HEAD - Merchandising

PLANNING & FORECASTING

• Develop, monitor and approve the annual forecast plan for products in the retail channel in alignment with the overall objectives and strategy of the business
• Advise the relevant teams to finalize on the distribution list in case of discrepancy in production list
• Resolve escalations in case of new product introduction and first order loading

GROSS CONTRIBUTION PLANNING

Approve the gross contributions for each product category based on insights from market
study, like to like product performance, annual margins target etc.

NEW PRODUCT PRICING

• Negotiate with various internal stakeholders (Marketing, NPD, Retail) regarding the pricing of each new product introduced and has the authority to take an independent stance
• Approve the revised making charges on a frequent basis as per the competitor analysis
• Approve the gold prices on daily basis for every region as per the competition analysis

PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY

• Approve the annual promotion calendar based on seasonality and competition analysis in alignment with the overall objectives and strategy of the organization
• Approve markdown prices for products to improve sales and liquidate stocks

PRODUCT MANAGEMENT & NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

• Review, provide inputs and finalize the brief to be presented to the stakeholder teams for product development
• Create and finalize new products in the form of collections or as vendor product introduction after consolidating response from the stakeholder teams and potential customers
• Approve the list of new products to be loaded for production in the factory with coordination from ISCM teams
• Liaison with internal stakeholders to manage escalations in misalignment of production schedules and revise the distribution list to maximize profits and increase new product penetration

PRODUCT PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT

Eliminate identified existing products in the market based on product performance and brand
requirement

PLANNING & FORECASTING

Approve norms for assortment mix for every store based on customer profile, store
locations, model store mix, operating inventory investment etc. to be services for all retail
stores

FRANCHISEE MANAGEMENT:

Guide the merchandising teams to convince the business associates to adopt the data driven
order management system

PRODUCT MANAGEMENT:

• Design and approve best buy schemes for the identified underperforming stocks to ensure stock liquidation
• Approve the buffer kills in the systems for units that are underperforming or to be discontinued with coordination from internal teams

INVENTORY MANAGEMENT:

• Approve the norms for assortment mix for existing and new stores based on customer profile, store locations, model store mix, operating inventory investment etc. with coordination from the internal teams
• Approve the investment norms for all product categories for every store based on ROI calculations

PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT

• Take overall responsibility for people development initiatives and building up in-house capabilities for the employees in the department.
• Drive a performance driven culture in the team by timely monitoring, review of performance parameters and feedback to the team members.
• Contribute towards development of talent for the department by providing subordinates with adequate exposure and growth opportunities.
• Actively participate in HR initiatives to drive overall engagement and motivation

Preferred candidate profile

• 20-25 years of experience in Retail industry with a focus on merchandising or related field.
• MBA/PGDM degree
• Strong analytical skills with ability to interpret data insights for informed decision-making.
• Excellent communication skills with ability to negotiate effectively with vendors and internal stakeholders.