Regional Category Manager
M.H. Al Shaya Co.
Total years of experience :22 years, 8 Months
•Managing the Technology division's retail and wholesale operations in the Middle East (Kuwait, UAE and KSA)
•Leading a team of 6 merchandisers in all operating countries with day to day coordination on all merchandise related issues that includes ordering, pricing, promotions, replenishment, wholesale requirements, supplier returns, clearance etc…
•Processing monthly orders from Europe, US, and UAE for all operating countries in addition to supervising daily local orders processed by the merchandise team
•Responsible for new business development in KSA and UAE, planning visits, coordinating with all the teams in merchandise & Wholesale, assessing market opportunities & competition, solving critical problems, increase efficiency, turnover and profitability
Achievements:
•Oct 2012 - Jan 2012: Re-merchandised the Office Depot Avenues branch in Kuwait with a newly planned assortment having the best-selling, high ticket, and high margin categories better displayed, In addition to adjusting the category flow to increase customer traffic to all aisles.
•Feb 2012: Technology sales increased by 87%, margin increased by 3%, Showroom's ATV increased by 32%.
Following up with the USA host brand on new products and ingredients in accordance to the annual marketing plan
Review and process monthly merchandise and fixture purchase orders from the U.S. for all operating countries in addition to supervising daily local merchandise orders processed by the local merchandise team in each country
Liaising with supply chain and operations to deliver the latest products to our stores in all markets and follow up on new store openings orders in all categories
Daily follow up on merchandise related issues that include pricing, replenishment, supplier returns and claims
•Managing the marketing activities of the premium brands; Cadillac, Saab, Hummer in addition to Kromozone, Fleet sales, and used cars sales
•Event planning and implementation follow up with production agencies on Alghanim’s marketing activities in the “Kuwait Motor Show”, “Hala Febrayer Festival”, New Vehicle launches, and Test Drive activities
•Managing a total of 8 exclusive agency brands exclusive to Ali Alghanim that includes OSIM, Remington, AEG, Zanussi etc..
•Planning and selecting the range, type, quantity and quality of merchandise assortment according to customer demand and trends.
•Managing a team of 3 product analysts for our retail division and 6 account managers for the wholesale division
•Attending international shows and initiating orders on exclusive items / promotions.
•Set the annual business plan, sales forecast, prepare sales & financial reports.
•Sourcing new products and reviewing existing ones to ensure products remain competitive
•Managing stock levels, reacting to change in demand
•Planning weekly promotional events and organizing a 40-page quarterly promotional catalogue
•Meeting new suppliers and negotiating terms of contract
•Maintaining relationship with existing suppliers and sourcing new suppliers
•Liaising with other division within Ali Alghanim in terms of catalogues, promotions, and mutual benefit
Achievements: 2008 - 2009 Department average sales growth of 32%, profit margin increased by 1.5% with an introduction of new categories that were successfully promoted & positively contributed in the sales and profit growth of the Home Center division.
• Managing the “Electronics” department and supervising other departments within the Home Center Division (Furniture,
Linen & Home Goods, Multimedia, Outdoor, Stationery, Toys, Sporting Goods, Sports Apparels, Garments, DIY,
Automotive)
• Planning and selecting the range, type, quantity and quality of merchandise assortment according to customer demand,
trends, and store concept.
• Attending international shows, initiating orders with foreign suppliers on exclusive items and promotions.
• Set the annual budget, prepare sales & financial reports, sales forecasting, analyze sales figures
• Managing stock levels, reacting to change in demand
• Planning promotional events and participating in a bi-monthly retail promotional flyer
• Meeting new suppliers and negotiating terms of contract
• Maintaining relationship with existing suppliers and sourcing new suppliers for future products
• Liaising with other departments within the organization to ensure projects are completed
• Participating in promotional activities, attending launching events of new products
• Liaising with the individual store's personnel to ensure product supply meets demand
Senior Buyer Coordinator for commodities and services - Responsible for the supervision and follow-up of professional and clerical procurement for the multimedia & Electronics department.
Duty Manager of the Virgin branch in Jnah - Responsible for the management and training of employees, retail, order, display and sales of products.
Sales Supervisor on DVD section. Responsible for 6 Dvd sales staff, (scheduling, training) merchandise ordering. Reporting sales figures.
ERP Super User Specialty Training on Oracle Retail Merchandising Suite (ORMS 12.0.0), the latest version in Retail Operating System by Oracle that includes Costing, Ordering, Allocation, Price Management and Promotions, Deals, Retail Trade Management, and Retail Data Warehousing.
MBA (Masters of Business Administration) student at Lebanese American University (LAU) - Finished required MBA courses: Courses: Marketing Management, Business Strategy and Innovation Management, Business Economics, Financial Accounting, Project Planning & Management, Organizational Behavior, Trend Management, Quantitative Methods, Management Theory, Financial Management, Research Methods, Commercial Bank Management, Leadership.
Experimental Science graduate at Saint Mary’s Orthodox College, Makhoul St., Hamra, Beirut, Lebanon