Store Manager - Adonis - Sequential assignments: Mississauga (Dundas), Scarborough, Gatineau, London
(2019-01)
- London opening: Opened the 60,000 sq ft store in 90 days from pre-opening, staffed a 134-person team, and scored 97.1% on food safety audit.
- Mississauga (Dundas) opening: Helped design the layout and planograms, oversaw renovations, shaped launch pricing and marketing, and hired and trained 120 staff, including 6 managers.
- Turnarounds: Reassigned between the two openings to turn around and stabilize the Scarborough and Gatineau stores.
- Delivered 4% year-over-year sales growth.
- Cut London's total shrink, fresh departments included, from 10% to 7%.
- Store ranked #2 in customer satisfaction among Ontario grocers in a third-party survey (2021).
- Built inbound replenishment, fulfillment and merchandising processes across all shifts, reducing indirect labour and safety incidents.
Store Manager (2016 to 2019) | Co-Manager (2011 to 2016) - Walmart Canada - Northern Manitoba
(2011-01 - 2019-12)
- Grew sales $8M and average basket 12% through customer loyalty initiatives.
- Store ranked 4th most profitable in Canada in 2015 and 2016, and 3rd of 400 Canadian stores in private label penetration.
- Cut shrink 52%, from 1.62% to 0.77% over 4 years, after realigning the store management structure.
- Reduced maintenance costs $1M and markdowns $800K; store paid out the maximum associate profit share.
- Led 12 assistant managers and 250+ associates; member of the Walmart Operations Development Committee.
Retail Market Entry Consultant - Independent - Middle East & North Africa
(2008-01 - 2010-12)
- Al Othaim Markets: Built the market analysis, regulatory assessment and strategic plan for a $300M expansion into Egypt by a Middle Eastern chain of 6 superstores and 50 supermarkets; the plan delivered 3 superstore openings.
- City Center Syria: Opened the country's first superstore on a $20M budget, owning product sourcing, layout and management recruitment, and coached the leadership team through its first 30 days of trading.
- Geant Egypt: Set up the Egyptian operating company for a European hypermarket brand, covering market analysis, regulatory assessment and senior management recruitment, then led the opening of its stores.
General Manager, Egypt Flagship Hypermarket - Carrefour - City Centre Maadi, Cairo
(2005-01 - 2007-12)
- Ran Carrefour's Egyptian flagship: $250M in annual sales and 800+ employees at peak, with a 12% gross margin.
- Turned around 2 underperforming Egyptian hypermarkets within 5 months.
- Owned the electronics category for all of Carrefour Egypt, from product selection to global vendor negotiation.
Deputy General Manager - Carrefour - City Centre Alexandria, Egypt
(2003-01 - 2005-12)
- Led the hypermarket opening: $16M in assets and fit-out, layout negotiated with head offices in France and Dubai, and staff recruited from 15 countries.
- Negotiated $3M in vendor opening fees, 3x budget; the store broke even in its second year.
- Earned the first HACCP certification for a Carrefour hypermarket in the Middle East.
- Second-in-command of a ~$175M operation; reversed declining customer trends by fixing merchandise flow and service levels, backed by a 6-month marketing campaign.
Electronics Department Head, Muscat and Abu Dhabi - Carrefour - Oman and UAE
(2000-01 - 2003-12)
- Led a 60-person department in Muscat; joined the opening team for the Marina Mall hypermarket, the largest in Abu Dhabi.
Sales Manager, Middle East - Music Box International - Dubai, UAE
(1992-01 - 2000-12)
- Launched the retail channel for a $40M entertainment products distributor, opening 6 stores in 4 years and leading a 20-person sales division.
