Brand Ananlyst (Sr. Merchandiser)
Habchi & Chalhoub
Total years of experience :18 years, 11 Months
Recognized as one of the leading forces in the luxury business in the Middle East with a presence in 14 countries and the management of over 400 retail outlets
Brand Analyst (Sr. Merchandiser) - Dolce & Gabbana, Celine, Lanvin, Tory Burch, Mulberry, Michael Kors, Longchamp, Paul Smith
Activities & Results
• Maximizing revenue and profitability of luxury brands through effective Analysis & Forecasting, detailed Planning & Budgeting and rigorous Monitoring whilst providing relevant reporting and information to management, partners and suppliers for right decision making
• Liaising with the marketing team for brand management activities such as events, promotions and trainings to promote and communicate brand values
• Managing brand performance through evaluations and support team in reviewing their performance and recommending specific corrective actions
• Developed frameworks and conducted analysis and forecasting to provide for brand and category strategies, optimal inventory levels, competitor intelligence, sales targets and impact on margins and profitability. Exceeded targets for all KPI’s
• Planning and developing annual and seasonal sales plans and purchase plans to determine Open to Buy (OTB) budgets to ensure profitability of the business. Also, developed the framework for calculating the OTB and analyzing the sell through of the brands
• Conducting Merchandising and Buying activities for all the brands from the host brand
• Part of managing the expansion of business through successful new store openings of Dolce & Gabbana, Lanvin, Celine and Tory Burch
• Drawing seasonal launch plans by identifying peak trading periods; coordinating with warehouses, stores, VM’s and the marketing teams
• Monitoring stock performance to ensure optimal inventory levels and implementing corrective actions such as stock replenishment, location transfers, seasonal markdowns, liquidation of old and ageing stock, whilst maintaining brand integrity and values
• Successfully brought the stock cover to the right level for Dolce & Gabbana, Tory Burch and Lanvin through negotiations with the suppliers and/or stock liquidation
• Monitoring supplier performance for timely and accurate delivery and manage supplier relationship
• Training, supervising and managing new team members and leveraging their individual capabilities in order to achieve maximum efficiency
• Developed tools to train shop floor teams on market trends of new collections/product
• Integral part of the CORE SAP implementation team partnering with Accenture and managed the successful migration of data from the old to the new system
One of the largest companies in the gulf and the biggest auto dealers in Kuwait for GM’s leading brands - Chevrolet, Cadillac and Saab
Activities & Results
• Profitability analysis of SKUs by various dimensions and classifications to analyze consumer trend and information and take corrective actions to improve profitability
• Pricing of new parts as per the pricing strategy and ensuring pricing actions fully use the multi tired pricing and discount matrix
• Analyzing slow-moving SKU’s on a monthly basis to recommend price adjustment actions to liquidate the stock
• Working collaboratively with sourcing/operations to identify and develop initiatives to increase productivity
• Formulating procedures and rules pertaining to pricing/operations and implementing strategic improvements to resolve operational issues
• Managing and evaluating the performance of the salesmen across all the channels and giving them feedback on how they can do better on a regular basis
• Supporting manpower planning and monitoring to ensure adequate staff for retail stores
Projects Undertaken:
• Initiated and designed the Market based pricing process to get inputs from the market and the sale team and Customer feedback process
• Part of two Lean Six Sigma- Green Belt projects, one involved optimizing the inventory in all the retail stores and the workshop and the other involved increasing the gross margin.
• Initiated two kaizen projects
• Initiated the Salesmen Feedback Survey on how we can improve as business and what management can do to support the salesmen whilst pointing out any problems/concerns that the salesmen might be facing. Designed the KRA’s and action plan to achieve the KRAs. Re-designed the salesmen KPI’s based on the survey
• Worked on the standardization of discounts across all the retail stores
• Worked with the marketing team to design special price promotions for retail during off-peak season
A general trading company committed to delivering quality products at a reasonable price and in a timely manner
Activities & Results
• Identifying and building relationships with new clients and ensuring a high level of service to the existing clients
• Working collaboratively with the suppliers to ensure delivery of client products on time.
