Dani Clemons
Kansas City,MO
Summary
Retail operations manager with a strong history of achieving a 10-point year-over-year improvement in store execution at Russell Stover Chocolates. Skilled in joint business planning and category management, utilizing data analysis to optimize trade spending and improve field sales performance. Collaborative leader focused on delivering outstanding results through effective team engagement.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
Work History
Retail Operations Manager
Russell Stover Chocolates
Kansas City, MO
01.2022 - Current
- National Retail Strategy & Execution: Orchestrated retail strategy across 19,000+ locations (Grocery, Mass, Drug, Club), directing five national broker organizations to align field sales with corporate merchandising priorities.
- Performance Optimization: Delivered a 10-point YOY improvement in store execution, reaching 92% compliance and 95% visit completion through enhanced field alignment and tracking protocols.
- Cross-Functional Leadership: Established centralized planning process for high-stakes seasonal windows (Valentine’s Day, Easter, Christmas), synchronizing sales, marketing, and supply chain to achieve 100% retail readiness.
- Perfect Store Framework & Global Adoption: Architected and launched "Perfect Store" strategy for Russell Stover, defining best-in-class standards for shelf presence, seasonal flow, and sales per linear inch; developed proprietary Perfect Store Scorecard adopted globally to standardize retail execution metrics and support category growth.
- Commercial Strategy & Insights: Translated complex commercial priorities into "retail-ready" activation plans; engineered custom visibility tools to report display performance and ROI to senior leadership.
- Incremental Growth Initiatives: Identified and captured secondary display and strategic adjacency opportunities, generating substantial volume lift during key seasonal selling periods.
Sales Strategy & Customer Development Analyst
Russell Stover Chocolates
Kansas City, MO
08.2020 - 01.2022
- Go-to-Market Strategy: Orchestrated data-driven sales strategies for national retail accounts, leveraging industry trends to enhance market share in premium chocolate category.
- Sales Enablement: Developed and deployed comprehensive sales playbooks and localized marketing materials to strengthen field sales execution and ensure brand consistency across diverse retail formats.
- Inventory & Demand Planning: Synchronized inventory management with demand forecasting to prevent out-of-stocks during peak seasonal periods, ensuring 98%+ service levels for key buyers during unprecedented market disruption and supply chain challenges.
- Product Launch Excellence: Spearheaded the interaction plan between marketing and sales for new product developments (NPD), reducing speed-to-market by identifying and mitigating supply chain bottlenecks.
- Strategic Recommendations: Presented quarterly performance reviews to senior leadership, utilizing sales velocity data to support adjustments in trade promotion spend.
Planogram & Merchandising Manager
BRIGHTSTAR ACCESSORIES
01.2014 - 01.2020
- Revenue Innovation: Co-developed the "AMP" (Accessories Merchandising and Planogram) program, creating a new, sustainable revenue stream and securing 75+ additional retail clients.
- Portfolio Management: Directed accessory strategy for six nationwide retail accounts, optimizing shelf space to enhance product visibility and drive sales.
- Program Development: Architected a full-scale merchandising program for 4,000+ SKUs, aligning field execution with corporate growth targets across multiple retail channels.
- ROI Tracking: Established events calendar and performance dashboard, ensuring stakeholders had visibility into promotional lift and program efficiency, facilitating informed decision-making.
- Stakeholder Integration: Bridged gap between OEM partners and retail customers by translating market requirements into streamlined business processes, improving collaboration.
General Manager / Operations Manager
BEST BUY
01.2007 - 01.2014
- P&L Turnaround: Accelerated Net Operating Profit from 69% to 120% within four months by restructuring operational workflows and optimizing labor allocation.
- Led high-volume mobile division to Top 100 ranking among 1,300 stores in revenue and profitability for 2013.
- Achieved perfect 100% Employee Practices Assessment (EPA) score through rigorous training and accountability culture.
- Mentored cross-functional team of 200, creating talent pipeline that produced multiple future store leaders.
Education
Bachelor of business administration -
Bellevue University
Bellevue01-2021
Skills
- Joint business planning
- Trade spend optimization
- Route-to-market strategy
- Planogram optimization
- Visual merchandising
- Field sales execution
- Category management
- Demand forecasting
- ROI analysis
- Nielsen/IRI data analysis
- P&L management
- Vendor relations
- Supply chain integration
Core Competencies
Joint Business Planning (JBP), Trade Spend Optimization, Route-to-Market Strategy, Planogram Optimization (Perfect Store), Visual Merchandising, Field Sales Execution, Category Management, Demand Forecasting, ROI Analysis, Nielsen/IRI Data, P&L Management, Vendor Relations, Supply Chain Integration
Timeline
Retail Operations Manager
Russell Stover Chocolates
01.2022 - Current
Sales Strategy & Customer Development Analyst
Russell Stover Chocolates
08.2020 - 01.2022
Planogram & Merchandising Manager
BRIGHTSTAR ACCESSORIES
01.2014 - 01.2020
General Manager / Operations Manager
BEST BUY
01.2007 - 01.2014
Bachelor of business administration -
Bellevue University