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Private Contractor Merchandise Planning and Reporting

Project Management

Innovative Planning, Merchandising and Allocation professional with solid expertise in company wide retail sales, merchandise and inventory planning. Consistently successful in monitoring and analyzing market trends and capitalizing on market opportunities to create high-profit, innovative plans and solutions to realize an industry leading GPM.  Proven success in vendor negotiation, product line selection and pricing strategy.  Expert level Excel skills.

•	Provide expert Merchandise Planning and reporting insight to consumer based businesses.
•	Create reporting and forecasting / trend analysis as needed by the business.
•	Support the Buying / Merchandising teams in an effort to optimize inventory while growing sales.


•	Established or enhanced all reporting and planning tools necessary for the organization.  
•	Responsible for merchandise planning, OTB Management, SKU level forecasting, inventory management, as well as general direction and merchant support.
•	Responsible for creating a Bottoms-Up Assortment Plan from Top Level financial targets.



Director of Planning

•	Oversaw the daily operations of the Planning, Buying, Allocation and Visual Merchandising teams.
•	Responsible for merchandise planning, inventory management, reporting, pricing strategy & markdowns and promotional programs for a     women’s eCommerce apparel business that is experiencing unprecedented growth. 
•	Managed the buying activities that include assortment planning, vendor review, product selection, pricing negotiation and delivery cadence.



Head of Planning and Merchandising / Private Contractor

•	Directed the allocation process for 350 retail stores with my team of 11 Allocation Analysts.
•	Created a merchandise assortment tool that took a monthly unit sales forecast and produced a style-color Buy Plan that was tiered for the various sales volume store groups. 
•	Built a Class Level sales and allocation plan for every store in the retail chain.

Director of Store Allocation

•	Responsible for planning all product categories within Vans’ rapidly growing E-commerce business and built many E-commerce specific reporting tools.
•	Built and oversaw the use of a Buy Matrix which is the basis for the merchant team’s seasonal buys; result was a significant increase in full price sell through and improved inventory size curve.
•	Planned company sales, gross margin, inventory, markdowns and turn rates.
•	Developed and maintained all merchandising performance reports for key financial components.
•	Developed and implemented the preseason sales, inventory, markdown plans and reporting for Footwear.
•	Managed the in season Footwear Open to Buy process for all stores/outlets and e-commerce.
•	Created the preseason department level Gross Margin plan for all of Vans Retail.
•	Improved an existing SKU level Never Out Footwear buy sheet that lowered inventory risk while maintaining sales.

Retail / Ecommerce Planner

Find out detailed information about Kyle Howard, Private Contractor Merchandise Planning and Reporting in Fountain Valley, CA

Kyle Howard: Private Contractor Merchandise Planning and Reporting in Fountain Valley, CA

Kyle Howard

Self-employed

DailyLook

Fashion Nova

National Stores

Vans

Siena College