• Identifying and evaluating new suppliers according to requirements and negotiating prices and payment terms with the suppliers and freight rates with shipping companies
• Developing budgets and evaluating contract performance based on revenue generated and expenses incurred against the budget
• Responsible for improving the operational efficiency by implementing strategic improvements techniques like lean to eliminate waste of time and quality
Integrated supplier of energy and related services and the leading energy supplier to businesses in the UK
Activities & Results
• Effectively maximized energy and related sales opportunities within the commercial customers environment
• Drove the sales operation through effective coaching, guidance and motivational support
• Contributed to the development of systems and procedures that facilitate increased performance and cost efficiency for the acquisition of business customers
• Continually hit and exceeded the sales as well as quality targets
• Analyzed data and prepared and distributed reports based on that data
• Developed, set up and administered customer accounts, and promoted and sold homecare products and energy services
• Received positive recognition for achieving stretching sales and customer service targets
World leader in content transformation and knowledge process outsourcing with 3, 700 employees
Activities & Results
• Designed and implemented changes, resolved issues, and developed new business opportunities
• Led and tracked the performance of project teams, and set priorities, critical paths, key milestones and timescales in line with business goals
• Prepared, presented and negotiated project plans and risk management strategies
• Directed and performance managed a team of Associate Project Managers
• Contributed to the recruitment, selection, screening and appointment of the team
• Consistently ensured delivery of best value throughout each project life-cycle
• Implementing strategies to continually improve operational productivity and efficiency to reduce waste of time and resources
Assisted in the administration of this business process re-engineering company, with responsibility for the recruitment, leadership and performance management of two teams, totalling 30+ Associates
Activities & Results
• Assisted in the administration of this business process re-engineering company, with responsibility for the recruitment, leadership and performance management of two teams, totaling 30+ Associates
• Contributed to the design, delivery and assessment of the Leadership Training Programs: Train the Trainer, Situational Leadership Training, Behavioral Leadership Training, Team Leader Performance Coaching & Counseling and Team Leaders Technical Competency Program
• Attended numerous motivational programs, including FISH and Who Stole My Cheese
• Awarded ‘Team Manager with lowest attrition in two consecutive quarters’
• Consistently achieved staffing and manpower planning forecasts
• As a member of Operation Phoenix, a Six Sigma project, contributed to the site attaining the peak of success - achieving World # 1 ranking among all the sites.
• Awarded ‘Best Voice and Accent Trainer’ on three occasions
• Appointed Sole Trainer to the ‘Customer Experience’ Compliance team, responsible for 180 staff
• Awarded Customer Experience Champion
• Achieved Recognition for Outstanding Performance
- Joined the organisation as a Techincal Support Agent. Within six months was promoted to the position of a Voice and Accent Trainer and then a Team Manager
Managed the cyber café and coordinated Internet / IT services throughout the various departments
Studied ERP software and gained an understanding of company-wide data coordination processes
MAJOR SUBJECTS AREAS: Project Management Strategic Global Operations Global Supply Chain Management Strategic Process Improvement Logistics Management Managing Organisational Change Dissertation: Benefits of ERP/SRM on the Supply Chain of an SME Result: Passed with Merit PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN AT MANCHESTER BUSINESS SCHOOL, UK: 2008 Oct-Dec National Health Service (NHS), Greater Manchester: • Studied the pathology department of Rochdale hospital and suggested an improvement plan • Used Strategic Process Improvement concepts and practices such as Process Mapping, force-field analysis and Ishikawa diagram to identify the cause-and-effect along with Lean approach to identify waste • Suggested improvements reduced the total process time by 53.05% 2008 Oct-Dec A2Z School of English, Manchester: • Studied the operations of the school and identified key issues and gave recommendations to tackle the issues 2009 Feb-April ASDA’s Ready-to-Go Food, Manchester: • Analysed the quality of ASDA’s ready-to-go food • Conducted surveys to collect customer feedback and prioritised their needs using Pareto Analysis and Kano model. • Used House of Quality/QFD to benchmark it against other competitors and recommended an improvement plan. 2009 May-Sept Dissertation: Benefits of ERP/SRM on the Supply Chain of an SME: • The study uncovered the benefits as well as the challenges faced by a SME for using SRM • Defined strategies for improvements and value addition • Developed models for successful implementation in SMEs
INTERNSHIP: Punj Lloyd Ltd. (January, 2002- May, 2002):- Worked in the IT Department of Punj Lloyd Ltd & studied the ERP software of the organization – its working & how the data is coordinated among various departments. PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN Urdu Council Of India:- Made an Interactive Multimedia CD for them during my college focusing on the origin & the trend of Urdu in India. Jamia Hamdard:- Made an Interactive Multimedia CD for the college highlighting the courses offered by the university.
