khaled Arnaout, Commercial Manager

khaled Arnaout

Commercial Manager

Tons General Trading

Location
Kuwait
Education
Master's degree, MBA
Experience
12 years, 11 months

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Work Experience

Total years of experience :12 years, 11 months

Commercial Manager at Tons General Trading
  • Kuwait - Al Asimah
  • February 2022 to January 2024

- Business Development: Identify new business opportunities, partnerships, and markets to expand the company's commercial reach and achieve growth targets.

- Client Relationship Management: Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with existing clients, understanding their needs, addressing concerns, and ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction.

- Sales Strategy Development: Develop and implement strategic sales plans and initiatives to drive revenue growth, increase market share, and meet or exceed sales targets.

- Market Analysis and Intelligence: Conduct market research and analysis to identify trends, competitor activities, and opportunities for business expansion or differentiation.

- Product and Pricing Strategy: Collaborate with product development and pricing teams to optimize product offerings, pricing structures, and value propositions based on market demand and competitive positioning.

- Contract Negotiation and Management: Negotiate terms, pricing, and contracts with clients, suppliers, and partners to secure favorable agreements and mitigate risks.


- Performance Monitoring and Reporting: Track sales performance, analyze key metrics, and prepare regular reports and presentations for senior management to evaluate commercial effectiveness and inform decision-making.

- Forecasting and Budgeting: Forecast sales volumes, revenues, and expenses, and develop annual budgets and financial plans to support commercial objectives and ensure financial sustainability.

- Marketing and Branding: Collaborate with marketing teams to develop marketing campaigns, promotional activities, and branding initiatives that support sales efforts and enhance brand visibility and awareness.

- Supply Chain and Logistics Coordination: Coordinate with supply chain and logistics teams to ensure timely delivery of products, manage inventory levels, and optimize distribution channels to meet customer demands and minimize costs.

- Compliance and Risk Management: Ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, industry standards, and company policies, and implement risk mitigation strategies to safeguard commercial operations.

- Customer Service Excellence: Champion a customer-centric approach across the organization, fostering a culture of responsiveness, accountability, and continuous improvement to deliver exceptional customer experiences.

- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with internal stakeholders across departments such as finance, operations, and human resources to align commercial strategies with overall business objectives and facilitate seamless execution.

- Continuous Improvement and Innovation: Drive continuous improvement and innovation initiatives within the commercial function, exploring new technologies, methodologies, and best practices to enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and competitiveness.
- whole sales B2B ( Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iran )
- food and non food items B2B and B2C

Senior Category Manager at Drops
  • Kuwait - Al Asimah
  • February 2021 to February 2022

- Category Strategy Development: Develop and execute strategic plans for the fresh food category, including setting clear objectives, targets, and tactics to drive sales growth and profitability.

- Assortment Planning: Lead the development of product assortments within the fresh food category, ensuring alignment with consumer preferences, market trends, and company objectives.

- Supplier Management: Establish and maintain strong relationships with suppliers and vendors, negotiating terms, pricing, and promotional opportunities to ensure the availability of high-quality fresh food products.

- Inventory Management: Oversee inventory levels and replenishment strategies to optimize product availability while minimizing waste and inventory holding costs.


Promotions and Marketing: Develop and execute promotional campaigns and marketing initiatives to drive traffic, increase sales, and enhance the visibility of fresh food offerings.

New Product Development: Collaborate with suppliers and internal stakeholders to identify and develop new fresh food products that meet consumer needs and align with market trends.


Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with cross-functional teams, including marketing, operations, procurement, and finance, to align strategies, implement initiatives, and achieve business objectives.

Quality Assurance and Compliance: Ensure compliance with food safety regulations and quality standards, implementing procedures and protocols to maintain the freshness, safety, and integrity of fresh food products.

Performance Monitoring and Reporting: Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), track category performance against targets, and provide regular reporting and analysis to senior management.

Continuous Improvement: Drive continuous improvement initiatives within the fresh food category, implementing best practices, optimizing processes, and identifying opportunities for efficiency gains.

