Gary Brook

Promoted to lead and grow Furniture category. Owned category sales, margin and stock budgets, customer trading and supplier management plan, keeping a close eye on our market position. Built and developed a high-performing team of 15.

Key achievements include:

• FY24 Sales £218m, +£51m 2YoY. Net margin +2.6%.
• Led FOB SKU reduction project: 25% / 800 less options with no sales impact, reducing complexity and driving profitability through supply chain
• Introduced new stock operating model, improving availability by 7% and reducing inventory by £6m.
• Played a key role in 5-year category strategy, covering product / sourcing strategy, pricing messages and the role stores will play in the future.
• Created process for commercial teams to review web analytics and improve ROI on PPC spend by 25% in FY24, focussing on high AOV lines with best conversion rates.
• Collaborated with multiple functions to create omni-channel trading calendar, covering FOB, DTC and Branded product, supported with TV and associated marketing.
• Led negotiation and NSCAP to onboard new agent to manage Indian supply base, increasing mix to 15% (from 3%) reducing reliance on Chinese supply base.
• Spearheaded process to condense stockholding from 4 DCs into 1 central site, increasing delivered margin by 1.2ppts (£0.7m per annum)
• Set up new processes empowering team to own trading plan, deliver monthly commercial reviews, take action on over / underperformance and feed into department strategies.

Leading several hard goods and textile areas including Gallery, Home Decor, Lighting and Rugs with a mix of FOB and UK sourced products totalling 18k SKUs..

• Using sales and market data, lead seasonal range reviews, and worked collaboratively with multiple functions to recut space giving ranges more authority. Category sales +£28m / +33% in 2 years.
• Using regular international sourcing trips, condensed a disparate and complex supply base from 68 supplies to 45, improving cost and shipment efficiencies and building partnerships with key partners.
• Coached and developed a very junior team, embedding process on Monday Trade, linecard and critical-path management, range sign off and product life-cycle ways of working..
• Created and led central process to review prince increases mitigating shipping cost increases during COVID. Modeling tool allowed 30k SKUs to be reviewed with full understanding of volume, sales and margin impact Resulted in no net margin reduction vs pre-increase levels.
• Worked alongside digital team to improve online customer journey through improved CLPs, naming conventions and competitive pricing vs pureplays on DTC product.

In charge of Outerwear, Accessories and Brands category, sales £25m p.a

• Led a step-change in strategy based on range consolidation, stock phasing and reacting to changes in demand.
• Instrumental in the re-introduction of Branded proposition in the business.
• Introduced new ways of working, including improved WSSI reporting, launch tracking and sign off packs.
• Focus on up-skilling an underperforming team: 2 promotions in my final 6 months In the role.

Promoted several times to lead several teams of up to 8 across Home and Leisure categories.

• Beat sales budget by maximising space given to destination categories, backing key lines and cutting the tail, whilst still delivering margin and stock KPIs on an area with >50% churn.
• Worked with Space team to double flexible space with a value-led, seasonally relevant trade plan on Leisure.
• Led the clearance plan of overstocked bikes, reducing closing stocks by £3m and still trading profitably.
• Selected as trainer for business-wide roll out of a new WSSI system, training 40 people.