Job Description: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 UniformInventory 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 anchorsoSales vs. StockoInflows/ OTBoStock analysisoStock balancingoMargin analysisResponsibilities:Basic Qualification / Education / Vocational TrainingGraduate degree in any field with Financial is beneficialAdvanced Qualification / Certification / Specialist TrainingNAMinimum Experience6+ years of retail experienceSpecific / Relevant Experience4+ in Retail planningSkills and Capabilities·Retail Knowledge, Business Acumen, Team Player ,planning and execution abilities, Excel, Oracle Planning toolsDeliverPerspectiveKey Result Area (KRA)MeasureFinancialMargin & Stock ManagementAchievement of target intake and realized margins at category / sub-group levelNumber of instances of substandard margins in the category/department (attributable to non-moving stock)Promotional Financial PlanningPromotional activity is in line with strategic financial planningAchievement within target Markdown% (Markdown Sales : Total Retail Sales) at category levelsCustomerPre-empt customer satisfaction based on strategic decisionsAchievement on target customer satisfaction score on product availability and range/ Internal FeedbackAchievement on target customer satisfaction score on price / Internal FeedbackCurrent Processes (Internal)Merchandise ControlAssortment mix optimization/ incorporating (logistics/ warehouse/ stores/ suppliers & so on)Coordination with BuyingAchievement of mutually agreed buying plan in coordination with buying team"Build" for Future" (Capability)Team engagementAchieve target employee engagement scoreJob InteractionsKEY INTERNAL INTERACTION WITHNATURE OF INTERACTIONProjectsStore related projectsBuying TeamFor alignment on concept merchandise and seasonal strategies (price/ product/ assortment/ supplier & so on)Retail TeamFor smooth implementation of merchandising initiatives in the storesIT TeamPlanning system supportFinanceFor all Finance related mattersMarketingFor all Upcoming promotions/campaigns, schemesSupply Planning/Central Planning teamInternal communication with Planning teamKEY EXTERNAL INTERACTION WITHNATURE OF INTERACTIONSuppliersMerchandise & Inventory Flow co-ordinationKEY CompetenciesBehavioral: 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.TypeCompetenciesDefinitionBCommunication skillsAbility to share thoughts effectively and without confusion as well as misunderstanding.BAnalytical skillsBeing able to understand and analyze financial and non-financial reports, identify trends, and provide constructive feedback etc.BInterpersonal skillsBeing able to establish successful relationships based on trust and mutual respectBTeam playerBeing 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.TOrganizing skillsAble to plan one's activities efficientlyPRRelationship Building skillsAble 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:
