Nicole Ubaka
San Leandro,CA
Summary
A successful merchant, sales driver, and team leader. Expertise in developing business strategies, delivering market leading trends, enhancing the customer experience, and managing complexity. All with the goal gaining market share and driving sales growth within a particular segment.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
Work History
Buyer, Kitchen & Home
Williams-Sonoma
10.2023 - Current
- Support and Lead the Company owned and Franchise Global team. Developing a clear merchandising strategy and driving top line sales to support customer demand and high profitability.
- Support incremental growth in all markets by serving up unique approaches to the business.
Buyer, Women's Apparel
Nordstrom Rack
08.2022 - 10.2023
- Execute a seasonal merchandise strategy tailored to a unique customer segment
- Which delivers sales growth, gains market share, drives profitability, and acquires a new customer
- Lead the merchandise strategy by channel, stores and online
- Optimizing the product/category investment and flow by aligning with planning and financial partners
- Build relationships internally and externally to lead engagement and support of executing the market strategy
- Letting a combination of data and expertise guide decisions
- Leading a highly functional team that is connected to our customer segment, trends, and data to support us in delivering to all KPI's.
Associate Buyer, Women's Better Apparel
Nordstrom
08.2020 - 08.2022
- Partner with buyer to execute a seasonal merchandise strategy based on customer, fashion trend and input from E-commerce and Store partners that drives growth for stores and online
- Execute a buy plan that supports the merchandise strategy by store clusters and online, optimizes the product investment by channel and aligns with financial plans
- Communicate with suppliers on performance, expected results, and adjustments due to business, leading negotiations on profitability expectations
- Direct inventory management in season, such as ensuring effective decision making around analysis, markdowns, replenishment, and reorders.
Assistant Buy Planner, Women's Designer Accessories
Nordstrom
01.2019 - 08.2020
- Drove business growth through tailoring plans and allocations to match strategy
- Developed a tool which used market data and DMA to guide allocations to ensure the product was in the right place at the right time to get to the customer the quickest
- Developed end to end supplier budgets to plan for upcoming seasons
- Pushed core assortments and offered expansion proposals for growth brands to react quickly to the customer demand
- Partnered with e-commerce peers to improve marketing and call out new and emerging trends/designers making it easier for the customer to find and shop
- Drove in season business buy chasing trends, leveraging supplier relationships, swapping out of inefficient to fuel what was working.
Assistant Buyer, Women's Soft Accessories and Belts
Nordstrom
06.2017 - 01.2019
- Improved profitability, turn, and product offering across multiple channel segments-Full Line Stores, CA, Nordstrom.com, and Trunk Club
- Delivered the top results in the company earning the coveted Anniversary Cup and earned 'Buying Team of the Year'
- Led the charge in offering a YC trend segment which leveraged Nordstrom Product Group(NPG) and included the expansion of new brands driving $10mil+ in incremental sales
- Participated in record breaking NPG collaborations Something Navy, and Atlantic Pacific
- Strong communicator of trends, helping to influence product development and buying decisions
- Drove all marketing strategies to leverage our investment and highlight top trends to customers
- Managed in-season business buy chasing trends, category and brands with reorders and inventory management.
Divisional Retail Merchandiser, Accessories Division
Nordstrom Mid-West
11.2015 - 06.2017
- Responsible for driving the customer experience and executing the merchandising vision in 20 stores across 10 states while supporting 500+ employees
- Developed and promoted top talent to larger responsibilities, merchant and store manager roles
- Had a direct line to the merchandising team to quickly impact assortment and depth to ensure we could capitalize on the customer demand and increase sales
- Leveraged partnerships with store managers and regional peers to drive initiatives forward and ensure execution was seamless and consistent
- Enhance the product mix to better serve the customer
- Constantly developed and fostered talent for the region and company.
Education
Bachelor of Business Administration - Marketing and Entrepreneurship
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY
12.2007
Skills
- Excel
- Management/Development
- Negotiation
- Analytics/Strategy
- Customer Experience
- Process Improvement
- Product Strategy
- Vendor Relationships
- Marketing
- E-commerce
References
References available upon request
Timeline
Buyer, Kitchen & Home
Williams-Sonoma
10.2023 - Current
Buyer, Women's Apparel
Nordstrom Rack
08.2022 - 10.2023
Associate Buyer, Women's Better Apparel
Nordstrom
08.2020 - 08.2022
Assistant Buy Planner, Women's Designer Accessories
Nordstrom
01.2019 - 08.2020
Assistant Buyer, Women's Soft Accessories and Belts
Nordstrom
06.2017 - 01.2019
Divisional Retail Merchandiser, Accessories Division
Nordstrom Mid-West
11.2015 - 06.2017
Bachelor of Business Administration - Marketing and Entrepreneurship
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY
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