Troy Demotts Email & Phone Number

Milwaukee, Wi, Us

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States

As the Category Manager for the Lawn & Garden, Bird & Pet, and Barbecue Departments I am responsible for $11M in annual sales for Stein's Garden & Home. I am accountable for all facets of planning, buying, pricing, promotion, distribution, merchandising, and replenishment for our 17 retail locations across Wisconsin. I personally research and analyze market trends and consumer preferences to develop and implement the buying plan to provide a wide assortment of high-quality products in over 20 categories.I administer a mid-range 7-figure annual spend budget, while optimizing buying, pricing, and contract negotiation with over 75 key suppliers. I navigated buying activities to help sustain operations throughout the economic downturn associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic and elevated annual sales to peak in 2021. I played a driving force in 30% sales growth in the largest category in my department over a 5-year period. I oversee category marketing strategies for broadcast commercials, social media initiatives, and print advertisements. I have developed and enhanced numerous private-label programs in categories under my responsibility. I organized customer-focused initiatives by bringing in experts educate our customers and provide product demonstrations. I have organized and led employee training events relevant to my product categories.

As the category manager for the Outdoor Decor and the Bird & Pet Departments, I was responsible for $9M in annual sales for over 25 product categories. I was solely responsible for all aspects of the buying process which included: negotiating pricing, planning assortments, writing orders, setting retail pricing & promotions, maintaining margin, setting store allocation levels, and managed weekly replenishment for 16 locations and our distribution center. This was done through a combination of international sourcing as well as domestic product procurement.I continually analyzed sales data, as well as market trends, to keep our product assortment current and relevant to our customers. I focused on increasing the quality level of our product offering, and adjusted our vendor base to accomplish this. I implemented a three-tier assortment strategy (good-better-best). I was also responsible for the print and digital advertising of the departments, as well as the in-store promotions & merchandising. Upon taking over responsibility of the Bird & Pet Departments, which I am still responsible for, I drove the expansion of the both departments across all locations. This expansion resulted in 12.6% annual department sales growth (to $2.68M by 2021) over the 6-year period. I implemented a frequent buyer program for our customers on bird seed, that has been well received by our customers.

As a buyer in the Gift, Home Decor, & Seasonal Departments I was responsible for $9M in annual sales for over 35 categories of merchandise. I worked with over 150 domestic and foreign vendors to develop product assortments ranging from home decor, giftware, seasonal, and impulse items. I was personally responsible for: planning assortments, product selection, negotiating cost, setting retail pricing, maintaining profitability, writing orders, allocating product, controlling inventory levels, and managed replenishment at 16 locations and our distribution center. I conducted market analysis, identified trends, and evaluated new products; which led to a 9% growth in sales in categories under my responsibilityI facilitated and negotiated all import freight contracts for entire buying office. This included pricing & terms, carrier choice, as well as international & domestic and freight rates. I was responsible for US custom compliance, tariff classification, and import bonds.Helped to develop Stein's first POS reporting system which helped to better analyze sales and product performances, improve replenishment, and balance inventory across retail locations. This new tool allowed for more accurate forecasting of sales. I identified and resolved all invoicing, shipping, packaging and delivery issues. I directed warehouse and Accounts Payable staff in handling resolutions to issues.