The Category Management 101 Session, presented Kelly Fulford of General Mills Convenience, will share a comprehensive overview of Category Management concepts and principles in the context of their specific application to Convenience Stores. This session will break down the definition of category management into a basic, easy-to-understand definition and discuss how to leverage data to make the best assortment decisions. In addition, it will provide some basic merchandising guidelines that will help retailers organize their most important categories in a way that makes the most sense to their consumer. This session will also explore the convenience store shopper and the distinct opportunities and actionable takeaways that can be applied by understanding the unique shopping habits of today’s consumers.
About Kelly Fulford:
Kelly is the Senior Category Development Manager at General Mills Convenience. She joined General Mills in 2003 and has held numerous positions across multiple functions of the organization including category management, sales, marketing, and operations. In her current role, Kelly is responsible for leading the Convenience Category Management team and all category management related activities for key distributors and retailers across the United States. She has worked in category management over the past 4 years and has been instrumental in elevating the category management tools and capabilities for General Mills.Prior to General Mills Inc, Kelly worked in the financial industry for over 15-years and held several senior executive positions in marketing and sales operations.
Kelly received her Bachelor’s degree from Concordia University majoring in Communications and Organizational Management. Kelly obtained her Master’s degree in Organizational Management from Concordia University in 2001, and is currently working towards her MBA. She will be graduating in June, 2012.
