Emily Baker
New York
Summary
Experienced in transforming category management with a focus on growth and operational efficiency. Successfully established national programs and direct import initiatives, achieving significant cost reductions and enhanced product exclusivity. Passionate about driving innovation and aligning cross-functional teams to meet business objectives.
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
Work History
Vice President Category Management - Discretionary
Avolta
East Rutherford
10.2023 - Current
- Transformed the Duty Free Discretionary business, driving 43% YTD sales growth through strategic assortment optimizations, exclusive product development, data driven category management, enhanced supplier partnerships and targeted merchandising initiatives.
- Expanded national programs, enhancing product exclusivity, gross margins, sourcing capabilities, and differentiated assortments, resulting in $232M in sales over 2 years.
- Reversed a -3% sales decline at the Empire State Building, delivering +4% YOY sales growth despite flat attendance, through merchandising strategy, product assortment and pricing.
- Established and led direct import program, partnering with Supply Chain to source exclusive products and develop private label assortments for Travel and Souvenirs, achieving average 40% reduction in cost of goods.
- Developed and executed the FIFA merchandise strategy, curating a destination assortment that generated $8M in sales through highly successful hot market activations across host cities.
Director of Discretionary Retail
Stellar Partners, Inc.
Tampa
03.2021 - 10.2023
- Developed the strategy for all Discretionary & Specialty Retail categories, including the continued integration of branded stores and market penetration into high-traffic retail environments.
- Lead the buying across all proprietary and national branded stores, spanning diverse categories such as apparel, souvenirs, accessories, electronics, travel, gifts, home décor, jewelry, toys and licensed merchandise.
- Improved financial performance, increasing sales by 57% and gross margin by 3.2% for $87M in sales (47% of total business).
- Implemented strategies to drive growth and optimize operational efficiency through best practices.
- Led a skilled team of 7 in centralized buying, product curation, streamlined ordering, inventory management, and visual merchandising.
- Improved processes and performance across KPIs, including reducing aged inventory from 19% to 4.7%.
- Introduced a fresh apparel line, resulting in a 10% incremental sales increase in the souvenir apparel category.
Senior Buyer/Buyer/Assistant Buyer
Stellar Partners, Inc.
Tampa
06.2005 - 03.2021
- Facilitated the cost-effective acquisition of new products for locations within top-selling categories and delivered the business competitive advantage which directly resulted in $38M in gross annual revenue.
- Negotiated additional discounts with top souvenir vendors, achieving cost savings of 15% that improved overall profitability.
- Increased gross margin by 7.5% in respective categories and from 2018 to 2019 increased sales by 46%.
- Improved product line sales, including souvenir sales with a 67% increase through proper product mix and plan-o-grams.
- Held personally accountable for the financial performance of 31% of the business and continually drove revenue.
- Received the Buyer of the Year award in 2019 for consistently exceeding fiscal and KPI performance goals.
- Led the product management and purchasing team as an integral leader, aligning stakeholder efforts and driving all aspects of direct and indirect spending.
Owner
Magnolia Lane Boutique
St. Petersburg
02.2015 - 01.2017
Education
Fashion Design & Merchandising Degree -
International Academy of Design & Technology
Tampa, FlSkills
- Category management
- Sales Optimization
- Sales Forecasting
- Strategic Planning
- Product Innovation
- Trend analysis
- Brand Partnerships
- Vendor Management
- Cross-Functional Collaborator
- Skilled Negotiator
Accomplishments
- Improved category sales (+96%) and margin (+81%) by launching direct import from China for key travel products.
- Streamlined our fashion and local jewelry programs, resulting in a 15% reduction in inventory while simultaneously boosting sales by 28%.
- Collaborated with our #1 and #2 apparel providers to streamline our design and order process to achieve a GM of 67% and 75%.
- Increased Discretionary sales by 57.2% from the previous year surpassing the overall company growth.
Training
NEBO Leadership Coaching
Personal Information
Title: Vice President Category Management - Discretionary
Executive Skills
- Multi Category Buying
- Visual Merchandising
- Skilled Negotiator
- Brand Partnerships
- Cross-Functional Collaborator
- Creative Product Development
- Trend Research and Analysis
- Strategic Planning
- Vendor Management
Timeline
Vice President Category Management - Discretionary
Avolta
10.2023 - Current
Director of Discretionary Retail
Stellar Partners, Inc.
03.2021 - 10.2023
Owner
Magnolia Lane Boutique
02.2015 - 01.2017
Senior Buyer/Buyer/Assistant Buyer
Stellar Partners, Inc.
06.2005 - 03.2021
Fashion Design & Merchandising Degree -
International Academy of Design & Technology