Head - Product/Merchandising & Assortment Planning - Retail

Head of Merchandising, assortment planning and inventory management

Summary of role : In this role, you will drive all the inventory needs of the business, as approved. Assortment planning is the process of selecting the collection of products that will be on offer in particular areas (localisation) and during specified periods (seasonality). It considers the financial objectives and seasonality of the product selection so that both you and your customers gain from the outcome. Through analysis, you will identify opportunities and/or risks, proactively adjusting the assortment. You work very closely with cross functional teams in retail operations, category management, new product design and supply chain to execute the ideal assortment plan at store level.

Key Deliverables:

1. Maximise opportunities to deliver and grow category wise sales and Gross Margin targets

2. Develop and improve constantly ideal merchandise plan based on store size and state/region - bottom up approach - Tailor product assortments based on clustering strategy

3. Build predictability of sales and reduce stock outs

a. Tackle upstocking for season

b. Maintain optimal inventory at store level and new design availability

c. Deliver on stock turns at individual store and overall level

4. With retail operations team

a. Maintain and review store level merchandise plans at category price band

b. work jointly to drive conversions and AUP at store level

5. Inventory analysis and reporting - daily, weekly & monthly targets

6. Auto replenishment at store level

a. demand driven inventory replenishment method

b. OTB: order to be generated and shared with operations team

7. Understand the market in detail, identify the target segments, understand their need and contemporary trends

8. Map stores - display and available space

9. Additional inventory planning for SNMCC

10. Adherance to SLAs

11. liaising with other departments for execution of the planned activities

12. Lead the team and conduct performance evaluations, promotions and terminations when necessary

Skills & Knowledge:

1. 3-5 years in retail merchandise planning, demand planning, financial planning or analysis

2. Demonstrated understanding of financial performance metrics

3. Strong organizational, time management and communication skills

4. Results oriented and self motivated

5. Ability to work well in a team environment

6. The ability to plan and prioritise workloads and delegate accordingly

7. The ability to multi-task and work under pressure

8. The ability to manage and lead the team ensuring a consistent and exceptional standard of customer service in the store