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.