Cindy Barr

Experience

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  Spec's Music

  Jan 1984 - Jan 1991

  Director of Purchasing and Product Management

  Managed all inventory related efforts for 55 store regional music and video chainSpec's grew from a 17 store privately owned chain to a 57 store publicly owned chain, my responsibilities through this process included creating a centralized purchasing department consisting of 9 buyers and determining distribution center inventories to support store assortments and salesContributed to the initial design and implementation of a point of sale inventory system utilizing automated replenishment strategies Show less

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  Blockbuster Music Stores

  Jan 1992 - Jan 1996

  Director, Senior Buyer

  Directed all purchasing, merchandising, and marketing efforts for urban music, contributing up to $130 million in annual salesRecognized in Billboard Magazine as the favorite chain to shop by hip hop and r&b buyersUtilizing innovative marketing programs and market targeted pricing strategies, increased margins and turns in urban music to significantly over perform the largest music category of pop/rockCreated and negotiated vendor funding for marketing and discount programs on new releases, resulting in an increase in Blockbuster's national market share in urban music from 8% to 25% on most urban releasesAdvertising and marketing funding supported by vendors for the urban music category more than doubled the funding (as a percentage of purchases) received for any other category of music Show less

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  Blockbuster Music

  Jan 1997 - Jan 1999

  VP Purchasing

  Chain was created by series of acquisitions of regional chains, as well as new store openings, for a total of 525 stores with sales of $500 million in music annually; managed all inventory efforts; regionally and corporatelyReduced inventories post acquisitions by more than 20% with no significant increase in vendor returns by implementing a markdown program supported by vendor fundingCreated new processes, worked with corporate on new inventory management systems, and redeveloped team with corporate move to Dallas in 1997; only 20% of Blockbuster's employees moved from Florida to DallasCoordinated all in store efforts with Blockbuster store operations teamDeveloped profitable music program for over 3,000 Blockbuster Video stores Show less

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  Alliance Entertainment Corporation

  Jan 2000 - Jan 2006

  Vice President of Purchasing

  Vice President of Corporate Purchasing, supporting AEC sales of up to $1.2 billion annuallyManaged staff of 12 buyers supporting inventory in 2 distribution centers for clients that include Barnes and Noble, Target.com, Amazon, brick and mortar and online retailers, independent retailers, chain retailers, (as well as those clients listed above under VMI Services)Extensive sku selection of over 300,000 cd and movie titles, doing business with over 300 unique vendorsAccountable for corporate inventory turns, margins, vendor relationships and negotiations, product returns, AEC database management (a primary source of data for many e-retailers) Show less

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  Alliance Entertainment

  Jun 2006 - Apr 2011

  Group VP, VMI Services

  The VMI division ran the music and or video business for retailers such as Toys r Us, Meijer, HEB, Kmart, Brandsmart, and Sears. These responsibilities included all product purchasing, replenishment and allocation, open to buy creation and maintenance, pricing, marketing (internal and external), and in some cases in store merchandising.

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  Island Tropical Foliage

  Jul 2012 - Aug 2013

  Sales & Marketing

  Island Tropical Foliage is a 25 acre nursery in Homestead, Florida, in the business of growing and brokering tropical plants and trees, spring flowering plants, and plants, trees and all supplies necessary to create or maintain any landscaping project.

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  MetLife and Mass Mutual

  Sept 2013 - Aug 2017

  Financial Services

  Sales and marketing of Life, Disability and Long Term Care Insurance; also investment and retirement solutions.

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  Crown Center Executive Suites

  Jan 2017 - now

  • Executive Director

    Jul 2018 - now

  • Director of Sales and Marketing

    Jan 2017 - now