Merchandise Manager - Home Decor Location Fort Wayne, IN (West Central area) : Merchandise Manager - Home Decor Location: Fort Wayne, IN Level: Mid-Level Division: Lumber & Building Materials - Home Decor Reporting to position: Divisional Merchandise of Building Materials Travel: Approx. 10% About the Role: Join our team as a Merchandise Manager at Do it Best Corp., where you will be at the forefront of our Home Decor division's strategic purchasing and product management efforts. In this key role, in partnership with the team you lead, you will engage in sourcing and procuring a diverse range of home decor products (including flooring, kitchen cabinets, bath vanities, and interior trim), addressing the needs of our members. Your responsibilities will focus on wholesale procurement, supply chain management, and vendor negotiation, while also emphasizing inventory management and product assortment strategies. In your daily activities, you will actively participate in the development of planograms, ensuring our product displays are both appealing and effective. You'll oversee your team's implementation of direct shipment programs, analyze market trends, and ensure our product offerings are aligned with the latest styles and consumer preferences. A passion for these product categories and an eye for emerging trends are crucial, as they directly influence the success and relevance of our Home Decor segment. As an integral member of the Lumber and Building Materials (LBM) division, you will contribute significantly to the division's strategy and success. Your role in vendor relations, strategic sourcing, and merchandise planning will be essential in establishing and maintaining profitable supplier relationships. In addition to managing landed costs and wholesale pricing, you'll play a pivotal role in conducting product performance analysis to drive market share and revenue growth. You'll also be part of a dynamic leadership team, collaborating to achieve divisional goals and fostering a culture of innovation and excellence. Responsibilities include: Develop and submit promotional offers and programs based on sales data and strategies Negotiate with vendors to obtain most favorable prices, terms, programs, promotions and volume and growth rebates Analyze, implement and maintain landed costs, member costs, and suggested retail price in accordance with the company's established best practices Evaluate and introduce new products and product lines to members Review and implement warehouse and direct shipment product offerings to create the best product mix and overall offer for our member that will help them be competitive and profitable Setting goals to achieve targets on sales, margins, turns, and service levels Develop strategic and competitive promotions for the annual Market convention Evaluate vendor product performance for stocking purposes and direct shipment to our members to determine opportunities to grow and develop product mix Monitor competitor tactics and trends to capitalize on opportunities in the marketplace Collaborate with other Departments (e.g., Finance, Logistics, Marketing & Advertising, Market Planning, Retail Performance, etc.) to troubleshoot and resolve member or vendor issues; as well as to effectively execute Department projects Travel for Markets twice per year; as well as any member visits, vendor visits, and trade shows as needed Set goals and key performance initiatives (KPIs) for the Associate Merchandise Manager(s) Manage and monitor inventory of the Department to meet both acceptable turns and service level Education and Experience: Four year degree in Marketing, Sales, or other business related field or strong background/experience in Retail, Sales, or Hardware Great technology skills including Excel, and Google Suite Prior buying experience (preferred) Skills and Abilities: Excellent oral and written communication skills Team player Creative problem solving Ability to work with little supervision Must possess a high level of accuracy Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions Service oriented Self-motivated Objective and analytical skills Relationship building and cross-functional collaboration Benefits available to you: Full insurance benefits package including Medical, Dental, & Vision with a premium free plan available Paid time off to foster work/life balance Profit sharing Bonus Pay opportunities Retirement funding opportunities Education reimbursement Health club reimbursement Career advancement opportunities If you have any prior experience working in any of the following positions, we strongly encourage you to apply: Merchandise Associate, Department Manager, Sourcing Assistant/Manager, Pricing Analyst, Sales Manager/Representative, Category Management, Retail Associate, Buyer, Product Manager, Inventory Management, Assistant Store Manager. About Do it Best: At Do it Best, we take pride in being the only U.S.-based and member-owned hardware & lumber/building material buying cooperative in the home improvement industry. We have made it our philosophy to serve over 3,800 member-owned locations across the United States and in over 50 countries by offering a full menu of exceptional merchandise and services to increase our member's market share and profitability. By reaching over $4 billion in annual sales, Do it Best is the second largest co-op in the industry. Our success stems from our mission to make the best better, and our goal to help our members grow and achieve their dreams.
