John Sabo

Global General Manager for the Soccer, Racing, and Entertainment business.

P@L responsibility across all vertical areas of the business:

DTC

Wholesale

Venue Retail

Marketing

Business Management

Primary contact for league partners at

MLS

WWE

UFC

F1

Nascar

USGA

PGA

USOPP

• Identified opportunities to improve business process flows and productivity.
• Championed innovation by encouraging cross-functional teams to pursue creative solutions to complex challenges.
• Developed measurement tools, dashboards, and reports to track metrics on adoption and effectiveness of initiatives.

General Merchandise Manager

• Presented and discussed strategy and initiative progress with senior business leaders.
• Strengthened relationships with key stakeholders, fostering trust and collaboration across the organization.
• Developed strong relationships with 125 3rd party vendors across mens, women's, and kids apparel, headwear, and hardgoods/accessories.
• Initiated 3rd party drop ship program in partnership with tech org in 2018.
• Business lead on implementing and integrating Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP for buying and planning.
• Collaborated with executive leadership team members on long-term strategic planning that ensured sustainable success for the company.

Managed a team of 7 directors with 60 buyers and assistants domestically and internationally.

- Total retail volume of 2.2 billion in 2023.

- GM% 50.4%

• Oversaw divisional marketing, advertising and new product development.
• Analyzed industry trends and tracked competitor activities to inform decision making.
• Represented organization at industry conferences and events.
• Established and maintained strong relationships with customers, vendors and strategic partners.

Led the acquisition of action sports brands Redsand, Gotcha, and MCD.

• Played an instrumental role in major project launches by managing all aspects of procurement from planning to execution.
• Maintained up-to-date knowledge of industry trends, providing valuable insights to inform purchasing decisions.
• Performed extensive vendor and supplier research to identify cost-effective options and product availability.
• Coordinated with finance teams on budgeting processes, providing accurate forecasts for product expenditures.
• Enhanced supplier performance through regular evaluations and performance improvement plans.
• Set up initial international licensing programs in 8 countries worldwide

• Built long-term supplier relationships with vendors to establish quality and competitive pricing.
• Sourced new vendors in effort to boost range of products offered in store locations while reducing costs through strategic contract negotiations.
• Maintained up-to-date knowledge of industry trends, providing valuable insights to inform purchasing decisions.
• Reviewed each store location's buying trends to ascertain correct assortment of apparel for maximum sales and profits.
• Monitored and analyzed sales records, trends, or economic conditions to anticipate consumer buying patterns.
• Studied and monitored market trends to identify potential suppliers.
• Communicated with suppliers to negotiate best pricing on apparel and accessories.
• Interacted with vendors, store managers and other stakeholders to maintain on-time deliveries.

Started in the executive training program, to store management, assistant buyer, planner, and buying roles.