SARAH BARBASH
New York,NY
Summary
Strategic senior business partner that analyzes, plans, forecasts, and evaluates data to support and implement profitable merchandise strategies. Creates innovative and efficient solutions for business opportunities and risks within consumer goods (retail and wholesale) Develop strategies that will deliver and maximize business goals and objectives.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
Work History
Planning Manager: Mens Omni
Tommy Hilfiger
10.2023 - Current
- Managing a yearly business of $430M, 5% growth YoY, with an average of 750 skus per season
- Collaborated with team members to develop a new promotional tool, which will reduce weekly workload by 15% allowing more productive conversation to happen
- Streamlined process with ecom.
Planning Manager: Accessories Omni
Tommy Hilfiger
03.2022 - 10.2023
- Promoted to accessories team in order to advise and guide the team in all business operations, while providing direction and support to the director
- Company initiative to merge Ecom/Outlet and did so with myself as the manager
- Moved to Accessories in order to help business grow by 15-20% from last year
- YTD performance is +9%
- Educated a novice planner to where she was able to work independently and move to a higher position
- Streamlined reporting tools into a more unified structure, from too many individualized reports
- Develop annual financial budgets and in-season forecasts by Department to include Sales, Margin, Inventory, Turnover, and goals that reconcile with the company
- Present to executives on weekly business hits and misses, providing key learnings and improvements
- Interact with field representatives for continuous improvement, including right sizing Underwear products for various stores
- Continuing to work on systemic projects in order to streamline and automate promo making decisions and looking at potential use across all divisions (Mens, Womens, Kids).
Senior Merchandise Planner: Men’s NA
Tommy Hilfiger
11.2018 - 03.2022
- Manage 53% of the men’s business, $140M, 174 skus
- One direct report
- Oversee the development of annual, seasonal, monthly & weekly merchandise plans
- Construct inventory flow plans, keeping the turn and GMROI goals to meet company objectives
- Report out weekly to executives on Men’s and Women’s top business drivers that make up 15-20% of a departments total revenue
- Analyze reports to identify opportunities and make projections at the divisional level per channel
- Partner with allocation and supply chain teams to implement consistent and profitable in season replenishment strategies
- Liaise with developers to ensure functionality and business needs are met within the UI to identify systems, automate reports, continuous development and refine planning systems and enhancements in new web promotional management tool Mark Smart
- Test and audit accuracy of data output for consumer products to reduce time spent on promotional decision making and providing immediate scenarios to stakeholders
- Coordinate with team in new SAP promotional entry system, evaluated scenarios, worked with stores trouble shooting output.
Senior Merchandise Planner: Women’s NA
Tommy Hilfiger
11.2014 - 11.2018
- Oversaw yearly and seasonal topline plans and re-projecting in season with annual sales revenue $135M (42% of total Women’s Business)
- Trained and developed a Jr
- Planner to manage the Polo business
- Developed ad-hoc reports and collaborated with merchants, to determine minimum buys based on APS, selling weeks and style count to execute a reduction in inventory liabilities
- Spearheaded weekly business meetings with merchants and allocations, strategizing on shipment issues, style liabilities and sales risk and or opportunities
- Strategized with merchants on revamp of our Logo Tee-Shirt program, $3M annually
- Analyzed different scenarios and presented recommendations to cross functional teams, led to reduction of sku count and inventory levels while increasing our yearly GM$ by 20%
- Planned for the Accessories division overseeing annual sales revenue of $60M
- Managed and mentored store planners by holding weekly meetings, trained them to build plans by sub-category off topline sales
- Advised direct reports develop monthly re-forecasts and seasonal sizing recaps based off trend and history
- Partnered with cross functional team, growing the Handbag business 25% within a year
- Implemented a new core program, saving topline GM$, and developed new flow of merchandise protecting inventory during the transitional times
- Maintained strong relationships with merchants and vendors, launched new categories, ensured accuracy of buys, and adjusted when needed
- Collaborated with allocations and visual to ensure product went to the most productive stores for business goals.
Retail Planner
Esprit De Corp.
08.2007 - 12.2010
- Planner for the Accessories division, 10% of total retail sales for North America
- Managed and maintained division, store, and class forecasts on a weekly/monthly basis to maximize sales, gross margin and inventory based on current trends
- Identified and recommended weekly promotions and markdowns on slow moving items to effectively move through inventory
- Developed projections and inventory for flow programs, bringing in $600K or 15% of the total sales for accessories
- Analyzed store performance weekly and monthly to affect business decisions and future allocations.
Replenishment Planner
Haddad Brands
Sales Assistant
In Mocean Group
Education
Bachelor of Art – Fashion Merchandising -
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, ILSkills
- MS Office Applications
- Enterprise Planning
- JDA
- SAP
- Data and Trend Analysis
- Inventory Management
- Teamwork and Collaboration
- Strategic Planning
- Budgeting and forecasting
Timeline
Planning Manager: Mens Omni
Tommy Hilfiger
10.2023 - Current
Planning Manager: Accessories Omni
Tommy Hilfiger
03.2022 - 10.2023
Senior Merchandise Planner: Men’s NA
Tommy Hilfiger
11.2018 - 03.2022
Senior Merchandise Planner: Women’s NA
Tommy Hilfiger
11.2014 - 11.2018
Retail Planner
Esprit De Corp.
08.2007 - 12.2010
Replenishment Planner
Haddad Brands
Sales Assistant
In Mocean Group
Bachelor of Art – Fashion Merchandising -
Columbia College Chicago