Imani S. Hobgood
Merchandising Manager, Specialty retail
Denver, CO · (702) 555 0166 · name@example.com · linkedin.com/in/imanishobgood
Key Qualifications
EXPERIENCE
Twelve years in retail merchandising, five in management
INDUSTRIES
Specialty retail, outdoor and lifestyle, online retail
SPECIALTIES
Category strategy, vendor negotiations, assortment architecture, team leadership
SYSTEMS
Oracle Retail Merchandising, Blue Yonder Merchandise Planning, Circana, Power BI, Microsoft Excel
CREDENTIALS
Certified Professional Category Manager, Category Management Association
EDUCATION
Master of Business Administration, University of Denver
Executive Summary
Merchandising manager with twelve years in specialty retail, five leading a team of four buyers and two planners across a two hundred eighty million dollar assortment. Owns category strategy, vendor negotiations and the annual reset calendar for one hundred sixty two stores. Track record of growing comparable store sales while pulling weeks of supply down.
Signature Achievements
- Grew comparable store sales across the managed assortment from one point four percent to six point three percent over three years on one hundred sixty two stores.
- Lifted total assortment gross margin by two point eight points while reducing average weeks of supply from thirteen to nine point five.
- Negotiated a renewed master supply agreement with the two largest vendors that added three point one million dollars in annual trade funds.
- Restructured the assortment from twelve thousand items to nine thousand four hundred and grew unit sales by five percent.
- Built a category review calendar and vendor scorecard process now used by every merchandising team in the company.
- Promoted three team members into buyer and planner roles and cut merchandising turnover from twenty six percent to nine percent.
Professional Experience
Merchandising Manager
Front Range Provision Company, Denver, CO 2021 to present
Leads four buyers and two planners covering a two hundred eighty million dollar assortment across one hundred sixty two specialty stores and an online channel
- Set annual category strategy, assortment architecture and the pricing framework for nine departments across a two hundred eighty million dollar business.
- Lead vendor negotiations on cost, trade funds, freight terms and promotional commitments with the top thirty suppliers, and represent merchandising in the annual operating plan.
- Own the merchandising financial plan with the planning director and review open to buy, receipt flow and markdown exposure every month.
- Chair semiannual category reviews using Circana consumption data, loyalty basket analysis and vendor scorecards, then direct the reset calendar and planogram standards that follow.
- Coach and develop four buyers and two planners through quarterly performance reviews, negotiation training and structured category rotations.
Senior Buyer
Rocky Mountain Trading Post, Boulder, CO 2017 to 2021
Buying for outdoor apparel and accessories across seventy four stores with a purchase base of sixty eight million dollars
- Owned assortment, cost, promotion and open to buy for five categories and one hundred forty vendors.
- Grew category gross margin return on investment from two point five to three point eight over four years.
- Built the private brand accessories program from zero to eleven million dollars in annual retail sales.
- Led semiannual vendor summits covering assortment direction, promotional calendars and joint targets for the coming year.
Buyer
Cherry Creek Sport Company, Colorado Springs, CO 2014 to 2017
Buying for footwear and equipment across thirty one stores in Colorado and Wyoming
- Managed cost negotiations, promotional planning and seasonal buys for a twenty two million dollar purchase base.
- Introduced a store clustering approach that improved sell through by eight points.
- Managed the reset calendar for two annual floor changes and coordinated field execution across all thirty one stores.
Licensure and Certification
Certified Professional Category Manager, Category Management Association
Member, Retail Industry Leaders Association
Education
Master of Business Administration, University of Denver
Bachelor of Science in marketing, Colorado State University
Core Skills
Category strategy · Vendor negotiations · Trade funds · Assortment architecture · Open to buy oversight · Planogram standards · Team leadership · Circana data · Oracle Retail Merchandising · Power BI · Comparable store sales growth