Jerry L.

Farmer
3055 Lauren Parc Road Decatur GA 30032 * (770) 652-0775 * jf7267aa@westpost.net
Position Of Interest: Retail Manager Bringing the following:
Frontline/Checkout Services Management *Sales Management *Operations/Back Office
Management *Payroll Management * Inventory Control *Merchandising *Procurement
* Shipping/Receiving *Project Management *Training *Team Building
Professional Experience
I offer over ten years of experience managing different retail functions. I hav
e been praised in the
highly respected institutions I've worked in for the ability to produce wanted
results within each of my
leadership roles. My success in these roles are attributed to my dedication to
team building, training &
coaching, clarity in communication, & leading by example. The following is an o
verview of positions held.
Team Leader / Assistant Sales Manager - IKEA Atlanta, GA 3/05 to present
Stockroom Manager - Frontgate Atlanta, GA 11/03 - 3/05
Stockroom Coordinator - Pottery Barn Atlanta, GA 3/02 - 11/03
Optimum Support Team Leader - Neiman Marcus Atlanta, GA 10/99 - 3/02
CNC Plasma Cutter Op. - O'Brian Mfg. Wilson, NC 12/96 - 10/99

Sales & Merchandise Management

* Optimizing sales through the successful implementation of brand concept and th
e commercial communication of the brands range.
* Develop action plans for the life cycle of merchandise to insure functional sa
le and stock levels.
* Strengthen the relationship between store functions (e.g. Logistics, etc.)to i
nsure higher productivity through separation of duties.
* Conducting competitive monitoring within the local market to remain true to th
e brand strategy, as well as prepare to increase market share via aggressive pri
cing strategies.
* Forecasting and understanding of daily business traffic to staff accordingly.
* As the ASM of Work IKEA (office furniture/flooring department) I was integral
in surpassing the goal 7% of the store's total sales to being responsible for 8.
44% of the store's total sales for fiscal year 2006. The increase was done by cr
eating a motivated team that was well trained in IKEA selling principles, resear
ching the market we were a part of, & making sure we presented products of inter
est.
* In 2007/8 I was integral in continuing the trend of increasing the share perce
ntage compared to the overall stores sales by owning 21% of the stores total sal
es during a slow retail season as a Leadership Business's Team Leader.
* Implemented operations that exceeded the corporate standard for best practices
in regards to receiving & processing shipments.
Staff Management
* Responsible for developing coworkers into confident team members, intent on ex
celling within their roles.
* Whether by delegating priorities through leaders on my team, or communicating
said priorities myself, the strategy is understood and implemented according to
plan.
* Coaching and training team members with the aim to empower them to do their jo
b in a good way.
* Create development/succession plans for team members who exhibit the desire to
redirect their careers.
* Keep turnover low through an open door policy of communication, clarity of dut
ies, responsible leadership, & incentive programs (e.g. movie tickets, dinners o
ut, gift cards, etc.) recognizing excellence.
* The direction of staff management we took helped decrease the store's turnover
from 65% to 30%, and included in the latter percentage were in-house promotions
and development redirections.

Back Office Management

* In my business support function, I operate with key holding responsibilities;
open and close the store.
* Reconcile the previous day's business to make sure numbers match electronicall
y and manually.
* Proper accounting of daily business insures the ability to forecast in a good
way.
* Create historical data (via MS Office suite) for staff and business to stay mi
ndful of repeating trends throughout the year.
* Our team achieved a 98% (out of a possible100%, & up from 67% the year before)
in our performance evaluation for working within the framework of IKEA's Rules
& Guidelines in a good way. This was the greatest turnaround for any team in IKE
A NA, coupled with the fact that we also were in the top 5 out of 37 stores.
Certifications / Citations
* MAST (Managerial & Specialists Training) Ken Blanchard Company - Through IK
EA - 2009
* Situation Leadership II Ken Blanchard Company - Through IKEA - 2007
* Time Management Element K - 2006
* Leading Effective Teams Element K - 2006
Education
* Saint Augustine's College, 1992
* Currently studying 6* (Six Sigma) principles.

Reference will be furnished upon request