Market and Competitive Analysis: Stay abreast of industry trends, competitor activities, and market dynamics affecting the fresh food category, adapting strategies and tactics accordingly.

Leadership and Team Management: Provide leadership and direction to a team of category managers and analysts, fostering a collaborative and high-performance culture focused on achieving business objectives.

Customer Focus: Maintain a customer-centric approach, understanding and anticipating customer needs, preferences, and behaviors to deliver an exceptional fresh food shopping experience.

Category Manager at Talabat
  • Kuwait - Al Asimah
  • January 2020 to January 2022

• Supervise all facets of the 365 Fruit & Veg Team categories, devising strategies and implementing plans to establish 365 by Whole Foods Market as a reputable and leading brand renowned for delivering outstanding value, high quality, and convenience on a daily basis.
• Collaborate with Whole Foods Market Global/Regional partners and suppliers to define and continuously refine the core item mix and seasonal offerings at 365 stores.
• Take charge of the 365 supply chain and distribution operations, collaborating with internal and external distribution partners to optimize distribution channels and manage costs effectively, ensuring consistent availability and pricing of all products.
• Integrate processes and systems to enhance accuracy, efficiency, inventory productivity, space utilization, and profitability.
• Engage in long-term business planning, utilizing performance evaluations, data analysis, customer and industry insights, and market trends in conjunction with Whole Foods Market Global/Regional partners.
• Curate and source the initial product mix.
• Establish and maintain retail pricing for products in accordance with 365 retail guidelines and margin expectations.
• Manage daily/weekly cost control and retail adjustments, coordinating pricing with regional purchasing teams for 365/Whole Foods Market products in shared markets, and ensuring competitive retail pricing across all 365 markets in collaboration with Global Competitive Retail Team and regions.
• Develop and implement promotional strategies for 365 products, negotiating promotional allowances with Whole Foods Market and suppliers, scheduling events, and evaluating promotional performance.
• Scout, evaluate, and introduce new products that align with Whole Foods Market standards and 365 objectives.
• Achieve target gross margin rates by category.
• Collaborate with operations to analyze financial and operational performance, identify business risks and opportunities, and ensure category-specific margin targets are met.
• Stay abreast of relevant regulatory rules and standards and ensure compliance.
• Direct the development of merchandise plans and all related business metrics.
• Coordinate with Whole Foods Market Global partners to establish and execute an effective category review schedule, analyze SKU rationalization data, identify category needs, and maintain an optimal product mix in collaboration with suppliers and Global partners.
• Work with the 365 Space Planner to integrate centrally planned product mixes into planograms and merchandising planners.
• Develop weekly or bi-weekly departmental merchandising plans.
• Foster positive and productive partnerships with Whole Foods Market Global/Regional teams to ensure effective sourcing and product development.
• Collaborate actively with 365 Purchasing, Operations, and Marketing teams to create materials and communications that provide clear and efficient direction to all partners.
• Represent the 365 Team and brand in various settings, inspiring team members with your passion for our products and dedication to our success.
• Cultivate cooperative and mutually beneficial relationships with stakeholders, implementing and executing 365 concepts in a constructive manner to facilitate rapid acceptance of new business practices.
• Respond promptly to feedback and adjust programs as necessary to better serve customers and store operators.
• Collaborate with Operations, as required, to develop training materials.
• Provide leadership and guidance to 365 Category Assistants and Space Planner, including hiring, training, delegation, mentoring, and conducting job dialogues.

