Vice President of Store Operations

Overview The Vice President of Store Operations leads and integrates all store-level merchandising, department performance, pricing execution, promotional compliance, inventory management, and operational performance across all company locations. This role ensures effective execution of merchandising strategies, maintains excellent standards, and drives customer satisfaction, sales growth, gross margin improvement, and consistent brand standards. The VP of Operations serves as the primary liaison between Merchandising, Marketing, Supply Chain, Suppliers, and Store Operations to drive sales, profitability, inventory controls, productivity goals, and an exceptional customer shopping experience. With a significant focus on Fresh business, particular emphasis is placed on Produce, Meat, Seafood, Deli, Bakery, and Prepared Foods performance, presentation, quality, and profitability. Key Responsibilities Lead execution of all company merchandising strategies across all store locations. Drive sales growth by enforcing product assortment, pricing, promotions, merchandising standards, and seasonal programs to highest standards. Ensure advertisements, displays, planograms, seasonal features, and promotional events expectations are achieved and promoted. Collaborate with the merchandising team to maximize sales, gross profit, and customer value. Partner with the finance team to measure and evaluate each store and department’s performance and recommend corrective actions and improvements. Focus on brand points of difference and other company initiatives to improve growth and maintain competitive advantage. Identify opportunities to improve basket size, transaction counts, and customer loyalty. Implement merchandising and operational standards for Produce, Meat, Seafood, Deli, Prepared Foods, and Bakery departments and encourage tasteful merchandising collaboration. Monitor fresh department sales, gross margin, shrink, labor productivity, and customer satisfaction. Ensure exceptional product quality, freshness, presentation, and service standards. Drive seasonal, local, and specialty merchandising initiatives. Support innovation and emerging consumer trends across all categories. Champion & encourage merchandising across departments to maximize sales opportunities. Pricing & Promotional Execution Lead execution of the Company's pricing strategy. Monitor key value item (KVI) competitiveness and market positioning in partnership with merchandising team. Ensure pricing consistency and promotional compliance across all locations. Evaluate promotional effectiveness and recommend improvements. Support initiatives that improve the Company's overall price image and competitive position. Store Operations Management Establish and maintain operational standards across all stores. Ensure compliance with food safety regulations, sanitation standards, labor policies, and operating procedures. Monitor customer service, store conditions, and execution consistency. Develop action plans to improve store performance and operational effectiveness. Support store openings, remodels, and major operational initiatives. Drive sales growth, gross margin improvement, gross profit dollars, and overall profitability. Analyze sales trends, merchandising performance, inventory productivity, and operating results. Develop and monitor store and departmental budgets and performance targets. Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency and profitability. Inventory & Shrink Management Oversee inventory productivity and replenishment effectiveness. Improve in-stock conditions while minimizing excess inventory. Lead shrink reduction initiatives with emphasis on Fresh departments. Monitor inventory accuracy and compliance with inventory control procedures. Leadership & Talent Development Recruit, develop, and mentor store leadership teams. Establish performance expectations and accountability measures. Conduct regular store visits, merchandising reviews, and operational assessments. Develop succession plans for key operational and merchandising positions. Foster a culture of customer focus, execution excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement. Customer Experience Champion initiatives that improve the overall shopping experience. Monitor customer satisfaction metrics and feedback. Ensure stores maintain exceptional standards of cleanliness, presentation, service, and product quality. Support programs that strengthen customer loyalty and community engagement. Cross-Functional Collaboration Partner with Merchandising, Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, Human Resources, and Loss Prevention. Participate in strategic planning and growth initiatives. Lead operational execution of company-wide merchandising and business initiatives. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Operational budgeting process participation Comparable store sales growth Display and merchandising compliance Inventory controls and shrink management Shrink percentage Inventory turns Labor productivity Customer satisfaction scores Food safety audit results Employee retention and engagement Store standards compliance Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in business, Retail Management, Marketing, Supply Chain, or related field preferred. 10+ years of progressive grocery retail leadership experience. 5+ years leading multi-store merchandising, fresh foods, and operational functions. Demonstrated success improving sales, gross margin, shrink performance, and profitability. Strong experience in Produce, Meat, Seafood, Deli, Bakery, and Center Store merchandising. Experience in budgeting, forecasting and P&L management. Grocery merchandising expertise. Fresh foods merchandising and operations. Strategic planning and execution. Financial and analytical acumen. Inventory management and shrink control. Clear understanding of pricing and promotional strategy execution. Leadership and talent development. Customer-focused decision making. Effective communication and presentation skills. Reporting Structure Reports To: Chief Operating Officer Direct Reports: Store Managers, Store Department Managers, Loss Prevention, Facility Manager Success Profile The ideal candidate is an operational and merchandising-focused grocery executive who champions fresh department excellence, pricing discipline, and promotional execution to support sustainable sales growth and profitability. This individual is highly visible in stores, deeply knowledgeable in Fresh categories, and capable of creating consistent execution across multiple locations while maintaining strong operational standards. #J-18808-Ljbffr Executive Leadership Solutions