VP, Merchandising

Since day one, back in 1967, Slumberland Furniture has valued love, dignity, and respect. Being a family-owned company, we are proud to offer a kind, friendly, and supportive atmosphere where we share a common goal. Our goal is to provide an exceptional customer experience and quality furniture for a great price. 

Primary Objective & Scope of Position:

The VP of Merchandising leads the merchandising strategy, product assortment, pricing, and lifecycle management for Slumberland across all channels.

This role is accountable for delivering a compelling, profitable, and differentiated product offering that drives traffic, conversion, and margin. The VP ensures strong alignment across Supply Chain, Marketing, Sales, and Finance to connect product decisions to in-stock performance, customer demand, and overall business results.

Essential Functions and Accountabilities VP Merchandising:

• Develop and execute a merchandising strategy that supports revenue growth, margin targets, and brand positioning.
• Own the end-to-end product lifecycle: selection, launch, performance management, and exit.
• Ensure assortment reflects:
  • Customer needs and trends
  • Competitive positioning
  • Slumberland brand identity
• Balance top-line growth, margin, and inventory productivity.

• Define and manage category strategies and assortment architecture.
• Establish clear pricing and promotional strategies aligned with margin goals.
• Monitor and actively manage:
  • Sales performance
  • Margin performance
  • Product turns and productivity
• Make timely decisions on product expansion, optimization, or exit.
• Ensure strong discipline around product testing and rollout.

• Partner closely with Supply Chain to ensure:
  • Strong in-stock position by category
  • Clear visibility into product availability and timelines
• Align on forecasting, commitments, and inventory strategy.
• Take shared ownership of inventory outcomes, not just product selection.
• Ensure product strategies are operationally executable.

• Own strategic vendor relationships and sourcing strategy.
• Negotiate and manage:
  • Cost
  • Terms
  • Exclusivity and differentiation opportunities
• Build partnerships that support:
  • Innovation
  • Speed to market
  • Competitive advantage
• Hold vendors accountable through clear expectations and performance metrics.

• Lead development of store environment and product presentation standards.
• Ensure alignment between:
  • Product
  • Visual merchandising
  • Customer experience
• Partner with Marketing and Sales to create a consistent and compelling in-store and online experience.
• Drive clarity on how product is shown, sold, and supported in stores.

• Act as a core driver of the business, working closely with:
  • President (growth, brand, product direction)
  • Supply Chain (inventory and execution)
  • Marketing (campaigns and product storytelling)
  • Sales (store execution and feedback loop)
  • Finance (margin, profitability, and forecasting)
• Ensure strong alignment between product decisions and business execution.
• Eliminate silos and drive team-first decision making.

• Build and lead a high-performing merchandising team.
• Set clear expectations around:
  • Ownership
  • Urgency
  • Decision-making
  • Follow-through
• Develop team capabilities in:
  • Category management
  • Financial acumen
  • Product strategy
• Ensure strong bench strength and succession planning.

• Provide clear, timely, and actionable communication to leadership:
  • Product performance
  • Risks and opportunities
  • Key decisions needed
• Be a visible and engaged leader across the organization.
• Actively participate in leadership forums and strategic discussions.
• Ensure merchandising is well understood across all functions.

• Own merchandising KPIs, including:
  • Sales and comp performance
  • Gross margin
  • Inventory turns
  • Product productivity
• Deliver monthly executive-level reporting:
  • What happened
  • Why it happened
  • What actions are being taken
• Partner with Finance on forecasting and financial planning.
• Manage and optimize the merchandising budget and vendor investments.

Bachelor's Degree in related field and seven to ten years of related experience; or equivalent combination of training, education and experience.

Ability to occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds, and utilize senses such as vision, speech and hearing. Work primarily within a climatically-controlled office environment. Travel is required.