Steven Paul
Vancouver
Summary
Passionate merchandising professional with 19+ years retail experience. Comprehensive buying, product line management, allocation & operations experience. Proven track record of delivering on financial KPI's through cross-functional collaboration and leadership.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Merchant Seasonal Hardgoods
MEC
04.2021 - Current
- Directly managing product assortment for Watersports, Nordic, Snowshoe and Optics categories
- Mange team of merchants, assistant merchants, and merchandise analysts covering all seasonal hardgoods.
- Hiring, managing, training and mentoring new team members
- Managing relationships with 185 brands covering 6 categories, 2000+ products totaling up to 70 million in annual sales.
- Negotiating price, agreements, support, and promotion with vendors.
- Leading on-boarding of new domestic and international vendors.
- Directing day-to-day operations focused on attainment of key business metrics, continuous improvement initiatives while collaborating with cross-functional teams to achieve seasonal and yearly goals. Postmortem analysis and reporting weekly, monthly, seasonally, and yearly to key stakeholders and senior management.
- Market analysis and reporting for categories.
- Communicating category strategies to leadership and cross functional teams.
- Accountable for sales, gross profit, turn, and inventory targets/budgets.
Product Line Manger MEC Label
MEC
05.2019 - 04.2021
- Optimized MEC Label product line performance by conducting thorough market research, historical analysis and identifying key customer needs for both Hardgoods and Softgoods
- Create 5 year product road map and manage product lifecycle of all MEC Label products
- Managed cross-functional teams to streamline product development processes, with an eye on speed to market. efficiency and cost savings.
- Manage liability material and redefine MEC Label product line through Covid 19 pandemic
Merchant
MEC
08.2017 - 04.2019
- Creating strategy and product assortment for footwear and accessories categories including both private label and branded products.
- Managing relationships with 50+ brands covering 4 categories, 800+ products totaling $45 million in annual sales.
- Negotiating price, agreements, support, and promotion with vendors.
- Leading on-boarding of new domestic and international brands.
- Directing day-to-day operations focused on attainment of key business metrics, continuous improvement initiatives while collaborating with cross-functional teams to achieve seasonal and yearly goals. Postmortem analysis and reporting weekly, monthly, seasonally, and yearly to key stakeholders and senior management.
- Market analysis and reporting for categories.
- Communicating category strategies to leadership and cross functional teams.
- Accountable for sales, gross profit, turn, and inventory targets/budgets, alongside merchandise planning team.
Product Manager
MEC
01.2015 - 08.2017
- Creating strategy and product assortment for snow-sports and trekking poles categories including both private label and branded products.
- Managing relationships with 50+ brands covering 2 categories, 600+ products totaling $30 million in annual sales.
- Managed the introduction of downhill ski to MEC product assortment.
Product Manager
MEC
10.2012 - 01.2015
- Creating strategy and product assortment for cycling parts, helmets, and footwear categories including both private label and branded products.
- Managing relationships with 30+ brands covering 3 categories, 500+ products totaling $20 million in annual sales; including direct sourcing from overseas factories.
Inventory Analyst
MEC
01.2010 - 10.2012
- Managed flow of inventory for cycling and athletic clothing categories from vendor to DC including allocation to stores.
Product Team Lead
MEC Vancouver Store
01.2007 - 01.2010
- Managed snow-sports, water-sports, and rentals store team of 15+ direct reports.
Education
Bachelor Of Commerce - Marketing
Carleton University
Ottawa, ON2004
Skills
Product Management, Inventory Management, Team Management, Business Strategy, Merchandising, Strategic Sourcing, Business Process Improvement
Timeline
Senior Merchant Seasonal Hardgoods
MEC
04.2021 - Current
Product Line Manger MEC Label
MEC
05.2019 - 04.2021
Merchant
MEC
08.2017 - 04.2019
Product Manager
MEC
01.2015 - 08.2017
Product Manager
MEC
10.2012 - 01.2015
Inventory Analyst
MEC
01.2010 - 10.2012
Product Team Lead
MEC Vancouver Store
01.2007 - 01.2010
Bachelor Of Commerce - Marketing
Carleton University
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