, communications, promotions, and initiatives align with the brand and communicated such initiatives to internal and global leadership teams. Achievements: Enhanced brand awareness and consideration by strategically selecting and positioning merchandise for the monthly marketing calendar seen on the Internet category landing pages and the weekly emails/newsletters. Conceived, framed, and articulated compelling value propositions and developed content in support of product offerings – ensured marketing content consistency by managing sourcing web and catalog photos from buyers and authored content for emails, websites, and catalogs; supported web presence development efforts. Leveraged product placement and marketing expertise to increase winter-wear sales by 70.6% and summer-wear sales by 27.5% in 2015. Secured a 23% comp increase for all assigned categories the same year.

Supported the development and enhancement of the product portfolio by driving the transition of footwear and clothing accessories to home goods products such as ceramic/porcelain cups, trivets, garden items, aprons, towels, potholders, woman's accessories, bamboo book holders, and recipe boxes. Responsible for sourcing and on-time deliveries of a new line of woman’s kitchen aprons and ceramic kitchen items. Achievements: Deftly sourced new factories, purchased products for stationary, hard/soft kitchen items, and women's accessories. Established record of helming projects that improve systems and processes, reduce costs, and exceed goals. Contributed to revenue generation by routinely liaising with cross-functional teams such as marketing, sales, product development, and operations; also coordinated with suppliers. Utilized cross-functional coordination skills to drive successful collaborations– involved in developing the 18-month production schedule to ensure timely completion against the product development calendar.