Maryann Samsa Named Buying Group Director for Gourmet Catalog

Gourmet Catalog and Buying Group has added Maryann Samsa to the GC team, as Buying Group Director. With over 30 years of experience, Samsa is a highly valued industry insider whose talents and relationships will bring fresh perspective and new ideas to the Group. “I have learned so much from Lynn Becraft, who empowered me to work every aspect of retail at the Kitchen Kaboodle for 30 years. Now, I am ecstatic to take on a new adventure joining Janis Johnson’s team at GC,” said Samsa.

Maryann Samsa began working at Kitchen Kaboodle in 1982. The birth of her two children encouraged her to stay home for a few years, only to return to the store in 1986 where she has been a hardworking and dedicated employee since that time. With the diverse inventory that Kitchen Kaboodle represents, Samsa became versed in a many categories such as furniture, lifestyle and notably, kitchenware. Maryann was one of three buyers for the store, among them being Lynn Becraft, founder and owner of the store. With a natural knack for problem solving and knowing what customers want, it wasn’t long after she started buying for the store that she soon took over all of housewares. Also, she handled a plethora of other daily operations, such as staff training on housewares and planning store special events.

Over the years, she developed close relationships with numerous vendors and retailers across the country, organically preparing Samsa to help bridge the two together. “I am glad that I will still be able to work with so many of the same people I have built relationships with over the years, as well as meet and assist members I have not met, wearing my new shoes at GC!” she said.“I love working in the housewares industry and hope to be able to contribute and help store’s build successful businesses.”

Samsa will act as a consultant for Gourmet Catalog store members. Having been a retailer, she has a deep appreciation and understanding of the variety of challenges stores face every day, allowing her to be intuitive to what information stores need when introducing a new product or service. The busy nature of running a store makes it difficult to find time to perform research on every new product that hits the market, so having an expert examine the details and deliver findings provides great time savings as well as enhancing the store with relevant products.

Samsa will also be helping Gourmet Catalog vendors to communicate with store members. Through extensive hands-on experience, she has developed a sixth sense for understanding today’s consumer, which allows her to give vendors insight into positioning products, not only by promoting the best products, but assisting with merchandising, training employees on features, explaining how to demo, and bringing products into the store ready to sell. Many times, this calls for inherent creativity in coming up with original and resourceful ways to promote and move products in a way that is well received by stores and end customers.

Working closely with Maryann over the years, I have grown a deep respect for her as an industry insider,” said Janis Johnson, President and Founder of Gourmet Catalog & Buying Group. “Maryann will bring a new dimension to our Group, while also sharing consistent goals and values with a passion for kitchenware and people of our industry; we are quite eager to share experiences and learn from one another.”

Samsa’s inaugural day with Gourmet Catalog will be December 2, 2015, just in time to help prepare for the Group’s Start the Year Member Conference in January.