Katie (McBride) Reygaert

Planner for Kmart Kids Seasonal Apparel

Merchandise Manager for Textiles & Leather

Led a group of 7 Apparel and Accessories Merchandise Planning Managers through development and execution of a new business model designed to increase strategic inventory purchases Drove continuous improvement initiatives through frequent evaluation of processes by soliciting feedback from teams and developing recommendations to make processes more efficient and effective

Managed Apparel and Accessories business category that ordered $100M receipts annually Determined optimal inventory allocation for nationwide chain of over 1750 stores Created new process to monitor department spending, leading to more accurate inventory and gross margin forecasting and increased process efficiency Drove key sales category by creating new inventory timing and action to align with a new business model and rolled out training for all Apparel and Accessories analysts. Through proactive planning and in-season reaction, this key sales category drove incremental sales of $77M (increase of 29%) to prior year Proficient in over 25 data analysis and replenishment systems

Negotiated production timing, contingency plans, and costing with vendors and ensured key milestones were met to ensure quality product was delivered on time and met merchant and customer expectations Managed communication with overseas vendors and fostered environment of collaboration between vendors and the merchandising teams Accurately planned and forecasted vendor receipts for the fiscal year to facilitate vendor production planning