Brian Foster, CSCP

Leads end-to-end supply chain replenishment strategy for a national specialty grocery retailer, overseeing a cross-functional team to drive sales, margin, fill-rate, shrink, and inventory turn performance. • Direct a high-performing team of Demand Planners, Replenishment Managers, and Replenishment Specialists toward key supply chain KPIs. • Partner with Category Managers, Category Directors, and Merchandise Planning to align demand forecasts with business goals and promotional strategies. • Resolve vendor on-time and fill-rate performance issues through collaborative cross-functional problem-solving. • Champion continuous improvement initiatives in tools, processes, and training to increase end-to-end supply chain efficiency. • Coach and mentor team members to accelerate professional development and cultivate a high-performance culture.

Oversaw DC inventory levels, demand forecasting, and procurement operations for the produce division, leading a team of buyers and spearheading a major enterprise-wide technology transformation. • Managed DC inventory and implemented strategic pricing actions to optimize inventory flow and minimize shrink and waste. • Led a team of buyers in demand forecasting and order management, coaching to correct inventory imbalances and improve supply reliability. • Served as team lead on a cross-functional IT project to develop and deploy the BuyerExpert ordering system, replacing the legacy I-trade platform with enterprise-wide rollout and training. • Developed holiday demand forecasting plans in partnership with category management to align inventory with promotional ad events. • Created comprehensive SOPs on procurement best practices to standardize processes and enable scalable team training.

Managed purchasing across multiple high-velocity produce categories, balancing tight inventory controls with vendor relationships to maximize freshness, minimize out-of-stocks, and support promotional execution. • Purchased across Specialty, Tomatoes, Melons, and Berries categories, maintaining optimal warehouse inventory levels to maximize product freshness. • Built and maintained vendor relationships with local and national suppliers to ensure supply continuity and identify alternatives during shortages. • Collaborated with category management to align vendor partnerships with promotional events and ensure margin targets were met. • Played a key role in implementing the RELEX demand forecasting system and trained all buyers on effective utilization to improve forecast accuracy.

Supported store-wide operations management, with ownership of sales forecasting, labor budgeting, shrink control, and inventory optimization for a high-volume grocery retail location. • Created sales forecasts based on prior-year trends to inform staffing, inventory, and operational planning. • Managed labor budget and scheduling to control costs while maintaining store operational standards. • Led department managers in applying best practices to control shrink and achieve inventory goals. • Optimized shelf allocations, minimums, and on-hand balances to improve ordering system reliability and reduce manual intervention.

- Managed a GM/HBC department that did over 5 million dollars in sales for the year - Performed daily lows and holes scans to fix balances on hand to ensure the products stay in stock for the customers - Coached new team members on how to do daily tasks such as mark-downs, orders, stock shelves, and set ends to the weekly planner - Became the standard store for the division and trained store managers on how to set up the GM/HBC for success - Helped other stores that needed help in their HBC/GM department to keep them in stock and fully conditioned for sales

Supported GM/HBC department operations with a focus on inventory accuracy, in-stock performance, and team onboarding. • Assisted with department ordering to minimize out-of-stocks and maintain inventory accuracy. • Trained new employees on load breakdown, shelf stocking, backstock reviews, and seasonal resets. • Maintained department standards to ensure shelves were fully stocked and customer-ready.