Courtney Cheng

Data-Driven Retail Leadership at Scale

12+ years across supply chain, planning, pricing, and merchandising strategy

I lead and develop teams, build strong cross-functional partnerships, and turn complex business data into clear actions that improve guest experience and deliver measurable results.

Experience spans Target roles in strategic planning, pricing and promotions, finance, merchandising, sales and operations planning, and domestic transportation—supporting multi-billion dollar businesses across Food & Beverage, Household Essentials, and Pets.

Strategic Initiatives

Selected examples from planning, promotions, assortment, and supply chain execution

Promotional Strategy Transformation

Planned and managed promotional strategy for a >$6B Household Essentials business and a >$2B Pets business, balancing affordability, loyalty, and new guest acquisition.

+$348M 2023 Promo Sales Lift

+48% vs Prior Year

Dry Grocery Financial Performance

Supported Target's largest Dry Grocery business unit (Breakfast and Warm Beverages, $1B annually) by building strategies and forecasts for sales, margin, and inventory.

+204 bps Breakfast Margin

+138 bps Warm Bev Margin

Assortment & Owned Brand Execution

Influenced assortment planning using robust financial analysis, led major assortment changes including a 20% Cereal SKU reduction, and supported Owned Brand and Coffee Single Cup changes.

20% Cereal SKU Reduction

$1B Annual Unit Scope

Distribution & Transportation Planning

Developed weekly carton forecasts with ±10% accuracy for 5 Food Distribution Centers and created execution plans for major events like Halloween Candy flows across 26 RDCs.

±10% Forecast Accuracy

26 RDCs Program Coverage

Professional Experience

Target Corporation, Minneapolis, Minnesota (2013–2025)

Senior Manager, Space, Presentation, and Transitions — Food & Beverage

Target Corporation | 04/2024 - 10/2025 | Minneapolis, MN

Led, coached, and developed a team of 6 supporting a >$4B Dry Grocery business, a >$8B Snacks/Beverage/Candy business, and a >$2B Bakery/Deli/Food Service business
Built cross-functional global partnerships to influence and implement data-driven recommendations for better guest experience and stronger KPI performance

Pricing and Promotions Strategy Lead — Household Essentials and Pets

Target Corporation | 07/2022 - 04/2024 | Minneapolis, MN

Planned and managed promotional strategy for a >$6B Household Essentials business and a >$2B Pets business
Developed promotional appreach that grew Household Essentials promotional sales in 2023 by +$348M (+48%) versus prior year while supporting affordability and acquisition goals
Appropriately challenged strategies and facilitated healthy debate with global leaders and cross-functional peers

Leadership Development Rotational Program — Finance/Business Planning

Target Corporation | 08/2021 - 07/2022 | Minneapolis, MN

Completed three rotations culminating in presentations to leadership across Merchandise Finance, Digital Product Content, and Stores operations
Built enterprise empathy by working in business functions outside the traditional career path, developing cross-functional influence by driving meaningful outcomes and deepening leadership experience.

Senior Merchandise Planner — Dry Grocery

Target Corporation | 12/2019 - 08/2021 | Minneapolis, MN

Supported Breakfast and Warm Beverages ($1B annually) with actionable forecasts and strategies for sales, margin, and inventory
Delivered 2020 gross margin beat of +204 bps for Breakfast and +138 bps for Warm Beverages
Executed large assortment changes including 20% Cereal SKU reduction and Coffee Single Cup upsizing

Senior Analyst — Sales & Operations Planning

Target Corporation | 05/2017 - 12/2019 | Minneapolis, MN

Developed weekly carton volume forecasts with ±10% accuracy for 5 Food Distribution Centers
Reported weekly variance insights and forecast updates for refrigerated inventory departments (~60% of FDC volume)

Logistics Analyst — Domestic Transportation, Merchandise Flow

Target Corporation | 03/2014 - 05/2017 | Minneapolis, MN

Enabled efficient multi-channel product flow across Apparel, Essentials and Beauty, and Food and Beverage divisions
Created robust execution plans for large seasonal programs, including Halloween Candy across 26 RDCs

Supply Chain Executive-in-Training

Target Corporation | 06/2013 - 03/2014 | Minneapolis, MN

Completed rotations in Global Trade Operations, Transportation, and Distribution Operations
Delivered six fast-paced projects while building broad end-to-end supply chain experience

Core Expertise

Capabilities and background highlighted in experience, education, and leadership activities

📊 Strategic Planning

Space, presentation, and transition strategy
Cross-functional influence and alignment
Business planning in large-scale retail categories
Data-driven recommendation development
KPI-focused decision making

📈 Data & Analytics

Large dataset synthesis and storytelling
Weekly forecasting and variance analysis
Financial modeling for margin and inventory
Promotion and pricing performance analysis
Operational planning analytics

🎯 Demand Planning

Carton volume forecasting (±10% accuracy)
In-season forecast adjustment management
Distribution center staffing support inputs
Demand and supply alignment across teams
Refrigerated inventory planning support

🏪 Merchandising

Promotional strategy and execution
Assortment change leadership
Owned brand and category initiative support
SKU productivity improvement
Margin expansion planning

📐 Space Planning

Space, presentation, and transitions leadership
Guest experience and sales optimization lens
Cross-functional rollout coordination
Category-level strategy execution
Process improvement with stores in mind

🎓 Education & Leadership

M.S. and B.S., Industrial and Systems Engineering, USC Viterbi
Target Asian Business Council (Leadership Role)
IISE Twin Cities (Treasurer)
Running: completed 5 marathons
Travel: visited 37 countries