HAYLEE RYAN WALKER
Foley,AL
Summary
Strategic Retail Buyer & Inventory Manager with over 9 years of merchandise buying experience and 14+ years of progressive retail leadership, specializing in apparel, footwear, accessories, gifts, and lifestyle merchandise. Responsible for approximately $1.5 million in annual seasonal merchandise purchases across six high-volume retail locations while managing relationships with more than 50 national and regional brands. Experienced in merchandise planning, inventory optimization, trend forecasting, sales analytics, vendor negotiations, and assortment development that drive profitable growth and exceptional customer experiences. Recognized for combining analytical decision-making with a strong understanding of consumer trends to maximize inventory productivity and business performance.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
Work History
Retail Buyer & Inventory Manager
Sand Dollar Lifestyles
04.2017 - Current
- Lead merchandise buying strategy across six retail locations, managing approximately $1.5 million in annual seasonal inventory investments while balancing customer demand, inventory productivity, and profitability.
- Develop seasonal merchandise assortments by analyzing sales performance, inventory trends, historical data, and consumer buying behavior.
- Manage relationships with more than 50 apparel, footwear, gift, and accessory brands, negotiating pricing, freight, discounts, dating, and order modifications to improve margins and reduce inventory risk.
- Attend 6–8 regional and national trade markets annually to source emerging brands, evaluate new product opportunities, and forecast future retail trends.
- Monitor weekly sales, sell-through performance, inventory turnover, and margin trends to guide replenishment, markdown strategies, and future purchasing decisions.
- Coordinate inventory movement across six retail locations to maximize inventory productivity, improve product availability, and minimize excess inventory.
- Create and manage purchase orders while maintaining inventory accuracy through cycle counts, reconciliations, and physical inventories.
- Partner with executive leadership and store management to execute seasonal merchandising initiatives aligned with company sales objectives.
- Contribute to sustained sales growth through strategic buying decisions, inventory planning, and merchandise management.
Retail Manager & Purchasing Coordinator
Shades Sunglasses & Casual Apparel
03.2012 - 03.2017
- Supported merchandise purchasing, inventory planning, and replenishment strategies to maintain optimal inventory levels and maximize sales.
- Generated sales and inventory reports to support buying decisions and identify top-performing merchandise categories.
- Managed inventory counts, replenishment, merchandising standards, and vendor orders.
- Assisted with implementation of a new POS system that improved inventory visibility and reporting capabilities.
- Supervised daily retail operations, employee development, merchandising, scheduling, and customer service while maintaining high operational standards.
Education
Political Science
The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, ALSkills
Retail & Inventory Systems
- Celerant
- Retail Pro
- Vend
- Shopify POS
B2B Buying Platforms
- NuORDER
- Elastic
- Faire
- Threadvine
Business Tools
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office Suite
PROFESSIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
- $1.5M annual seasonal purchasing responsibility
- Buying strategy across 6 retail locations
- Partnerships with 50+ national & regional vendors
- Attend 6–8 regional and national trade shows annually
- 14+ years of retail leadership
- 9+ years of buying and inventory management experience
CORE COMPETENCIES
- Merchandise Buying
- Merchandise Planning
- Inventory Planning & Control
- Open-to-Buy Management
- Assortment Planning
- Trend Forecasting
- Sales & Inventory Analytics
- Vendor Relationship Management
- Vendor Negotiation
- Purchase Order Management
- Inventory Optimization
- Markdown & Replenishment Strategy
Timeline
Retail Buyer & Inventory Manager
Sand Dollar Lifestyles
04.2017 - Current
Retail Manager & Purchasing Coordinator
Shades Sunglasses & Casual Apparel
03.2012 - 03.2017
Political Science
The University of Alabama