Paras Mittal

* Manage 60 brands and 30K+ SKU portfolio through category management, assortment optimization, and vendor performance analysis to drive profitability and competitiveness. * Lead monthly and seasonal buying cycles plus promotional planning, aligning demand forecasting with sales projections, flyer SKUs, and profitable kit/bundle deals. * Negotiate supplier contracts, pricing, logistics rates, and MAP compliance, delivering ongoing cost optimization and consistent vendor performance. * Launched dropship program for high-value SKUs, 𝟔𝟎% faster delivery through direct-to-customer vendor fulfillment. * Reduced store-level stockouts by improving demand forecasting accuracy, proactive replenishment monitoring, supplier scorecards, and slow-mover sell-through programs. * Enhanced data integrity across 5K+ SKUs by adding weights/dimensions for online shipping accuracy and streamlined special-order sourcing processes.

* Managed $70M category portfolio across 24 cities and 3,300 SKUs, driving sales growth through category management and vendor performance analysis. * Designed cost center model across supply chain collection centers, enabling granular expense tracking and management productivity reporting. * Launched enterprise-wide Days on Hand (DOH) tracking system to forecast demand, optimize inventory turnover, and improve planning accuracy. * Drove 21% margin improvement (17% to 20.7%) and CAD 6M net savings through strategic sourcing, supplier negotiations, reverse auctions, and price benchmarking. * Expanded category footprint into 8 new markets with market-specific assortment planning, demand forecasting, and inventory deployment strategies. * Led supplier performance reviews, vendor scorecards, competitive bidding, and blanket purchase agreements, preventing margin erosion via MBQs and procurement portal. * Developed monthly category budgets and forecasts with finance team, streamlining sourcing, PO workflow, and discrepancy resolution.

* Developed and maintained long-term customer relationships, managing annual commodity supply worth CAD 62M to ensure consistent category performance and availability. * Ensured on-time delivery to 42 plants nationwide per schedules, resolving finance discrepancies and maintaining seamless order fulfillment. * Supervised 10,000 MT cold storage inventory flow, including 2,500 MT from premium European vendors, optimizing for category availability. * Initiated storage operations for CAD 30M commodities by training cross-functional teams, achieving 12% net profit through inventory optimization and demand planning. * Reduced logistics costs 9% by negotiating transporter terms and onboarding new 3PL partners to enhance supply chain efficiency.

Collaborated with the institute's director to strategize and implement initiatives for increasing student engagement and participation. Played a key role in planning and scheduling events to enhance academic and extracurricular involvement across the student body. Acted as a liaison between students and professors, addressing academic concerns and fostering a collaborative learning environment. Contributed to creating an inclusive and engaging academic culture by identifying and addressing key areas for improvement.

Conducted a SWOT analysis to identify growth opportunities, enabling strategic improvements for the hybrid paddy business. Designed and executed market surveys, engaging 350 farmers, 95 retailers, and 31 distributors, to gather critical insights on market needs and trends. Analyzed market size and competitors’ strategies, leading to the development of four targeted marketing strategies that boosted product demand by 10% and strengthened market positioning.