Commercial Director
Spar Hypermarkets and Sadhan - Landmark Group
Total years of experience :22 years, 10 Months
Develop and implement commercial strategies according to company goals and objectives to accelerate growth.
Conduct market research and analysis to create detailed business plans on commercial opportunities (expansion, business development, etc.) .
Understand the requirements of existing customers to ensure their needs are being met
Act to acquire new customers and manage client relationships (new and existing)
Collaborate with and coordinate diverse teams (marketing, sales, customer service, etc.).
Build and maintain profitable partnerships with key Suppliers.
DRD is a distribution company based in Dubai and has branches in Qatar, Lebanon, Bahrain, and recently Oman. main Core of business is the distribution of exclusive international brands from all over the world.
DRD company deals with the food business, pet food, and LHH ITEMS, on the other hand, DRD Carry owns brands and holds reputable businesses dealing with many manufacturers from all over the world.
My duties :
Source, select, develop, and managed new products from local & international markets, ensuring beneficial terms of purchase .
Develop new packaging and products in order to satisfy the market and customer needs.
Managing team to ensure optimization of product and category pages.
Deep sales analysis on a daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal basis to develop immediate and long-term strategy
Produce weekly trading reports including key KPIs such, as best sellers, W/C’s in order to react to changes in trends and forecasts
Manage the Gross Profit and Gross margin to ensure we achieve budgeted profitability
Manage allocator to ensure minimal missing SKU’s
Provide direction for the e-commerce marketing team regarding key products/lines to push throughout all marketing channels
Sign contracts with the main players in the market.
Provide direct oversight and supervision of agency traders ensuring all equity, option, and ETF orders are handled according to the firm's best execution quality standards
o Head of Merchandise: Total Oman
o participate in the annual business planning and provide inputs to the top management.
o Create the overall product and merchandising strategy for the business
o Analyze strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats vs competition and assess market opportunity
o Oversee the category management with the objective of maximizing sales and profits.
o Merchandise, and Assortment Planning
o Determine high-level financial goals including pre-season financial plans, in-season projections, open-to-buy management, and new store budgets
o Prepare and monitor Concept merchandise based on actual sales, sales forecasts, company order parameters, inventory checks, forthcoming events, replenishment needs, etc
o Discuss, decide, and freeze the concept of merchandise strategic plans.
o Inventory Stock Optimization
o Ensure optimum inventory levels are maintained across Concept & Territories keeping in mind store requirements as well as working capital constraints
o Ensure that no instances of stockouts occur on account of any discrepancy on part of merchandise planning
o Purchasing Director (second time ) :
A leading Retailer in Riyadh- KSA, Al Othaim is The biggest retail chain in KSA, WITH 120 branches between Hypermarkets, supermarkets, corners & wholesale. 9, 000 employees.
www.othaimmarkets.com
• Direct, coordinate all activities of buyers, purchasing Staff, and related workers involved in the purchasing system (Finance, warehouse, quality control----etc).
• Implement a new strategy for packing fruits and vegetables.
• Create new ideas and promotions on a weekly basis ( produce the festival, meat festival, 1+ 1 free ------- etc ).
• Create the importing division for fresh food ( we import on a daily basis by air from the factories directly from India, Pakistan, Australia, South Africa-------- etc ) .
• Sourcing, selecting, developing & managing new products from local & international Markets.
• Maintain records of goods ordered and received.
• Locate supplies and interview them in order to determine product availability and terms of sales.
• Stock control, Analyze the sales & place orders.
• Forecast.
• Receive and check purchase requests against inventory records and stock.
• Control purchasing department budgets.
• Interview and hire staff, and oversee staff training.
• Review purchase order claims and contracts for conformance to company policy.
• Analyze market and delivery systems in order to assess present and future material availability.
• Develop and implement purchasing and contract management instructions, policies, and procedures.
• Participate in the development of specifications for equipment, products or substitute materials.
• Resolve vendor or contractor grievances, and claims against suppliers.
• Represent the company in negotiating contracts and formulating policies with suppliers.
• responsible for the purchasing and developing procurement strategies for the acquisition of raw materials, finished goods, supplies, and outside services.
• Direct and coordinate activities of personnel engaged in buying, selling, and distributing materials, equipment, machinery, and supplies.
• Prepare reports regarding market conditions and merchandise costs
Almco Group of companies: OCT 2008 Till NOV 2013.
o Regional Director :
Almco is a leading professionally managed multi-dimensional group, it is spread across Iraq, Dubai, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, India, Afghanistan &USA (7000 employees with 500 million US dollar turn over )
www.almcogroup.com
Responsible for the group purchasing of supplies and items required for the efficient operation of ALMCO GROUP either from the local market or Overseas. This includes miscellaneous items of all kinds of food, nonfood, PRIVATE LABEL ( Filling all kinds of food under our own brand name )
Manage the operational and fiscal activities of the regional purchasing offices (Amman, Kuwait, Dubai &Iraq ) . Plan and develop systems and procedures to improve the operating quality and efficiency of the department. Supervise staff in accordance with company policies and procedures. Responsible for hiring, training, and coaching employees. work with many parts around the world setting up Full Business Deals.
