General Manager, Category / Merchandise Manager

MICHAEL L. COOK

*** ******* ********* • Aurora, Illinois 60504

Mobile: 630-***-**** • amtf9s@r.postjobfree.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/mlcook01

Category Manager – Financial Manager – Sr. Buyer - Planner Specialist

Accomplished Category/Financial Manager and Supply Chain Specialist with a proven 15 year track record of business development, category execution, P&L management, operations, sourcing, and marketing leadership for business categories with annual sales to $165M at new startups, and national multi-billion dollar Corporation. Resourceful merchandise/planning manager leading the development and execution of budgets, P&L metrics, merchandise/assortment plans, product offerings, and supply chain initiatives for large volume, broad-based consumer products, outdoor living, lawn & garden, and fashion soft-line products; categories with up to 10,000 active SKUs. Grow revenue from key partnership building, global sourcing initiatives, negotiation dominance, and operations management. Effective execution of market analytics, channel management, pricing, customer service, and go-to-market strategies; improving customer satisfaction and in-stock ratings to 98%. Skillfully escalate sales and ROI performance through creative market and merchandising strategies, product innovation, inventory management, and robust marketing. Administrative specialist, proficient in open-to-buy management, forecasts, contract management, production plans, and supply chain efficiency. Effective change agent delivering business enhancement and process improvement to meet competitive demand and market trend; Influence, collaborate, and secure buy-in from all levels of management, direct reports, business partners, and cross-functional teams. Train and develop staff in category activities for the business lifecycle; concept through liquidation.

STAND OUT STRENGTHS

Business Metrics • Products • Purchasing • Supply Chain • Business Development • Sales • P&L • Financial/Merchandise Planning • Strategy (Short/Long Range) • Budgets • Product Development • Category Management • Supplier Base Management • Negotiations • Contracts • Inventory Management • Operations • Analytics • Forecasting • Marketing • Brand Development • Global Sourcing • Supplier Metrics • Pricing • Liquidation • Quality Assurance • Customer Relations • Project Management • Supply Chain Execution • Communications • Leadership • Change Agent • Process Management • Innovator • Staff Development / Training • Organization •

SELECTED ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Analyze, build, develop and execute merchandise and financial strategies, assortments and product offering for Blain Supply to deliver a $3M (7.5%) comp sales increase for a 5000 SKU Lawn and Garden /Seasonal business.

• Negotiate/secure $400K in performance shortfall for Blain Supply; Secure $250K aged inventory return; deliver best GMROI performance in past 4 years.

• Revitalize garden center sales by 25%; secure specialty products, build robust marketing strategy to facilitate a 25% increase at Blain Supply in 2009.

• Reengineered men’s furnishings business reversing sales decline; deliver innovation and category focus to facilitate $11.5M in new product sales for Bon-Ton.

• Save Bon-Ton $4.3M in product costs; negotiated a 6% reduction in deliverables; upgrade product offerings; enhance quality standards to deliver competitive advantage; raise customer spend by 12%.

• Initiate assortment analytics and basket analysis projects at Bon-Ton; tailor assortments and marketing focus to meet customer demographic, brand focus, competitor offerings, price point, volume, space and regional challenge. Reduce average inventory by $1.5M; achieve a turnover goal of 104%; deliver a $5.6M GMROI improvement.

• Led team of (10) in category and financial management; manage merchandise strategy, purchasing, sourcing and supply chain options. Facilitate turnaround of a $105M Seasonal Apparel business and a $165M dress furnishings/tailored clothing business for Sears. Enhance customer satisfaction ratings to 98% (12Pt. improvement).

• Reduced supplier base by 25% at Sears; eliminate underperforming seasonal apparel vendors; reduce direct import penetration 50%; shorten production lead times, mitigate margin loss due to early buys; grow profits by $8.4M (800 BP improvement).

• Saved Montgomery Ward $12M in product costs; secured international sourcing options for a $75M private brand budget. Negotiate quality standards, program details, and deliver schedules with Asia, Mexico, Central America and American manufacturers. Grow sales by 55% in 50 remodel doors; Strategy delivered a 400 BP profit improvement.

