Inventory Manager

About Us

Ampersand Brands is a growing portfolio of beloved confectionery brands, including Hammond’s Candies, the iconic hand-crafted candy maker, and Lolli & Pops, a premium retail and gifting brand with a national presence. The company is backed by strong growth ambitions, combining innovation, brand storytelling, and operational excellence to expand its reach and solidify its position as a leading player in the U.S. confections industry.

Position Overview

The Inventory Manager is responsible for planning, replenishing, and optimizing inventory across all Lolli & Pops retail locations. This role ensures stores have the right products at the right time while balancing inventory investment, maximizing in-stock positions, and supporting sales and profitability.

Working cross-functionally with Merchandising, Store Operations, Distribution, Finance, Purchasing, and Marketing, the Inventory Manager develops inventory strategies that support seasonal launches, promotional initiatives, and long-term business growth while maintaining inventory accuracy and operational efficiency.

Key Responsibilities

Inventory Planning & Control

• Manage inventory levels across all Lolli & Pops retail stores and distribution centers.
• Establish inventory targets, safety stock levels, and replenishment parameters by SKU and location.
• Allocate inventory for new store openings, seasonal launches, promotions, and marketing initiatives.
• Monitor inventory health and proactively resolve overstocks, stockouts, and slow-moving inventory.
• Balance inventory investment while maintaining targeted service levels and product availability.

Forecasting & Replenishment

• Partner with Merchandising to develop item-level and store-level demand forecasts.
• Execute replenishment strategies based on sales trends, seasonality, promotions, and inventory performance.
• Manage automated replenishment and purchase recommendations.
• Analyze sales trends and forecast accuracy to continuously improve inventory performance.
• Adjust inventory plans in response to business trends, promotional activity, and new product launches.

Inventory Analytics & Reporting

• Maintain accurate inventory data within ERP and POS systems (e.g., CounterPoint, Sage, or similar).
• Develop dashboards and KPI reporting to monitor inventory performance.
• Analyze key inventory metrics, including:
• • Inventory Turns
  • Weeks of Supply
  • Fill Rate
  • In-Stock Percentage
  • Sell-Through
  • Inventory Aging
  • Gross Margin Return on Inventory Investment (GMROII)
• Present inventory insights and recommendations that improve productivity, profitability, and inventory efficiency.

Store Operational Execution

• Oversee inventory transfers between stores and distribution centers.
• Manage store replenishment processes.
• Lead cycle count programs and annual physical inventories.
• Investigate inventory discrepancies and implement corrective actions.
• Partner with Store Operations to improve inventory accuracy and execution across all locations.

Vendor & Supply Coordination

• Collaborate with Purchasing and vendors to align order timing and quantities with inventory forecasts.
• Track inbound shipments and proactively communicate inventory risks or delays.
• Support the onboarding of new vendors from an inventory planning and logistics perspective,

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Merchandising on assortment planning, product lifecycle management, and seasonal strategies.
• Collaborate with Purchasing to align purchase orders with inventory forecasts and replenishment needs.
• Work with Marketing to support promotional events, product launches, and seasonal campaigns.
• Partner with Finance on inventory valuation, reserve planning, and inventory reporting.
• Support Store Operations with inventory-related initiatives, issue resolution, and process improvements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Merchandising, Finance, or a related field preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in inventory planning, allocation, replenishment, merchandise planning, or inventory management.
• Retail inventory management experience required.
• Multi-store retail experience strongly preferred.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel proficiency.
• Experience with ERP and POS systems such as CounterPoint, Sage, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, or similar.
• Experience with reporting and business intelligence tools such as Power BI or Tableau preferred.

Key Competencies

• Inventory Planning & Replenishment
• Forecasting & Demand Planning
• Allocation Strategy
• Data Analysis & Financial Acumen
• Retail Operations Knowledge
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Strong Organizational & Project Management Skills
• Excellent Communication & Presentation Skills
• Detail-Oriented with a Proactive, Solutions-Focused Mindset

Success Metrics

• Improve inventory turns while maintaining target service levels.
• Reduce out-of-stock rates across all retail locations.
• Increase forecast accuracy.
• Improve inventory accuracy across stores and distribution centers.
• Reduce aged and excess inventory.
• Improve sell-through on seasonal and promotional products.
• Increase Gross Margin Return on Inventory Investment (GMROII).
• Maintain target weeks of supply.
• Achieve shrink and inventory accuracy goals.

Why This Role Matters

The Inventory Manager plays a critical role in delivering an exceptional customer experience by ensuring every Lolli & Pops store has the right products at the right time. Through effective inventory planning, forecasting, and replenishment, this role helps maximize sales, optimize inventory investment, and support the continued growth and success of the business.