Blaine Applebee

• Supervise and direct a team of 12 people, focused on delivering merchandising standards and bridging innovation.
• Champion diversity and inclusion within the team, fostering a positive work environment for all employees.
• Established successful vendor relationships to negotiate favorable terms and pricing.
• Influenced cross-functional teams for better collaboration and streamlined execution of merchandising initiatives, working closely with Operations, Construction, Store Design, Legal, Risk Management, and Marketing.

Cumberland Farms team assumed responsibility for all of North America operations in January 2020, managing 1800 stores in 31 states. C-store brands included Cumberland Farms, Fastrac, Turkey Hill, Tom Thumb, Certified Oil, Minit Mart, Loaf 'N Jug, Kwik Shop, and Quik Stop.

• Supervise and direct 32 team members
• Manage large-scale projects and initiatives across 1800 stores, including rollout of PDI to 1200 newly acquired stores, restructure of complete EG/CF Merchandising Team, and creation and rollout of new Planogram process
• Oversee creation of all new store layouts, and assist in successfully opening 22 new/remodeled stores since 2020
• Develop and implement new merchandising vehicles to drive sales, profit and brand objectives
• Manage CAPEX budget and reporting, as well as Excessive and Obsolete Report for Marketing Team
• Additional responsibilities to include lottery, gaming, in-store music, brand partners, proprietary foods, and franchisees
• Manage Planogram creation, maintenance, and execution for 1800 stores
• Assist and support all company initiatives from a Merchandising role

• Supervise and direct 18 team members
• Oversee creation of all new store layouts, and assist in successfully opening 136 new/remodeled stores
• Manage multiple, large-scale projects across 600 stores
• Manage CAPEX budget and reporting, as well as Excessive and Obsolete Report for Marketing Team
• Monitor daily Pricebook compliance for 600 stores, ensuring accuracy and price change compliance.
• Monitor and control inventory, encompassing daily production, workflow and distribution
• Determine weekly priorities for Merchandising Team
• Category Manager for In-Store music and Lottery
• Manage Planogram creation, maintenance, and execution for 600 stores

• Led, coached, and mentored all levels of management to meet and exceed goals on consistent basis, through team motivation and setting/achieving high expectations
• Built exceptional bench strength of professionals, many of whom are still part of the winning team today
• Helped move team members into multiple positions within the company, such as Real Estate, Marketing, and Auditing
• Oversaw daily operations of 55 stores, managing financials and company objectives

• Achieved largest Company EBITDA contribution last two years in position
• Oversaw training and development of core team including 12 Managers, 2 Assistant Managers, 3 Managers in Training, and 133 hourly team members
• Disseminated reports and data from home office to share/interpret with management team to exceed expectations
• Operational expertise in Merchandising, Loss Prevention, Human Resources, Risk Management, Sales, and Financial Reports
• Helped launch new ideas to maximize efficiency
• Liaison with town officials, attended & spoke at various Town Meetings