MICHAEL L. COOK • Page 2 • amtf9s@r.postjobfree.com

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT • 2010-Current

Consultant / Proprietor

Manage fee based ad hoc consultative services for Coleman Research Group, and Gerson Lehrman Group during transition. Consult with business partners and investors seeking expertise regarding business strategy, market trends, competitor advantage, supply chain and brand opportunities within specialty markets.

BLAIN SUPPLY, Janesville, Wisconsin • 2008 - 2009

Regional Big-box Retail Chain of 34 stores, providing a wide variety of products and services for consumer use in the Midwest.

Category Manager / Merchandise Buyer - Planner

Lawn and Garden / Seasonal / Outdoor Living / Patio / Consumer Products - $41M Sales.

Develop, plan, and execute financial, merchandise and marketing strategies. Build assortments, manage short and long term merchandise and product strategy for lawn and garden products, patio furniture, accessories, grills, outdoor living products, hand tools, storage, hose/water irrigation, planters, lawn décor, fertilizer/garden chemicals, landscaping materials, and garden center plantings. Develop/manage P&L, open-to-buys, business analytics, forecasts, and inventory positioning. Manage vendor performance for 160 active vendors; develop supplier base options and sourcing efficiency; negotiate and build partnership agreements, manage contracts and safety stocks. Build/execute marketing strategy, advertising rotations, pricing, and liquidation plans. Develop Asst. Buyer; manage 2 merchandise analysts in allocations, replenishment inventories, trend analytics, inventory flow, production forecasting.

• Build category advantage through private brand and specialty product assortments; deliver a 7.5% ($3M) comp sales increase; inventory management and operations excellence secured $650K profit improvement.

• Develop national brand events; secure specialty market advertising for remodeled stores; build advertising features, rotations and page layouts, and develop promotional pricing for weekly inserts, direct mail, TV, radio, and trade events. Maintained a 99% accuracy rating for ad item projections Spring 2009.

BON*TON INC. / SAKS, Milwaukee, Wisconsin • 2005 – 2007

National Department Store chain providing apparel and home products at 270 branch locations and $3.4B in annual sales.

Merchandise Manager / Planning Manager

Sr. Buyer Apparel Furnishings –Dress Shirts / Neckwear -$71M Budget

Lead 6 direct and cross-functional team members in short and long term strategy, tops down/bottoms up financial and merchandise plans. Manage purchasing strategy; maintain 6000 active SKUs; develop marketing strategy; secure buy-in from internal and external partners. Develop open-to-buy plans, key item ladder plans, and business trend forecasts. Lead private brand strategy; secure supplier base options for national brands; facilitate a best-in-class sourcing structure. Manage inventory flow, safety stocks, production plans, and supply chain efficiency. Lead allocation process and replenishment management. Negotiate product costs and quality standards; manage order processing/contract maintenance. Establish pricing, promotional strategy, and liquidation plans to maintain inventory relevance and limit aging. Secure returns for damages and garner profitability shortfall as necessary. Forecast ad item unit/$$ sales, recap and analyze business trend and return on marketing/advertising. Responsibilities include P&L delivery, customer satisfaction, branch communication, and category life cycle execution; concept through liquidation.

• Reengineered underperforming apparel business; initiate and build innovation into new private / proprietary brands; facilitate $11.5M in new product sales; Company recognition for achieving 109% of P&L goals.

• Strengthened supplier base; developed robust marketing strategy; negotiated partnership agreements for 6000 active SKUs; enhanced profits by $2.6M.

SEARS HOLDINGS CORPORATION , Hoffman Estates, Illinois • 2002-2005

Publicly traded parent of Kmart and Sears, Roebuck and Co.; the nation's 4th largest broad-line retailer with $50B+ billion in annual revenues and ~ 3,800 full-line and specialty retail stores in the U.S. and Canada.

Sr. Buyer – Category Manager

Men’s Seasonal and Fashion Apparel Products- Sales of $105M and $165M.

