Octavian Rusu

Manage strategic purchasing, supervising a professional team of food & non-food buyers. Perform review of results & evaluation of individual buyer KPIs & personal development. Negotiate contracts with major suppliers. Conduct strategic analysis, planning, forecasting, budgets. Develop comprehensive tactical marketing & communication plans. Define assortment strategies, category roles & procedures. Identify & implement an array of process & strategy improvements to reduce costs & boost profits.

Managed a major project to align the merchandise structures in the Real countries (Poland, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Romania) into 1 cohesive and unique operation. Oversaw a team of 1 food coordinator, 1 non-food coordinator, 2 assistants & 1 commercial manager. Travelled to each country to coordinate the operations, liaising with 50 buyers. Worked closely with the team to review & approve any plans involving layout and promotional/seasonal calendars to ensure strict conformance with the overall strategy.