•Reporting to the VP of Planning and supporting stores, sales/buying and production teams across wholesale and DTC channels.•Providing feedback on improvement and issues across the department, bridging communication gaps between cross-functional teams, and tracking/monitoring progress and deadlines.•Executing seasonal buys and ad-hoc recut activities for new and core styles across all channels as a single roll up against the sales plan •Continuously improving demand planning tools and streamlining processes to enhance accuracy and effectiveness in results and time efficiency, such as the buying matrix, size-break scale, week of supply file, and sales vs on-hand inventory calculator.•Building the allocation framework methodology and tools for new launches and replenishment styles, including creating guidelines and inventing automated Excel templates to validate and calculate allocation parameters.•Extracting raw data on inventory (on-hand, out of stocks, allocations), purchase orders, sales metrics on sku/category/size/style levels, sales orders and pricing through SAP, Shopify, and CHQ/42, and utilizing Excel to develop streamlined reports, provide supply insight and recommendations for future demand planning activities.

•Facilitated effective communication and collaboration between remote teams and departments by designing shared documents for marketing, product tracking, and category updates.•Spearheaded research and sales analysis for the re-pricing and relaunch strategy, resulting in increased profitability for the bedding category.•Provided comprehensive support to the category manager, including addressing ad-hoc requests and addressing problems related to SKU, category, inventory, and supply issues.•Delivered valuable reporting and analytical insights to the category manager to support data-driven decision-making and optimize category performance.

Moved from New Zealand to Los Angeles during Covid-19

• The role was created with the primary purpose of leading the organization's most significant project at the time, which aimed to upgrade the company's internal systems, technology, and food delivery processes to a more efficient model nationwide for one of the largest food production companies in Australasia.•Developed, optimized, and implemented pricing processes that ensured accurate capture and population of pricing data in the company's system and handheld devices, resulting in the accuracy of rebates, invoices, and pricing data.•Created Excel tools that assisted account managers in identifying customer purchase volumes and offering the right pricing.•Streamlined data capturing and analysis across departments by creating resources that improved data sorting, sharing, and analysis effectiveness.•Produced reports utilizing SAP and MasterQuery to analyze sales performance by customer, regions, and product classifications.•Collaborated with multiple internal departments on task implementation, deadlines, project planning, and issue resolution.

•Conducted successful category reviews, managed buying, promotions, and supplier relationships for Petstock, a large Australian retail chain for pet products, and its subsidiary ecommerce store, Pet.co.nz.• Implemented successful category planograms for online and brick and mortar stores by conducting sales reviews and identifying gaps and opportunities for key products, reflecting a 'good, better, best' strategy that increased sales and revenue.• Fostered positive relationships with suppliers to obtain promotional deals and rebates for selected brands, resulting in cost savings for the business.• Created effective internal store communications, presentations, and product packs, helping to enhance staff knowledge and customer satisfaction.• Contributed to the success of catalogue creation by designing pages, layout, content, and selecting brands that attracted customer interest and increased sales.

• Successfully executed all aspects of buying, performance analysis, problem-solving, and product development for assigned categories across 60+ nationwide stores.• Managed relationships with international and local vendors, negotiating pricing, MOQ, MOV, promotional deals, and rebates, resulting in significant cost savings.• Collaborated closely with design studio and international agents on new product concepts, artwork production, manufacturing, quality control on samples, and shipping, resulting in high-quality and innovative product ranges.• Expertly managed pre/post production, qualified production, and bulk samples with manufacturers in China, ensuring timely delivery and quality control.• Developed approximately 50 successful products in 2016-17, resulting in a sales increase of 3%-50% and margin improvement of 10%-30%.• Implemented an effective store grading system based on regional sales, demographic, and category type, enhancing accuracy and effectiveness of stock replenishment.• Accurately forecasted inventory for stores, seasons, and campaigns, making purchase order decisions to ensure appropriate stock levels.• Created effective in-store merchandise planograms across brands and categories, enhancing sales and customer experience.• Efficiently facilitated and coordinated tasks with internal departments such as marketing, finance, and logistics teams, ensuring smooth and effective operations.• Managed catalogue page layouts and content creation in conjunction with creative teams, resulting in visually appealing and informative product catalogs.• Successfully evaluated old and faulty stock for exit and devised replacement and compensation plans, minimizing inventory costs while maintaining customer satisfaction.

• Provided crucial support to the category manager in buying, inventory planning, and product development of the "Fashion Stationery & Christmas" categories, which included journals, cards, photographic items, guest and record books, gifting ranges and Christmas collections.• Improved decision making and problem-solving by creating sales performance reports that enabled the team to make data-driven decisions.• Successfully managed inventory across 60+ nationwide stores by raising and tracking purchase orders and efficiently allocating inventory, ensuring optimal product availability.• Ensured smooth and accurate data management by executing general data maintenance and administrative tasks, including updating product and order information in the system, creating store communication packs, and assisting managers with customer feedback.• Successfully maintained international and local supplier relationships, obtaining costings, pricing, and managing manufacturing updates during product development processes, resulting in timely and high-quality product deliveries.• Created content for catalogue pages using PageProof and worked with the marketing department on promotional deadlines and features for marketing campaigns, ultimately contributing to the success of promotional activities.

•Supported the category manager in managing the "Accessories" category for a major New Zealand retail store of 60+ for electronics and technology.•Managed supplier relationships, including onboarding new product ranges and obtaining/loading rebates, and negotiating sales promotion offers.•Executed data maintenance in system for existing products and created new product SKUs.•Provided customer support to stores and helped resolve product queries for incoming new launches, out of stocks and new product info packs.•Generated weekly sales and purchase order reports to highlight performance.•Created catalogue templates and pages using Brief Factory, inputting imagery and product descriptions, and edited pages on PageProof.•Conducted website checks and resolved any discrepancies in product information load.

•Provided exceptional customer service by recommending products, resolving banking queries, and facilitating national and international monetary transactions.•Consistently exceeded sales targets, delivering performance between 130-150%.•Collaborated with internal teams to identify new business and sales opportunities across a variety of product categories, including insurances, savings and investment scheme funds, business accounts, and transactional accounts.•Successfully reconciled the branch's general ledger accounts.

•Successfully promoted to shift manager after the first year due to outstanding performance as a sales assistant.•Efficiently managed a team of sales assistants on every shift, overseeing their tasks and ensuring sales targets were met.•Implemented effective sales strategies to improve sales performance, including optimizing mannequin presentations, stock output, and store layout.•Provided exceptional customer service by offering product recommendations, assisting with sales, refunds, and exchanges, engaging with customers, and placing orders.•Provided valuable sales training and support to staff to improve their sales techniques and customer interactions.•Consistently performed settlement of transactions and banking duties for each shift, ensuring accuracy and accountability.