Lead / manage 10 direct and cross-functional team members in financial/merchandise strategy. Develop tops down/bottom

up department, class, program, brand and vendor plans. Facilitate branch assortment matrix and cluster plans for national business with 870 branch and e-commerce channel. Lead allocation activities, manage replenishment inventories, review SKU rationalization reports; develop purchasing strategies and partnership agreements to maximize vendor metrics, negotiate costs and secure quality standards. Manage open-to-buys, weekly/monthly forecasts, and marketing strategy.

MICHAEL L. COOK • Page 3 • amtf9s@r.postjobfree.com

Sears Cont.

Secure global sourcing options; deliver best-in-class supply chain option; develop “key item” ladder plans and “never out” replenishment strategy. Lead category lifecycle management activities, promotional rotations, pricing, and liquidation of seasonal or slow moving inventory. Build, manage, and deliver P&L performance for a $280M budget. Manage business communications; deliver customer satisfaction goals.

• Deliver innovation and “value added”, “trend-now” merchandise strategy; reverse double digit sales declines; grow seasonal apparel sales by $4.5M; dress furnishing/tailored clothing sales by $6.3M.

• Led SKU rationalization and program performance analysis for $165M men’s dress furnishings/tailored clothing business. Reduce SKU count by 20%; deliver $2.2M in profit improvement and a 98% in-stock rating.

• Developed private and proprietary brand strategy for dress furnishings/tailored clothing business; enhance quality standards, reduce ticket price; deliver competitive price and product advantage; grow sales by $6.3M.

• Garnered internal and external support for a $1.5M fixture roll-out at Sears; enhanced merchandising standards, back wall plan-o-grams, adjacency schematics, and quarterly table-grams. Improved branch execution, delivering a customer satisfaction rating to 98% (12pt. improvement).

INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT, North Aurora, Illinois • 2001-2002

Fee-based consulting business and entrepreneurial venture.

Consultant / Proprietor

Manage ad hoc consulting projects with domestic distributors seeking international manufacturing options to facilitate profits, secure supply chain efficiency, and enhance quality standards. Negotiate product details, and product costs, secure production, and facilitate partnerships and contracts between domestic Corporation and Asia factories.

MONTGOMERY WARD, Chicago, Illinois • 1995-2001

National Mid-tier Retail Chain with 360 branch locations and $12B+ in annual sales (company liquidated in 2001).

Senior Buyer- Product Manager – Global Sourcing -$75M Sales

Kids 4-20 Apparel / Novelty / Accessory Products – (Sr. Buyer-1998-2001 / Buyer 1995-1997)

Manage / develop a team of 6 members including Assistant and Associate Buyers, Retail Merchandise Assistant, and support teams in category development. Develop merchandise and brand strategies; manage financial metrics and marketing strategy. Lead purchasing and supplier base options; manage contracts and inventories.

• Plan, develop and execute merchandise and category strategies for Boy’s 4-20 apparel business. Develop 3 private brands from ground floor. Develop brand concept, packaging, price positioning and quality standards for 100’s of sportswear, denim, active apparel, outerwear, school uniform and casual bottom programs.

• Develop a $2.2M School Uniform program from ground floor. Identify national trend and category opportunity for M. Ward delivering $900K in new revenue.

EARLY CAREER NOTES

BON-TON STORES INC., York, Pennsylvania 1991-1995

Buyer / Planner -1992-1995, Assistant Buyer / Associate Buyer 1991-1992 (Men’s / Young Men’s Apparel)

GOOD & GOOD CLOTHIER, Lancaster, Pennsylvania 1989-1991

• General Manager -New Specialty Retail Business. Launch/develop/manage all aspects of business.

EDUCATION / ADDITIONAL TRAINING

Huntington College, Huntington, Indiana – Bachelor of Arts coursework

Northern York High, Dillsburg, Pennsylvania – Diploma

JDA / Arthur Planning, MS Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook), Data Mining/Research, Spreadsheet Management, Lead First Management Coursework (e.g. “perspective on leadership)

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