Ian Martin

Category Management Planner @ Do it Best

About

True Value Company has been my professional home for over a decade, where my expertise in retail space planning has been instrumental in enhancing customer experiences and sales performance. My role involves the strategic use of JDA/Blue Yonder software to develop planograms that reflect market trends and consumer insights. In collaboration with our team, we have streamlined category assortment launches and maintained data transparency through heatmaps and POS data analysis. My strong organizational skills, along with my ability to communicate effectively, have been vital in managing relationships with buyers and vendors, ensuring that our retail environments are optimized for success.

Country

United States

City

Algonquin

Industry

Wholesale

Skill

Accounts Payable (AP), Retail Category Management, Computer Literacy, Communication, Organization Skills, Decision-Making, Invoicing, Teamwork, Trade Show Planning, Daily Operations Management, Stock Replenishment, Implementation Planning, Website Merchandising, JDA, Customer Service, Sales Strategy Development, Software Conversions, Monitoring Performance, Inventory Management, Responsible Sourcing

Experience

Category Management Planner

Do it Best

2024-11 - Present · 1 yr 11 mos

Space Planner

True Value Company, Retail Support Center

2012-2 - 2024-11 · 12 yrs 10 mos

Responsible for creating and maintaining all planograms for Electrical, Plumbing, Farm, Auto, Pet & Impulse departments Responsible for creation and maintenance of Heatmaps showing planogram performance and POS data to review performance Work directly with buyers and vendor partners by providing retail and wholesale sales data and industry knowledge to best represent each category utilizing JDA/Blue Yonder software Maintain assortments on internal applications for retailers to access and review Take part in category Line Reviews to obtain industry data, market analysis, and customer viewpoints to create a sales strategy to implement into the creation of each category assortment which launches under the Certified True Blue program Lead the setup process at the semi annual tradeshow for the retail assortment and impulse areas from pre-show planning to implementation at the show floor Entails collection of samples from distribution center and vendor partners, packaging, and shipping of all materials to tradeshow and ensuring all planograms on show floor are set accurately and complete

Accounts Payable Coordinator

True Value Company, Retail Support Center

2007-8 - 2012-2 · 4 yrs 7 mos

Responsible for creating logs and resolving retailer issues with vendors, daily balancing, matching inventory receipts to vendor billings, reconciliation of vendor disputes compared to warehouse inventory, logging, and processing debits to vendors on warehouse buybacks, keyed invoices into system for retailer billing Worked with Controller directly with documented paper trail on larger dollar paybacks Moved invoice to warehouse receipt process from 30 days to 14 days by clearing back log of issues Resolved vendor debit disputes within 72 hours of receiving complaints

Store Manager

TRUE VALUE HARDWARE

2002-9 - 2007-7 · 4 yrs 11 mos

Responsible for opening and closing store, including bank deposits In charge of weekly inventory of departments and download data to Unity System Improved store profitability by 25% through strategic inventory management and cost control measures. Increased customer satisfaction scores by 35% through enhanced staff training and service standards. Managed a team of 15 employees, overseeing daily operations across a 10,000 sq. ft. store. Oversaw a diverse inventory of 20,000 SKUs, ensuring stock availability and timely replenishment. Reduced overhead costs by 15% by optimizing staff schedules and negotiating vendor contracts.