Job Information
Do it Best Corp. Merchandise Manager - Electrical & Plumbing in Chicago, Illinois
Merchandising Manager (Sr. Buyer) - Electrical & Plumbing
About the Role: The Merchandise Manager – Electrical/Plumbing, position locates and purchases products to be sold to our retailers and retail distribution centers. This includes developing, implementing and communicating retail distribution center and direct shipment programs, developing and maintaining departmental planograms, and profitably growing a business segment for True Value. Ultimately, the position of Merchandise Manager has a focus on vendors, products, promotions, and pricing. Assures assortment strategies are executed within the business end-to-end. Responsibilities include:
Develop and submit promotional offers and programs based on sales data and strategies
Negotiate with vendors to obtain most favorable prices, terms, programs, promotions and volume and growth rebates
Analyze, implement and maintain costs, and suggested retail price in accordance with the company’s established best practices
Evaluate and introduce new products and product lines to retailers
Review and implement warehouse and direct shipment product offerings to create the best product mix and overall offer for our retailer that will help them be competitive and profitable
Set goals to achieve targets on sales, margins, turns, and service levels
Develop strategic and competitive promotions for the annual Market (trade show) convention
Evaluate vendor product performance for stocking purposes and direct shipment to our retailers to determine opportunities to grow and develop product mix
Monitor competitor tactics and trends to capitalize on opportunities in the marketplace
Collaborate with other Departments (e.g., Finance, Logistics, Marketing & Advertising, Market Planning, Retail Performance, etc.) to troubleshoot and resolve retailer or vendor issues; as well as to effectively execute Department projects
Travel for Markets twice per year; as well as any retailer visits, vendor visits, and trade shows as needed
Set goals and key performance initiatives (KPIs) for the Associate Merchandise Manager(s)
Manage and monitor inventory of the Department to meet both acceptable turns and service level
Collaborate with Global Sourcing to develop the best possible products and programs.
Education and Experience:
Four year degree in Marketing, Sales, or other business related field or strong background/experience in Retail, Sales, or Hardware
Great technology skills including MS Office
Prior buying experience (preferred)
Skills and Abilities:
Excellent oral and written communication skills
Team player
Creative problem solving
Ability to work with little supervision
Must possess a high level of accuracy
Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions
Service oriented
Self-motivated
Objective and analytical skills
Relationship building and cross-functional collaboration