Retail · Trade · Processes
Processes that actually work on the shop floor.
Sales-oriented process and performance developer with 19 years of experience in multi-site retail. Starting as Area Sales Manager at Netto in October 2026. I combine data-based management with a hands-on mentality — so that numbers and people fit together.
19
Years in retail
~340
Stores using the tools
~45
Stores in IT support
4
Roles at toom
Core competencies
Process Optimization
Analyzing operational workflows, identifying root causes, and developing practical solutions.
KPI & Performance Management
Structuring key performance indicators, identifying relationships, and translating insights into concrete areas for action.
Digitalization & Reporting
Preparing data and systems in a way that makes them genuinely useful in day-to-day operations.
Education
Trainer aptitude certificate (IHK)
IHK Darmstadt · 2013
Retail management assistant (apprenticeship)
toom Baumarkt · Fürstenfeldbruck · 2007–2010
Specialist in system catering
Café Eisenrieder · Munich · 2005–2006
Volunteer IHK Examiner
Currently IHK Halle-Dessau · previously IHK for Munich and Upper Bavaria
More about my backgroundUpdates
What’s currently evolving.
Professional changes, new projects and personal milestones – selected developments that are shaping my journey and allowing this website to grow over time.
- WebsiteSeptember 2026
My personal website goes live
What started as the idea of a digital professional profile has become my first personal website. It combines my professional background with selected practical projects, my way of working and my voluntary engagement – complemented by a more personal look at some of my interests beyond work. The website is not intended to be a finished project. It will continue to evolve alongside my professional journey, with new experiences, projects and developments.
- ProfessionalAugust 2026
The next chapter: Retail Area Management
With the contract signed, my next professional step is confirmed: on 1 October 2026, I will join Netto Marken-Discount as a Verkaufsleiter (Retail Area Manager). This new role will expand my previous focus on processes, analysis and operational support with significantly greater responsibility for leadership, store performance and results.
- Personal ProjectJuly–August 2026
Retail knowledge meets automation
In preparation for my new professional environment, I explored workforce scheduling in grocery retail in depth. Over several development stages, this resulted in my own Excel/VBA-based AutoPlanner – covering staffing demand, peak-period logic and automated weekly scheduling.
View project - Voluntary EngagementSince 2026
Returning to the IHK examination system
Following my previous work as an examiner for the IHK for Munich and Upper Bavaria, I have resumed my voluntary engagement in Germany's vocational examination system. Since 2026, I have served as a volunteer examiner for IHK Halle-Dessau, focusing on the retail qualifications Verkäufer/-in and Kaufmann/-frau im Einzelhandel.
- ProfessionalJune 2026
One professional chapter comes to an end
After around 19 years in retail and a wide range of roles and responsibilities, a period of professional transition begins. My experience across store operations, logistics, IT & organisation and sales support provides the foundation for my next step.
Projects & Results
Turning challenges into solutions.
Many of my projects grew out of concrete challenges in day-to-day retail operations. Rather than simply describing problems, I used data, processes, and hands-on experience to develop practical solutions.
41er Weekly Report
A weekly report containing up to around 100,000 data rows was transformed through a custom Excel solution into targeted, practical working lists.
Inventory Day Analysis 4.4
Three separate reports from the merchandise management system were automatically consolidated, cleaned, and transformed into a central working basis for inventory analysis.
Inventory Pre-Count & High-Zone Analysis
A dedicated analysis made pre-counts, inventory levels, and potential differences transparent, helping identify anomalies before the final inventory result.
Shrinkage & Root Cause Analysis
Analysing KPIs, understanding root causes and turning the findings into concrete fields of action for day-to-day operations.
Dynamic Store Ranking
A dynamic evaluation model combines shrinkage, sales and store area to make different stores comparable through an automated ranking methodology.
Automatic Staff Scheduling in Food Retail
A privately developed Excel/VBA learning project from 2026: an automatic staff scheduler for a fictitious food retail store. Not an employer project and not a company system used in production.
View personal projectWhat these projects have in common
Whether it is an analysis tool, an inventory process or new reporting, my approach usually starts with the same question: where does the real cause lie? Data provides the basis for that. What matters to me, though, is developing a solution that is understandable, workable and lastingly useful in everyday operations.
- Data
- Plausibility check
- Cause
- Measure
- Implementation
- Review of results
Career path
Area Sales Manager
from 10/2026
Netto Marken-Discount
New role: responsibility for sales, team and store performance.
Sales Support, Field Organisation
08/2019 – 09/2026
toom Baumarkt GmbH · Leipzig
Analysis and steering tools for around 340 stores, monitoring, training.
IT Coordinator, Field Organisation
08/2014 – 07/2019
toom Baumarkt GmbH · Leipzig
Technical support for around 45 stores, rollouts and user support.
Deputy Team Lead Logistics
09/2011 – 07/2014
toom Baumarkt GmbH · Munich
Day-to-day logistics, staff scheduling and training of new colleagues.
Sales Assistant
07/2010 – 08/2011
toom Baumarkt GmbH · Fürstenfeldbruck & Munich
Customer advice, range maintenance and merchandise presentation.
Let's talk
Always open to an exchange about retail, processes and leadership. Write to me directly using the form — your message lands in my inbox.
Christian Maier · Personal profile · Halle (Saale), Germany