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Kiuanna Thomas
Brooklyn,NY
Work Preference
Summary
Experienced Assistant Buyer specializing in market brand buying in kids, women’s and mens categories. Skilled at managing multi-vendor relationships, optimizing margins through strategic negotiations, and executing seasonal line plans that drive profitability. Proven track record of exceeding sales targets and delivering actionable insights through competitive analysis and trend forecasting.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
Work History
Merchant Operations Associate
Uncommon Goods
Brooklyn, USA
11.2025 - Current
- Serve as primary liaison between buying team and vendor partners; resolve inventory issues and support product launches
- Manage end to end vendor onboarding including contracts, compliance, and system setup; Support buying team with operational tasks throughout product development and launch
- Maintain vendor and product data across internal systems to support accurate reporting
Senior Associate Merchandiser
Haddad Brands
New York, USA
01.2024 - 04.2025
- Developed merchandising strategies managing 300-400 SKUs across knit/woven tops, sweaters, and denim bottoms for Levi’s Girls (sizes 0-16); improved SKU productivity and global alignment by 20%
- Partnered with Levi’s corporate to translate women’s silhouette trends and market insights into girls product assortments
- Built seasonal line plans in collaboration with Design, Sales, Sourcing, and Planning teams to ensure we were aligned on strategies, consumer demand, deliverables, and financial objectives.
- Presented seasonal assortments and business performance to leadership and cross-functional stakeholders during go to market and vendor meetings
- Conducted pre-season and in-season sales analysis; presented data-driven insights, opportunities and risks to leadership
- Led pricing and competitive analysis to establish strategies that achieved margin targets and market positioning
- Developed demand forecasts and buy recommendations with Planning to optimize revenue, margin, and inventory turn
- Coordinated sample management for retail partner meetings and presentations
Assistant Buyer
Burlington
Florence, USA
02.2020 - 07.2023
- Independently managed $8M Open-to-Buy in kids categories across key market brands such as Carter’s, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein; optimized receipt flow and inventory turns to maximize sales.
- Managed 10+ market brand vendors, including Centric Brands (30% of OTB); conducted weekly buying appointments at NY vendor showrooms
- Secured in-season chase deals at between 53-55% margin with major national brands, driving incremental business.
- Optimized vendor matrix by identifying low-margin SKUs and negotiating improved margins with alternative vendors, enhancing profitability and AUC
- Collaborated on a $20M annual kids apparel business; contributed to assortment planning, pricing, and inventory management
- Executed promotional strategies and managed purchase orders via EDI to ensure timely delivery and optimal stock levels
- Utilized Power BI dashboards for weekly sales analysis and KPI tracking; analyzed regional performance and consumer behavior
- Conducted competitive shopping and market research to identify trends and source new vendor partnerships
- Trained new Assistant Buyers on EDI systems, order entry, and open-to-buy management
- Burlington Excellence Awards: Q1 2022 Baby Basics +8% to plan (+$0.9M) | Q2 2021 Boys Outerwear +128% to plan (+$0.3M)
Merchandise Coordinator
Levi Strauss & Co
Brooklyn, USA
04.2016 - 12.2019
- Led merchandising execution for $8M Young Women's and Dockers business across major department store accounts; covering denim, knit tops, sweaters, wovens, and outerwear
- Executed assortment planning, product placement, promotions, and inventory allocation to enhance door-level productivity
- Analyzed door-level performance to optimize assortment allocation and improve sell-through rates
- Collaborated with cross-functional in-store teams to elevate brand presentation and promotional effectiveness
- Supervised and trained in-store teams on product knowledge and brand storytelling
Education
Bachelor of Science - Fashion Merchandising Management
Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY
12-2014
Associate of Applied Science - Fashion Merchandising Management
Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY
12-2012
Skills
- Open-to-Buy Management
- Retail Math
- Assortment Planning
- Inventory Analysis
- Data Analysis
- SKU Optimization
- Demand Forecasting
- Product Lifecycle Management
- Financial Planning
- Multi-Vendor Matrix Management
- Pricing Strategy
- Margin Optimization
- Strategic Negotiations
- Competitive Analysis
- Trend Forecasting
- Microsoft Office Suite - Excel (advanced)
- Google Workspace Suite
- Power BI
- Tableau
- Solution-driven
- Cross-functional collaboration
Timeline
Merchant Operations Associate
Uncommon Goods
11.2025 - Current
Senior Associate Merchandiser
Haddad Brands
01.2024 - 04.2025
Assistant Buyer
Burlington
02.2020 - 07.2023
Merchandise Coordinator
Levi Strauss & Co
04.2016 - 12.2019
Bachelor of Science - Fashion Merchandising Management
Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY
Associate of Applied Science - Fashion Merchandising Management
Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY