Steve Kent Email & Phone Number

NYC, NY

• Lead gourmet specialty merchandisingEngaged to develop decision-making tools and processes for pricing and merchandising from scratch. Lead POS, pricing, merchandising analytics, custom analytics, and assortment.
• Pricing system (Revionics)
• Planogram technology (Spaceman)
• Assortment optimization in-house tools
• Warehouse inventory reporting and ordering tool
• Meat yield reporting

• Advise clients in combining technology with business expertise to provide an edge that can be reinvested throughout all aspects of their business to provide a momentum. Client engagements include:Consulting.
• Designed and assisted in development of developed household-based loyalty marketing analytics applications including loyalty-based segmentation, and national location targeting based on demographic and spending.
• Improved the design of a Net Promoter application enabling a consultative selling approach.……………….DIBRUNO BROS Privately held Italian specialty gourmet market (artisanal cheese and charcuterie) with 5 retail locations.
• Assisted in the launch of a new location and developed an efficient, consistent, informative signage program that contributed to a hugely successful opening.
• Developed and implemented a cost-effective process for importing food containers from Italy in time to meet holiday demand.
• Converted manual warehousing operations to an automated system to support food production, packaging, retail and wholesale operations.

Transitioned through several positions:> Senior Director Merchandising and Category Support> Senior Director Center Store Merchandising> Director Process/Data Analytics (for Pathmark Integration)Led nonperishable merchandising for all Food Basics retail food stores. Charged with developing sales and profits by serving multiple profiles of consumer needs.

Sales and consulting to retailers in the Grocery, Mass, Drug, Club, and convenience channels. Focus is on using predictive demographic segmentations and targeting to reach and better serve under-served customers. Responsible for national retail sales team and collaboration with the Spectra manufacturer client service organization as well as ACNielsen and.

Led the growth of sales in Grocery, Frozen, Dairy, and Corporate Brands through effective promotional and merchandising strategies. P&L responsibility for Sales of $700,000 generated by 88 stores in Arizona. Managed a staff of category managers and assistants.

Directed the growth of sales in General Merchandise and Health and Beauty Care through effective promotional and merchandising strategies. P&L responsibility for Sales of $700,000 generated by 88 stores in Arizona. Managed a staff of category managers and buyers.

Managed development of the weekly ad and promotional strategies for driving Grocery Depratment sales in the Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland area.

Managed development of cross divisional merchandising and marketing programs for Grocery Merchandising departments in all Safeway divisions.

• Designed, developed and implemented numerous merchandising and accounting scan-based applications.
• Completed detailed user specifications and data flow documentation for a new order processing system.

Worked in a number of capacities at Safeway.

Bs, Fim Certificates, Business, And Food Industry Management

Continuing Education

Activities and Societies: Speaker's Bureau, VNUAdvanced Presentation Skills Front Line Leadership (Zenger – Miller) 1999 Win-Win.