ASHLYN ELDRIDGE
Troy,OH
Summary
Retail and CPG commercial strategy professional with 9 years of experience driving sales, category growth, customer and supplier partnerships, and retail execution in the convenience channel. Proven track record managing a $400M+ snacking portfolio, category P&L, annual sales targets, assortment, pricing, promotion, distribution, forecasting, and innovation across 12,000+ stores. Experienced in Joint Business Planning, executive presentations, data-driven selling, cross-functional leadership, and translating shopper, category, and financial insights into actionable growth strategies. Known for delivering measurable revenue growth while balancing profitability, execution, and long-term category development.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
Work History
Category Manager – Snacking
7-Eleven, Inc.
03.2022 - Current
- Lead commercial and category strategy for a $400M+ snacking portfolio, managing P&L, sales targets, assortment, pricing, promotion, distribution, and retail execution; delivering +3% average YoY sales growth.
- Develop Joint Business Plans and growth strategies with national CPG suppliers and emerging brands, translating category, shopper, and market insights into actionable strategies.
- Drive $20M+ in annual innovation revenue through assortment optimization, LTO activations, SKU rationalization, distribution expansion, and supplier partnerships across 12,000+ locations.
- Identify category growth opportunities and lead recovery strategies through performance analysis, supplier partnerships, and negotiated investments to improve sales and profitability.
- Evaluate new product and assortment opportunities, such as launching four new SKUs for a high-performing brand that generated $3.3M in sales within 10 months and delivered $2M more in sales contribution than the discontinued items.
- Negotiate promotional programs and supplier investments, securing incremental support that drove a 23% YoY sales increase for participating brands.
- Lead category strategy, planning, and capability development, creating tools, planning standards, and cross-functional processes adopted across multiple categories.
- Leverage Circana (IRI), Power BI, and internal data to develop executive presentations and recommendations, identify risks and opportunities, and influence pricing, assortment, shelving, and promotion.
- Lead cross-functional initiatives with merchandising, supply chain, operations, and CPG suppliers to improve forecast readiness, inventory management, assortment productivity, and retail execution.
Category Data Analyst
7-Eleven, Inc.
07.2019 - 03.2022
- Analyzed syndicated and internal data to identify sales, margin, market share, assortment, pricing, and promotional growth opportunities across national CPG categories.
- Built SKU-level reporting and forecasting tools to evaluate promotional effectiveness, category performance, and demand trends; translated findings into actionable recommendations.
- Supported supplier and retailer business reviews with data-driven recommendations and executive-ready category insights.
- Partnered with merchandising, pricing, supply chain, and operations teams to align category strategy, execution priorities, and performance goals.
- Supported Joint Business Planning and category strategy through competitive analysis, performance reporting, and cross-functional project ownership.
Merchandising Planogram Analyst
Speedway, LLC
04.2018 - 07.2019
- Led assortment optimization and enterprise-wide planogram resets across 3,000+ stores, contributing to approximately +10% category performance improvement.
- Developed space-to-sales strategies and evaluated assortment opportunities, translating category strategy into planograms, execution guides, and cross-functional communications.
Price Book Analyst
Speedway, LLC
01.2017 - 04.2018
- Managed retail item setup, pricing accuracy, and maintenance for high-volume convenience assortments.
- Partnered with merchandising and store operations to maintain pricing integrity, item readiness, and consistent execution.
Education
Bachelor of Business Administration - Marketing & Professional Sales
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH12-2016
Skills
- Commercial Strategy & Growth: Account and category strategy, P&L management, revenue growth, go-to-market strategy, Joint Business Planning
- Customer & Supplier Leadership: CPG partnerships, negotiation, executive presentations, cross-functional and project leadership
- Category & Retail Execution: Assortment, pricing, distribution, promotional strategy, retail execution, innovation and new product launches
- Analytics & Planning: Category insights, data-driven selling, demand planning, forecasting, Circana (IRI), Power BI
Timeline
Category Manager – Snacking
7-Eleven, Inc.
03.2022 - Current
Category Data Analyst
7-Eleven, Inc.
07.2019 - 03.2022
Merchandising Planogram Analyst
Speedway, LLC
04.2018 - 07.2019
Price Book Analyst
Speedway, LLC
01.2017 - 04.2018
Bachelor of Business Administration - Marketing & Professional Sales
University of Cincinnati
STRATEGIC DIFFERENTIATORS
- 9+ years of retail and CPG experience across category management, analytics, merchandising, pricing, and commercial strategy, translating insights into growth strategies and executive recommendations.
- Deep experience partnering with national CPG brands and managing complex cross-functional initiatives from strategy through retail execution.
- Extensive snacking expertise across cookies, crackers, nutrition, candy, and broader snack categories, with hands-on ownership of assortment, innovation, distribution, promotion, and space planning.