Merchandising & Allocation Strategy Leader

BETHANY HOWARD

Pittsburg, CA ***** 925-***-**** ************@*****.*** LinkedIn

Merchandising and project leader driving category growth, assortment strategy, and profitability. Skilled at translating sales, inventory, and trend insights into actionable strategies and in-season execution. Collaborative cross-functional leader with experience influencing strategy, coaching teams, and delivering customer-focused assortments. Committed to inclusivity and creating assortments that resonate with diverse customers. KEY SKILLS & EXPERTISE

Merchandise Strategy & Inventory Optimization Category Management Product Development & Life Cycle Data Analysis & Business Insights Customer Focus & Inclusivity Cross-Functional Collaboration JDA/ACE/Retek/ Oracle

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

ROSS STORES INC., DUBLIN, CA

SR. MERCHANDISING & ALLOCATION ANALYST - ACCESSORIES & BEAUTY 2016 - 2019 & 2023 - 2025

• Owned multi-million-dollar NRTW divisions across more than 2,000 stores, driving category growth, performance, and inventory optimization.

• Shaped seasonal and ad hoc assortments using sales analysis, inventory planning, and trend data to identify gaps, opportunities, and inventory risk.

• Aligned assortment strategy, investment priorities, and execution with Merchandising and Planning teams; coaching analysts to strengthen execution and analytical skills. SR. ANALYTICS ANALYST 2019 - 2023

• Built scalable reporting tools and dashboards to support inventory optimization, allocation planning, forecasting inputs, and replenishment decisions.

• Delivered insights for global and seasonal initiatives, influencing assortment strategies and inventory plans across Ross and dd’s Discount teams.

• Led UAT for new reporting tools and served as SME, driving onboarding, adoption, and process consistency. MERCHANDISING & ALLOCATION ANALYST - JUNIORS 2012-2016

• Managed Juniors RTW division, driving trend direction, assortment strategy, and overall business performance.

• Directed allocation strategies aligned to merchant vision, optimizing sell through, plan achievement, and store performance.

• Delivered sales and inventory insights to shape assortments, support new store planning, and led companywide allocation automation as SME, achieving 85% automation. ALLOCATOR 2011-2012

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY`

ROSS ALLOCATION MULTI-CULTURAL GROUP 2020-2025

• Co-founded and led department wide initiatives reaching more than 200 employees, including educational programs and structured discussions to foster awareness, dialogue, and allyship.

• Partnered with VPs to review outcomes, share feedback, and expand inclusion initiatives, championing a culture aligned with corporate DE&I goals.

EDUCATION

SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY, SF, CA

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN APPAREL DESIGN AND MERCHANDISING - HONORS THE FASHION INSTITUTE OF DESIGN & MERCHANDISING, SF, CA ASSOCIATE OF ARTS IN PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATIONS, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT - HONORS

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