Dennis LeClair

As the Indoor Furniture Buyer, it is my responsibility to develop and execute strategies for assortments, pricing and marketing to maximize sales and profitability. We drive sales by utilizing an omni-channel approach including, but not limited to, brick and mortar, circulars, the website, and a social media presence. My team is responsible for financial planning, selection and purchasing of merchandise to meet/ exceed sales and margin goals for the company. We develop and source new product from the ground up. We stay up to date with current trends in the industry and continuously explore potential new/ emerging categories. The team constantly checks the marketplace to ensure our assortments are relevant, competitively price, and productive. I develop 1 and 2 year sales plans and 3-5 year strategies to operate the current, but also maintain a long-term vision for the department. I negotiate with vendor partners on availability, distribution, delivery dates, exclusivity and pricing geared towards maximizing profits.

As the Associate Buyer for the Seasonal Department at Bed Bath and Beyond, I take ownership of key areas within the Seasonal Department. I am currently responsible for the following seasonal categories: outdoor furniture, patio umbrellas, bbq, beach, all Christmas paper goods (wrap, bags, bows, ribbons, etc), greeting cards and all everyday paper goods for the company. I manage the product development and sourcing processes for these business units to achieve sales and margin objectives set forth by the company. I partner with the Senior Buyer and Divisional Merchandising Manager to develop and execute strategy for assortment plans, vendor management, pricing and marketing for the assortment to maximize sales and profitability. I am responsible for identifying trends within my categories to help reach and exceed sales and margin plans by offering customers an assortment of goods that best match their needs in the marketplace. I negotiate with vendors on product availability, product specs, distribution, delivery deadlines and cost of goods sold. I partner with the Planning team to determine buy quantities, assortment plan changes, and flow of goods to the stores. I communicate with the Marketing and Social Media Departments to advertise new assortments to the customer base. I work with our field organization and visual teams to communicate new planograms and store specs. Constantly analyzing the domestic and international markets to provide observations of the market to best execute product assortment changes and to identify new product and/ or business opportunities. I travel to Asia on sourcing trips to work directly with factories on execution of new product and discuss potential future business opportunities.

As the Buyer for Big Ticket and Sleep Technology, my main focus is to strategically manage and grow my businesses to generate positive EBITDA for the company. I manage the massage chair, mattress, pillow, and comforter categories for all selling channels of Brookstone (mainly retail, online, and catalog). The combination of insightful review of historical sales data along with full knowledge and understanding of both current and future business trends are hugely important in this job and in this company. This buying position is unique from other retailers in that it has a large component of product development. I work in close partnership with our Brookstone Labratory and our Asia Combine team throughout the entire product cycle from idea conception through it's exit.

As an Assistant Buyer, I report directly to the Divisional Merchandising Manager (DMM). I have direct responsibility for the merchandising strategy, product development and category development of kitchen, wine, and bar accessories along with toys and games. Vision through execution of multi-year plans to reach financial goals across the multiple sales channels of Brookstone defines success within this role. This position requires a high level of passion for merchandising, product development, and sound business judgment. RESPONSIBILITIES: - Meet with vendors, factories and other industry experts to represent the Brookstone value proposition. Maintaining healthy relationships with the community that benefit the long term goals of Brookstone - Manage the growth of my business areas of expertise to generate sales and growth for Brookstone

I have interned for the past 2 summers in this department. I work with two seasonal category designers (Jayne Lobianco and Jon Dugan) to physically merchandise a predetermined product mix in our mock, but fully functioning CVS store in our building. Teamwork is key in our jobs as we interact with numerous departments, whether it be category management (who purchase the product mix we merchandise) or advertising (who is responsible for signage). Through this internship I have received real-world experience while working on real-life projects that have a definite impact on CVS Pharmacy's revenues.

* Management: Lead, supervise, assign and direct all store activities. * Customer Service: Assist customers, handle customer relations issues and promote a positive shopping experience. * Merchandising/Presentation: Price and stock merchandise, organize and execute the display and signing merchandise. * Shrinkage (Loss Prevention): Administer, and monitor Loss Prevention programs and systems, complete all cash control procedures, analyze reports, identify and react to shoplifters, ensure price accuracy and protect store assets. * Store Operations: o Supervise employees/manage shifts, open/close store, establish priorities, and identify and react to in-store repairs o Order and receive merchandise o Oversee and execute daily reports, develop sales/hours forecasts o Handle all cash functions; keys, safe, registers o Schedule activities, ensure compliance with all company policies and procedures and federal and state laws * Train, develop, and evaluate hourly employees * Work effectively with store manager and crew and effectively communicate information to management