Merchandiser

Retail Merchandiser — Vanguard Retail Group

Chicago, IL | June 2023 – Present

• Reorganized retail floor planograms using JDA Space Planning for 14 regional department stores, increasing visual display compliance from 74% to 98% and driving an 11% growth in seasonal category sales.
• Audited weekly sell-through rates and inventory levels using Oracle Retail systems to optimize shelf placement, reducing retail shrinkage by 14% and saving $45,000 in excess inventory write-offs.
• Negotiated pricing and display placement options with 18 external vendor accounts, securing prime end-cap space that boosted promotional SKU sales velocity by 24% over a 12-month period.
• Coordinated with 6 cross-functional store managers to implement visual styling standards for seasonal promotions, reducing floor setup execution time by 30% using Slack and digital layouts.

Assistant Merchandiser — Summit Apparel Stores

Evanston, IL | June 2021 – May 2023

• Designed 120+ window displays and in-store visual presentation schemes using Adobe Creative Suite, which increased daily foot traffic by 15% during peak holiday periods.
• Tracked SKU inventory velocity for a stock of 4,000+ items using Excel pivot tables, reducing product replenishment cycles from 7 days to 4 days across 3 regional outlets.
• Conducted shelf audits and planogram checks across 15 store departments, correcting 100% of display discrepancies and improving overall store audit compliance scores by 16%.
• Trained a team of 8 store associates on inventory logging software, reducing scanning entry errors by 25% and cutting weekly stock replenishment times by 6 hours.

Planogram Design, Visual Merchandising, Inventory Management, Trend Analysis, Space Planning, Vendor Management, JDA Space Planning, Blue Yonder, Oracle Retail, Adobe Creative Suite, Advanced Excel, Stock Optimization, SKU Performance Analysis, Floor Layout Design

Regional Store Layout Restructuring

Role: Lead Merchandiser

Tools: JDA Space Planning, Blue Yonder, Oracle Retail

Overhauled visual layouts for 5 low-performing stores, increasing sales per square foot by 22% and improving regional customer satisfaction ratings by 18%.

Omnichannel Inventory Integration

Role: Inventory Coordinator

Tools: Excel, Oracle Retail, Shopify

Synthesized in-store and e-commerce stock data across 3 locations, reducing order fulfillment latency by 35% and cutting order discrepancies by 40%.

• Certified Professional Category Analyst (CPCA) - Category Management Association (2022)
• Certified Professional Category Manager (CPCM) - Category Management Association (2024)

• Languages: English (Native), Spanish (Conversational)
• Volunteer Work: Visual layout coordinator for local community thrift shop (2022-present)
• Availability: 2 weeks notice