BRIAN FOSTER

810 Harding Street

Westfield, New Jersey 07090
Residential: (908) 654-6682
Cell: (908) 209-9357
E-mail: bf8ec6de@westpost.net
* QUALIFICATION PROFILE *
* Sales Analysis, Planning & Forecasting: extensive experience.
* Inventory Planning & Analysis: extensive experience.
* Retail Operations & Merchandise Analysis: over 10 years experience.
* Replenishment Planner for Wal-Mart (Retail Link, DSS, CPFR, SWAS).
* Familiar with Target (Partners-On-Line, Info Retriever) &
Kmart/Sears (Work Bench, IMA, FLASH)
* MS Access, Advanced: linking, exporting, queries, updatable queries,
cross-tab queries, IF-Then-Else equations, basic macros,
object links (scanned pictures), date calculations.
* MS Excel, Advanced: equations, conditional sum, sum-if,
cross-tabs, access links, delimited file imports, pivot tables,
Conditional checks, and advanced formatting
* BA Mathematics, Summa Cum Laude, 1991: Kean University, Union, NJ:
concentrations in Computer Science, Programming,
Business & Technical Writing.
* FORECASTING, ANALYSIS & DATABASE MANAGEMENT:
- Develop Microsoft Access databases from internal system files and integrate
other source files such as Retail Link, Partners-On-Line, Work Bench
and Excel tables: write all queries and macros to process daily updates
in minimum time while retaining data integrity and flexibility.
- Data integration includes sales, customer, product master, inventory, on
order, open orders, shipped, customer point-of-sales, planogram and
product pictures. Accuracy is maintained within 1% of the primary system.
- Develop weekly forecast, utilization & sales reports for Buyers, Management a
nd Operations personnel by comparing current stock levels to the POS &
forecast usage & quantities on-order. Also includes shipped, booked and
secondary reports with drill-down details.
- Create Weekly Planning & Forecast reports for sales management and distribute
per customer planogram using 4 & 13-week averages, weeks-of-supply,
sell-through, and buy projections up to 24-weeks.
- Create weekly buy & replenishment requirements for stock items and submit to
management & Division Managers for approval.
- Develop reports using the Wal-Mart Retail Link and the Sears/K-Mart Work
Bench systems to maintain the modular in-stock baseline. Work
directly with the Wal-Mart Replenishment Manager to maintain the MABD;
write the annual forecast and create new & corrective event
strategies to maintain item-store in-stock & replenishment requirements.
- Combine information from Access & Excel reports, Forecasts, Retail Link, Work
Bench, Partners-On-Line to resolve supply, demand, inventory
and shipping issues.
* MERCHANDISE ANALYST for Retail Specialty Store (Small Box Chain):
- Develop expense analyses for the Executive Officers.
- Develop the monthly, quarterly & annual sales / profitability reports.
- Develop inventory aging reports to assist in markdowns & inventory reserve.
- Develop planograms for store presentations using Pegman and Intercept.
* TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION
- Experience in writing business forecasts and technical analyses.
- Experience in OCR, photographic, color slide scanning and sizing.
- Responsible for the design, graphics and layout of technical reports.
* COMPUTER OPERATIONS
- Expert: Excel & Access versions 2000/2003: develop queries, equations, databas
es,
reports & spreadsheets.
- Experienced: Windows, Word, Photoshop, MS Office, internet research.
* BUDGET & RESOURCE ADMINISTRATOR for an INFANTRY BATTALION:
- United States Army; 1st Bn (M) 39th Inf, Baumholder, West Germany.
(1983-l987, Sergeant):
- Security Clearance: NATO Secret. Primary duties: computerized budgeting,
resourcing and allocation.
- Accomplishments: Twice awarded the Army Commendation Medal for Battalion &
Brigade forecasting & planning;
Participated in the first US/NATO Planning Conference (8th Army,1986)
that computerized the European supply chain.
- Planned, & obtained approval for the battalion Command Operating Budget.
* WORK HISTORY*
Accessory Network Group.; 350 5th Ave, 4th FL, New York City, NY 10018
(April 2010-to-date).
- Director, Planning & Forecasting for Wal-Mart account.
Shalom International; 1050 Amboy Ave., Perth Amboy, NJ 08861.
(Full Time Employee: Dec 2001-April 2010; & Active Consultant:
Database & Reporting Consultant April 2010-Present.)
- Director, Planning & Forecasting for the company.
- Duties include the development of databases matching the company
system activity by item, vendor & customer including the
complete inventory and invoice sales. Also integrated was
info on each planogram, POS data from Retail Link &
Partners-On-Line, Workbench and EDI 852-reports.
- Develop numerous and individualized forecast, purchasing, &
inventory reports for the President, CFO, sales & division
managers. Each report is designed to clearly present a
comparison between the current activity to the specific
requirements of a planogram, customer, inventory or forecast.
- Forecast inventory requirements utilizing POS and shipping
information to project purchase quantities and
delivery dates & oordinate with the Buyer.
Rose Art Industries, Inc.; 6 Regent St., Livingston, NJ 07039
(Dec 1999-Dec 2001).
- Assistant Forecast Analyst
- Duties included the development, linking and maintenance of Access
atabases for each item shipped,forecast, and inventoried. Sales &
Inventory files were updated while individual forecasts were
eceived by email.
- Developed individualized reports for senior management, planners &
sales personnel.
G+G Retail, Inc.; 8501 Westside Ave., North Bergen, NJ 07047
(May 1999-Dec 1999).
- Assistant Purchasing Manager.
- Duties: Included planning, purchasing & distribution of clothing
labels (3-million per month). Accomplishment: developed a
tracking & inventory system utilizing Excel and Access.
Strauss Discount Auto; 9A Brick Plant Road, South River, NJ 08882
(Sep 1994-May 1999).
- As Merchandising Analyst responsibilities included analyzing comp
sales & profitability and developing financial reports for
Senior Management.
As Operations Support Manager responsibilities included costing
and the purchase of supplies, vendor negotiation, and contract
services while providing point-of-contact for district &
regional managers.
- Accomplishments: Initially hired as Retail Store Manager; transferred
to New Store Design; transferred to Operations and then to
Merchandising.
Streamlined the supply chain & delivery procedures that lowered
expenses $450,000 the first year and tracked 34% under
budget 2nd year.