Department Head at Carrefour Majed Al-Futtaim
  • Kuwait - Al Asimah
  • January 2017 to December 2020

• Ensure that product assortments are tailored to suit the unique cultural, economic, and social characteristics of each store.
• Oversee the development of competitive assortment offerings to establish Majid Al Futtaim Retail as a leading presence in the country.
• Shape the pricing and freshness perception of our products.
• Spearhead and encourage comparative analyses between sections to enhance the effectiveness of our commercial concepts.
• Assist customers promptly, attentively listening to their needs and providing effective solutions.
• Supervise sales activities to ensure customers consistently receive top-notch service and high-quality products meeting or surpassing established standards.
• Maintain optimal product availability and service levels at all times, ensuring goods are presented according to agreed-upon plans.
• Monitor and report on competitor activities, including pricing, range, and quality, and propose strategies to outperform competitors.
• Inspect merchandise to confirm accurate pricing and display, ensuring it performs as advertised.
• Enforce adherence to set guidelines and standards for product presentation, taking corrective measures as necessary.
• Uphold the freshness of offered goods within internal quality standards and in compliance with relevant local regulations.

Sales Manager at Cartier
  • Kuwait - Al Asimah
  • April 2013 to May 2016

Achievement: Closing the highest deal with AL-DIWAN AL-AMIRI with 1M KD of watches deal. Increased revenue on high jewelry from 170K KD TO 290K KD. Got the best seller in the jewelry of KD 330K. Highest sales in Kuwait 695, 000 KD. Having more than five training to develop selling skills and had training on complicated watches.
Responsibilities:

• Creating monthly sales plan.
• Set a monthly target for the staff to achieve the store target.
• Asking to send a daily report of the missing items which our customers ask for.
• Providing weekly sales report.
• Monitor stock levels of various fast-moving jewelry as well as accessories required for the mix of Customers.
• Created a plan for the staff to sell the slow-moving items.
• Created events to our loyal clients to introduce the new items.
• Conduct training for staff on new items
• Gave training on sales skills every two months with real clients to develop the employees sales skills.
• Determine through detailed and specific discovery process the objectives of the client's visit.
• Assist in the merchandising and overall daily maintenance of the watch and jewelry cases and under stock.
• Maintain proper visual standards for all watch and jewelry cases, including protective watch wrapping and jewelry polishing/steam cleaning.
• Achieve desired sales target, monthly KWD 55K.
• Maintain good customer relationships with my clients.
• Best High Jewelry Sales Executive
• Developed skills and product knowledge of team members through training and evaluation.

Senior Sales Executive at Habchi & Chalhoub WLL
  • Kuwait - Al Kuwait
  • August 2010 to March 2013

Achievements: Making monthly 30, 000 KD as a personal target above than store target of 15, 000 KD. Certified the best employee of the month 4 times. Apportioned to train the employees of selling strategies.
Responsibilities:

• Responsible of General entries, checking bank accounts, reconciliation for banks, petty cash, and Stock taking (inventory checking).
• Daily sales, all shipment receiving, all return to vendor items, all transfer items overseas, damages and repair items and communicate with the Mother Company in France to decide what to do with them, prepare monthly reports about profits, losses, best sellers and slow movers, bank reconciliation,
• Organize the Sales assistants' daily responsibilities by assigning targets, zoning, and motivating them besides making plans/strategies to get the monthly target.
• Achieve sales targets, maintain customer relations, and develop brand loyalty.
• Provide an exceptional shopping experience for customers.
• Regularly ensure all merchandise is displayed according to franchise guidelines Petty cash.
• Maintain a high standard in customer service.
• Maximize sales through efectively using product knowledge.
• Assist the manager in daily operations.
• Be an eficient team member and support other sales associates.
• Organize and maintain stock rooms eficiently.

Education

Master's degree, MBA
  • at Maastricht University
  • March 2011
Bachelor's degree, Business Administration
  • at American university of Kuwait
  • March 2010
Diploma, CMA
  • at American University Of Kuwait
  • August 2009

Specialties & Skills

Management
Business Planning
Negotiation
Marketing
MERCHANDISING
OPERATIONS
RECONCILIATION
ZONING (NETWORKING)
PETTY CASH
POLISHING
MARKET PRICING
COST MANAGEMENT
EXECUTE PLANS

Languages

Arabic
Expert
English
Expert

Hobbies

  • soccer and basketball