Senior Merchandiser -Planning, Buying & Merchandising
Al Yasra Fashion
Total years of experience :22 years, 2 Months
Managing the Buying & Merchandising of 23M $ business of Footwear brands for Kuwait, KSA & Iraq.
Leading the strategic planning process for the assigned brand based on key consumer insights to enhance current portfolio and improve communication with consumers.
Developing phasing seasonal & Annual Sales Plans & Purchase Plans alongside finance to determine OTB and ensure profitability of the business.
Projection of Closing Stocks, along with liquidation strategy for ageing & provisioned stocks.
Leading the Buying trips, to achieve & develop Category strategies for the region based on Product selection, Assortment planning, Planogram & Class price ladders.
Constant negotiations with the host brand by providing detailed product feedback, size analysis, market analysis, opportunities and threats.
Tracking and expediting purchase orders throughout the supply chain; from the placement of the order, to receipt of product, to quality exceptions, to payment of the supplier
Planning of realistic & achievable Delivery drops during the Buying, based on Event calendar & Seasonal launch periods.
Drawing seasonal launch plans; coordinating with WHs, Stores, VM & marketing teams.
Providing directions to the team through allocations, consolidations, etc. to improve seasonal performance at full price.
Managing Pricing Strategy for the region.
Working closely with marketing department for implementing various marketing activities & campaigns. And also planning tactical promotions during non-peak business periods.
Measuring and reporting performance of all marketing activities and assess against goals (ROI & KPIs).
Implementing seasonal markdowns, assessing the margin implications and performance with an aim to maximize the liquidation of stocks within the seasonal period.
Monitoring and analyzing business performance vis-à-vis business goals (awareness, share, consumer diagnostics, profitability, etc.) and the competition.
Researching consumer markets, monitoring market trends and identifying potential areas in which to invest based upon consumer needs and spending habits.
Coaching & training Merchandising team & other Brand teams on Seasonal Hindsight’s, Analytical reports, Category management & supporting them for Buying.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Successfully controlling OTB @ costs in-line with division objectives & business plans.
Successful liquidation plan of ageing stocks, by reducing the closing stocks by 5% vs. the previous year
Leading & representing the development of company’s software such as ERP project (Levtect’s Microsoft Dynamics), Business objects (SAP reporting software) & Cognos reporting software on behalf of Comfort & Fashion Footwear division.
Handling store operations in presence & also in the absence of the Store manager.
Direct and monitor warehousing and retail facility activities in world-class enterprises.
Maintain responsibility for developing, administering and monitoring Sales budgets.
Build and foster proactive workplace environment conducive to highest levels of employee participation For more than 35-team member’s consisting of Helpers, Sales associates, Senior Sales associates & Department managers.
Planning to maximize sales and exceed store budgets, through supervision of effective and continuous space, stock and seasonal management, and highest possible levels of customer service.
Conduct & deliver highest standards of in store training including weekly communication, daily de-briefs, product knowledge and on the job coaching.
Work on store layout and stock positioning. To manage with the stock availability.
Plan & ensure for the store to achieve defined stock loss targets. Plan accordingly with the team members for stock loss prevention activities & constantly seek to improve staff awareness of stock loss issues.
Affect significant expense reduction through manpower and raw material cost control processes.
Motivate, train and mentor individuals, providing necessary tools to meet or exceed company expectations.
Streamline work processes to decrease wage and salary expenses through well-managed scheduling.
Maintain information about the current market trends, Competitors & their pricings, new launches, seasons & promotions update.
Managing the overall process like Inventory Management, Supervision of stock take, Stock In - out, Administration work, Updating of different type of reports like daily sales report, Monthly reports & Comparison of MTD & YTD.
Analyzing the growth comparison Current year Vs Previous year.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Introduced measures and proceedings related to store operating system management with a new direction and implementation in form of reports, formats and procedures
Worked with GIORDANO FASHIONS WLL (Kuwait) as an Area supervisor, with managing two stores. Working Experience: September 2003 till July 2007. • Handling all daily operations including promotional activities, interaction with team members on strategically planning & inventory management. • Handling a team of 12, from two locations with their respective store managers. • Merchandise handling & Replenishments through analyzing stock in hand. • Making accurate daily, weekly, monthly projection for sales trends & transaction trends & achieve sales target for sections, shops & the area. • Hold effective management meeting to exchange ideas on operational procedure, changes & also conduct staff meeting. • To plan & execute for visual merchandising, creative maintenance progress for the store. • Managing the overall process like Inventory Management, Supervision of stock take, Stock out-In and global check, Administration work, Updating of different type of reports like daily sales report, Analysis of different Retail operational cycles. • To gather customer & employee feedback & judge patterns, trends to initiate specific action for the continuous improvement of total customer experience & satisfaction in the store.
COMPLETED GRADUATION IN BANKING MANAGEMENT