Merchandise Planning Director

Felicita Vickers 678-***-**** ***************@*****.*** linkedin.com/in/fvickersplanner

DIRECTOR OF PLANNING

Strategy Development Budgeting & Forecasting High-performance Teams

Exemplary record in revenue generation through high-quality planning, process improvement and team development.

20-year track record in driving sales, developing, and presenting business strategies, forecasting and delivering bottom-line results with the use of MicroStrategy, Microsoft Office, Oracle systems, SAS and MicroStrategy.

Highly capable of managing and developing teams with 13 current reports while establishing collaborative relationships across departments to spearhead corporate projects.

Adept at creating budgets, managing sales volumes of $200M+, identifying trends, forecasting needs, and pivoting for efficiency during project management.

Accomplished at presenting thoughtful and winning ideas, negotiating resources and collaboratively “managing up” to gain support for initiatives involving financial wins (like Ecommerce growth) as well as support for corporate culture and morale.

Key Strengths:

Strategic Planning Project Management Data Analytics & Reporting Communication Skills Budgets Forecasting Ecommerce Empowering Leadership & Growth Developing Partnerships Presentations Business & Personnel Management Team Building & Development Negotiating Skills Demand Inventory Planning Retail Financial Planning Microsoft Excel, Word & PowerPoint Innovative Driven Business Leader

Professional Experience

Stage Stores, Inc. Houston, TX 2/11-7/20

Director of Planning and Allocations for Home & Decor 3/20-7/20

Director of Planning and Allocations for Shoes & Handbags 8/16-2/20

Strategized with Divisional Merchandising Manager and Senior Vice President of Planning and Allocations to develop, present, and execute financial plans by category to support merchandising and marketing visions for the Home division ($247M in annual sales in 2019) and previously, the Shoe division ($223M in annual sales in 2019).

Ensured proper seasonal inventory levels and cost-effective flow of goods through three distribution centers. Led monthly open-to-buy meetings with SVP of Planning and Allocations; presented sales, receipt, markdown forecasts and new opportunities along with updates for finance and distribution center liaisons.

Led and developed a team of 13 Merchandise Planners and Allocation Analysts by identifying high-level opportunities to support corporate strategic direction while adhering to annual budgets and creating individual development plans for team members.

Increased Ecommerce sales in Shoes by +32% over last year (LY) in 2018 while also saving $500K+ in store shipping fees by maximizing distribution center inventory and drop-ship style presence.

Drove Total Company Ecommerce and DTC sales to +25% for 2018 by leading a critical task force and developing a reporting tool for tracking inventory needs and sales impact.

Senior Planner of Women’s Fashion Shoes 5/15-7/16

Senior Planner of Men’s Tops 11/13-4/15

Planner of Home & Gifts 9/12-10/13

Planner of Girls 7-16 2/11-8/12

Promoted to Senior Planner with the sponsorship of a VP and the SVP of Planning; earned 1 of only 3 Senior Planner positions in the company. Acted in a dual role of both Planner as well as Director-in-Training for the Shoe Division.

Contributed $350K towards the company profit line in 2016 by developing and introducing Shoe planning team to best practices/tools to adjust pricing strategies and minimize margin erosion during high traffic events.

Achieved 2014 gross profit plan and grew sales in Men’s Tops over 6% by identifying opportunities in key items and revamping the private-label product lineup and replenishment modeling.

Exceeded 2012 sales plan by +9% in Girl’s 7-16 apparel while driving profit to 1800+ basis points over plan. Accomplished 2011 sales (+12% over LY) and margin goals by using ad hoc sales reporting of the Outerwear business and building separate assortments by store, fabric weight, and climate zones.

Boosted sales to +3% over LY and delivered Ecommerce sales of +30% in one year in Boots—the biggest Black Friday volume driver—by developing more customer-centric assortments by location, climate, styling, and size.

Macy’s New York, NY & Atlanta, GA 10/04-2/11

Planner of Moderate & Better Active 5/09-2/11

Planner of Moderate Knits, Sweaters & Casual Separates 10/06-4/09

Associate Planner of Moderate Casual Separates 3/06-9/06

Assistant Buyer of Swim and Activewear 10/04-2/06

Partnered with Buyers and Field Merchants to develop seasonal sales plans by location, class, and vendor. Traveled with buying team to vendor meetings and served as the “voice of the customer” during the product selection process.

Achieved plan turnover, profit, and sales of $95M for 2009. Beat 2008 sales plan by $1.4M (+2% over plan). Accomplished sales of $14.4M (+5% over plan) in denim in 2006 and beat profit plan by 300 basis points.

Analyzed and discussed weekly sales by store with Buyer/Vendor teams to manage the flow of replenishment products, recommend door expansions for profitable lines, and push for regional markdowns for slow sellers.

Led Associate Planners and Business Analysts in the distribution of orders to stores based on sales and historical trends; successfully coached Associate Planner of Denim to earn a promotion in only nine months.

May Merchandising Company St. Louis, MO 5/02-10/04

Assistant Market Representative of Better Women’s Sportswear

Collaborated with corporate Steering Committee to create assortments and financial plans for chain-wide procurement in tailored and casual departments; $61M in sales volume for 2013. Led showroom meetings and presented assortment recommendations via live videoconferences to Buyers and company Presidents.

Created and assessed weekly selling reports to identify trends in key metrics and push for reorders to capitalize on sales momentum.

Spearheaded successful addition of four new young Plus-size Denim brands in nine months across multiple chains. Gained Buyer support and advertising for product launch by conducting extensive analytical and competitive market research.

Goody’s Family Clothing Knoxville, TN 9/99-5/02

Assistant Buyer of Dresses, Leg Wear & Intimate Apparel

Bought Plus-size Dress assortments for all stores, including private-label dresses developed with in-house product development division. Managed $29M in revenue.

Helped to exceed sales and gross margin goals +10% in Leg wear and Intimate Apparel in 2000.

Prepared spreadsheets, competitive shopping reports, and trend projections for upper management style outs and other seasonal business performance meetings.

Maintained relationships with 11 vendors and tracked vendor profitability, shipping and delivery goals to ensure agreed-upon vendor profits and on-floor dates.

Education

Master of Science in Textiles Merchandising & Interiors – University of Georgia, Athens, GA

Bachelor of Science in Family & Consumer Sciences – University of Georgia, Athens, GA

Contact this candidate