I am excited you're here. This will be the first of many opportunities I take to connect with you. Unfortunately this first one is going to be heavy on me. I figured it was worthwhile to talk a bit about how I got here. Along with that, some time on "why" Retail Optics and lastly, how I feel I can help you.
Where It All Started
Fall of 2002 I started working at Target. Being from Minnesota originally, Target is iconic. You are brainwashed early on in life that its the best store around. After a couple years in the stores I moved to the corporate side of things where I essentially stumbled into food. At that time food was a growing part of Targets business, but not quite the behemoth its becoming now. At this point, and in an effort to avoid my entire life story, I will summarize the next 15 years into what ended up being mostly time spent in produce and it (forgive the hyperbole) changed my life. In that time I learned sourcing, supply chain, merchandising, buying, pricing, margin, packaging, private label and many things in-between.
It was really my work in buying that led me here. I was at this great intersection of growing food business and smaller brands. I developed a passion for working with these brands and helping Target grow in categories like refrigerated snacking and plant based / vegetarian.
I left Target in 2021 and moved over to FDM sales which gave me a crash course in helping small brands grow in the food space. Everything from setting a retail, to new innovation to getting setup with Kehe. Truly invaluable experience.
Why Retail Optics
After all that time spent at Target and FDM, all the ups and the downs, what I kept coming back to was the passion and the desire to continue to work with brands and help them grow. I really love working with brands and entrepreneurs. Utilizing all of this knowledge and skills I've developed to do so.
Coupled with my experience in retail as buyer at Target and my time spent in sales, I feel Retail Optics can offer all types of brands in food the help and guidance they need. Whether that is merchandising, supply chain, innovation or just some help with Target. Big problems to bouncing ideas, the goal is to help brands grow through my unique view of a buyer’s lens
How Can I Help
Ultimately there are a lot of smart, helpful people giving advice in this business and that's great. My goal is to do that same. The difference is I want to give it through the lens of a buyer. I have been one one at a prestige retailer. I understand the challenges and feel I can help best position your product to succeed
Thank You
Feel free to come back to this page as I will be uploading content here that I think is interesting or relevant in the food space or to entrepreneurs. Soon after I type this I will be heading to southern California to Expo West 2022. Hopefully meeting some of you there! I plan to provide my own takes and thoughts around the show here so please be on the look out for that.
If you would like to hear more from me in audio form I will also be posting a couple podcasts I have done in this feed as well. You can get a feel for my perspective on the food business and Target there as well.
I am just getting started here with Retail Optics but couldn't be more excited for what's to come.
Cheers
Ryan