Job Description

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Job Objective:
The job holder will be responsible for merchandise planning process to achieve department /category sales, margin, stockholding and flow objectives under the guidance of Head Merchandise Planning.
Merchandise Financial, Strategic and Assortment Planning
Maximise Sales and profitability for the department/category
Support in determining high-level financial goals including pre-season financial plans, in-season projections, open-to-buy management and new store budgets
Prepare and maintain department/category merchandise MIS analytics based on actual sales, sales forecasts, company order parameters, inventory checks, forth coming events, replenishment needs etc
Assist in the creation of merchandise plans for the category based on insights gained from merchandise analytics, customer preference, historical trends and future outlook projected by the buyer
Assist in discussing, deciding and freezing the department/category merchandise strategic plans around the following factors
Financials - Sales, Stock, OTB, Margins, Forward Cover etc
Store - Subgroup level Sales, Order Quantity, Allocation, Replenishment etc
Assortment - Style, Price, Brand, Supplier etc
Communicate the merchandise strategic plan to buying team for necessary execution
Ensure effective in season management across territories (stock balancing, markdown management, stock analysis, stock vs sales performance)
Help review the merchandise plans on a periodic basis to ensure profit is maximized and maintained to reach target levels
Ensure that the standards of Merchandise procedures and Methodologies are maintained and kept Uniform
Inventory Stock Optimization
Ensure optimum category inventory levels are maintained at Concept/Territory keeping in mind store requirements as well as working capital constraints
Ensure that no instances of category stock outs occur on account of any discrepancy on part of merchandise planning

• Ensure excess category inventory is not maintained at the warehouses or the stores and there is proper adherence to the concept/territory ageing policy

Category Promotions
Provide inputs on the expected margins, possible price points and other parameters for promotions within the product category
Help analyse the effectiveness of the promotions in achieving the targeted levels of sales and margins
Help analyse the existing stock levels and liaise with the Buying/VM/Marketing team for timely roll out of promotional campaigns to maintain the territory / warehouse inventory holding norms as well to achieve targeted sales

In season Management
Ensure performance is monitored against plan for the assigned category/department, regularly supported by exception reporting
Ensure effective in season management of the assigned category/department through regular analysis and action planning across concept and territory, based on the performance around the following anchors
oSales vs. Stock
oInflows/ OTB
oStock analysis
oStock balancing
oMargin analysis
Responsibilities:
Basic Qualification / Education / Vocational Training
Graduate degree in any field with Financial is beneficial
Advanced Qualification / Certification / Specialist Training
NA
Minimum Experience
6+ years of retail experience
Specific / Relevant Experience
4+ in Retail planning
Skills and Capabilities
Retail Knowledge, Business Acumen, Team Player ,planning and execution abilities, Excel, Oracle Planning tools
Deliver
Perspective
Key Result Area (KRA)
Measure
Financial
Margin & Stock Management
Achievement of target intake and realized margins at category / sub-group level
Number of instances of substandard margins in the category/department (attributable to non-moving stock)
Promotional Financial Planning
Promotional activity is in line with strategic financial planning
Achievement within target Markdown% (Markdown Sales : Total Retail Sales) at category levels
Customer
Pre-empt customer satisfaction based on strategic decisions
Achievement on target customer satisfaction score on product availability and range/ Internal Feedback
Achievement on target customer satisfaction score on price / Internal Feedback
Current Processes (Internal)
Merchandise Control
Assortment mix optimization/ incorporating (logistics/ warehouse/ stores/ suppliers & so on)
Coordination with Buying
Achievement of mutually agreed buying plan in coordination with buying team
"Build" for Future" (Capability)
Team engagement
Achieve target employee engagement score
Job Interactions
KEY INTERNAL INTERACTION WITH
NATURE OF INTERACTION
Projects
Store related projects
Buying Team
For alignment on concept merchandise and seasonal strategies (price/ product/ assortment/ supplier & so on)
Retail Team
For smooth implementation of merchandising initiatives in the stores
IT Team
Planning system support
Finance
For all Finance related matters
Marketing
For all Upcoming promotions/campaigns, schemes
Supply Planning/Central Planning team
Internal communication with Planning team
KEY EXTERNAL INTERACTION WITH
NATURE OF INTERACTION
Suppliers
Merchandise & Inventory Flow co-ordination
KEY Competencies
Behavioral: A personal quality or characteristic that defines an individual's behaviors.
Technical: Functional knowledge and skill required for the successful accomplishment of a job or task.
People Related (if applicable): A skill set that supports the ability to lead and manage teams.
Type
Competencies
Definition
B
Communication skills
Ability to share thoughts effectively and without confusion as well as misunderstanding.
B
Analytical skills
Being able to understand and analyze financial and non-financial reports, identify trends, and provide constructive feedback etc.
B
Interpersonal skills
Being able to establish successful relationships based on trust and mutual respect
B
Team player
Being a key team player, who is dependable and trusted. Able to motivate and encourage the team by understanding their challenges and providing solutions for the same.
T
Organizing skills
Able to plan one's activities efficiently
PR
Relationship Building skills
Able to build positive relationships with internal and external customers.
About Us:
Our journey started in 1973 with a single store in Bahrain. Since then, we have grown into a global retail and hospitality group. The proud creator of 25 plus value led, own-built brands across retail, hospitality, food, and leisure.
Over the years, our UAE - based group has evolved into a comprehensive retail and hospitality entity, with over 2200 retail stores, leisure, and hospitality outlets, panning the GCC, Middle East, India, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Today, Landmark Group is one of GCC's largest omnichannel retailers and India's top home and fashion retailer.
We take immense pride in the organic growth of our retail brands, which have blossomed into household names. From Max, Splash, Babyshop, Centrepoint, Shoemart, Homecentre, Emax, Fitness First, to Funcity, to name a few, our brands span across a multitude of categories, enriching the lives of countless families over the past decade.
About the Team:
Lifestyle is a leading retail destination, specialising in Beauty, Fashion, and Home products. Established in 1998, Lifestyle has consistently delivered a distinctive shopping experience, and an extensive selection of brands and products across colour cosmetics, perfumes, personal care, fashion accessories, home essentials, home fragrance and youth. With its chain of more than 160 retail stores spread across the GCC, coupled with a rapidly growing E-commerce platform, Lifestyle has established itself as an omnichannel destination-of-choice for Beauty and Fashion serving more than 4 million customers every year.
Website:

Skills Required