Robert Bobber Email & Phone Number

Deerfield, Illinois, United States

Successfully deployed SAP across 8K stores, merchant, finance, and supply chain systems by overseeing the merchandising organization's implementation plan and acting as the primary representative for merchandising. Streamlined business processes and improved efficiency by supervising SAP program design, build, and testing phases, collaborating closely with Merchandising, Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, and IT teams to gather critical feedback.Highlights of accomplishments in this role include:• Increased process efficiency by balancing process adaptation and cost-efficient customization, partnering with cross-functional teams to determine which 90% of SAP features could be used "out of the box" versus the 10% that required customization to meet specific merchandising needs.• Resolved system errors and ensured smooth transitions during gradual store rollouts by managing issue resolution and leading a team that identified and fixed errors related to merchandising practices or SAP code across thousands of stores and distribution centers.• Secured a strong endorsement rate from leadership, including the Chief Merchandising Officer (CMO), by driving organizational change, motivating teams, and promoting operational shifts necessary for the project's success.• Reduced project delays by maintaining momentum, overcoming resistance, and coordinating across functions.

Deerfield, Illinois, United States

Maintained project momentum on a significant SAP initiative while assuming an interim leadership role and integrating new team responsibilities. Balanced immediate needs with long-term strategic goals by reallocating focus to SAP transformation.• Delivered bottom-line results for a Fortune 20 company by directing five critical teams across 150 employees, overseeing Merchandise Planning, Centralized Pricing, Master Data, Merchandising Initiatives, and SAP Retail Transformation.

Deerfield, Illinois, United States

Established and led a new 50 person Merchandise Planning function to enhance the connection between the merchants and supply chain, resulting in aligned goals. Created the annual merchant budget, handled monthly forecast reviews, and identified sales and profit gaps in the budget, working with merchant and supply chain teams to close these gaps.Highlights of accomplishments in this role include:• Secured over $5M in OpEx funding by convincing key executives to invest in the new Merchandising Planning team, while reducing resistance among key stakeholders through effective negotiation and collaboration to address supply chain concerns and finance budget hesitations.• Propelled revenue by recruiting and assembling a 50-member team that enhanced business forecasting, promotional effectiveness, supply chain alignment, and collaboration with the category management team.• Fostered cross-departmental synergy and boosted operational performance by building from the ground up and establishing key processes, attaining an increase in organizational productivity within the first year of launching the new Merchandising Planning function.• Raised forecast accuracy through implementing new forecasting tools and developing and launching the S&OP (Supply and Operations Planning) process.

Northbrook, Illinois, United States

Delivered process improvements by establishing a new Center of Excellence (COE) to lead system implementations and ongoing merchant training. Optimized merchant focus and efficiency through over 30 initiatives, allowing merchants to prioritize P&L growth by strengthening promotional/display planning and new hire training processes.

Deerfield, Illinois, United States

Responsible for the P&L of four divisions with Health and Wellness and Consumables over seven years with annual revenues ranging from $1.4B to $3.3B across 20+ product categories.Highlights of accomplishments in this role include:• Acquired sales growth of 8%-25% and profit increases of 10%-27% by surpassing budget targets consistently.• Directed first to market launches of multiple RX to OTC medication switches, ensuring Walgreens exceeded market share targets with aligned goals between merchants, suppliers, supply chain, operations, and marketing.

Deerfield, Illinois, United States

Deerfield, Illinois, United States

Deerfield, Illinois, United States