My services include developing:
1) Distribution Agreements
2) Agency Agreements
3) Business to Business Agreements
4) Business to Customers Agreements
5) Consolidation
& More.
I work with:
1) Manufacturing Facilities
2) Brokers
3) Distributors
4) Retail Entities
5) Buying & Consolidation Services
6) Logistical Services
and more
Strategic Initiatives
• Prepare strategy for procurement for the different categories.
• Analyse current sourcing strategies, systems, and propose improvement plans.
• Responsible to benchmark current processes and systems with industry best practices.
People Development
• Take an active role in subordinate development.
• Analyse training needs of the team and impart necessary training in coordination with cross-functional departments.
• Formulate Key Performance Metrics for the unit procurement team
DUTIES:
• Direct, coordinate all activities of buyers, purchasing Staff, and related workers involved in the purchasing system (Finance, warehouse, quality control----etc).
• Create Amman, Baghdad & KSA purchasing offices in order to support Almco's needs.
• Develop Kuwait, Dubai offices, train the staff.
• Create a private label division.
• Develop & supply hotels in Egypt.
• Implement a new strategy & policies for ordering and buying.
• Coordinate with all offices and departments to establish regular requirements
• Provide monthly/regular feedback to business units on their performance
• Negotiate, Source, select, develop & manage new products, services from local & international Markets.
• Analyze market, supplier service level and delivery systems in order to assess present and future material & products availability
• Represent group in negotiating contracts, promotion and formulating policies with suppliers
• Open LCS & coordinate with the finance department to finalize everything with the bank
• Receive and check purchase requests against inventory records and stock on hand.
• Control purchasing department budgets.
• Interview and hire staff, and oversee staff training.
• Plan and develop systems and procedures to improve the operating quality and efficiency of the department.
• Analyze and document business processes and problems. Develop solutions to enhance efficiencies.
• Supervise staff in accordance with company policies and procedures.
• Responsible to meet department productivity and quality goal.
• Participate in the development of specifications for equipment, products, or substitute materials.
• Review, evaluate, and approve specifications for issuing and awarding bids.
• Secures management approval and recommends standards of quality and price on all items purchased.
• Works closely with such department heads as Engineer and operation.
• Meets requirements, specifications, cost of equipment, and supplies.
• Coordinate and implement solutions from process analysis and general department projects. .
• Other duties as assigned.
Al Sadhan Trading Company - Riyadh, KSA
o Private Label, importing & Business Development Manager April 2006 Till SEP 2008.
Al-Sadhan Trading, Saudi Arabia - Specialized in Retail Industry for Grocery Food, Non-Food, Home Center, Perishables, Electronics & Garments since 1954. 4000 employees.
www.al-sadhan.com
I was Leading the Merchandise, Procurement & Marketing Division with a team of professionals from different industry backgrounds. Managed more than 60, 000 Stock Keeping Units.
Led the company in many projects pertaining to the Merchandise Division in association with other Divisions. Led the project of transferring more than 60, 000 SKUs in association with other project leaders from an old system to a new one. Managed to centralize and develop the Basic products from being DSD based into Warehouse. create other divisions such as the Private label under brands such as "Baraka, lily, crown & hero ". Managed to restructure all of the existing supermarkets and open 5 new Hypermarkets. Created the import Division that managed to give the company higher returns, more varieties, and a better image and quality. Restructured the company's full marketing and promotional activities. Contributed into the creation of a strategic partnership with Top Suppliers in association with the company's Logistics Manager where systems, delivery dates, and highly organized delivery processes that saved the company substantial amounts of money and increased efficiencies and returns. Created new Divisions in the company in the Food & Non-Food Departments. Promoted to a Business Development Manager to work directly with The CEO in identifying the company's overall strategy and positioning across all divisions and develop detailed contingency plans to tackle any challenges and turn them into opportunities.
Al - OTHAIM HOLDING COMPANY - KSA
o Purchasing Manager (fresh food ) : June 2004 Till April 2006
Managed the Full Procurement & Merchandising Divisions.
Main Duties:
• Locate new vendors and interview them in order to determine product availability & terms of sales.
• Negotiate terms with suppliers.
• Oversee distribution from the warehouse to the branches.
• Forecast market conditions, availability of materials & economic conditions.
• Monitor purchase order to determine if deliveries are correct.
• Handle communication concerning overshipment, shortages, price change, & related matters.
• Create the produce Festival at Al Othaim Markets.
• Hire & Train a team to implement my strategy in all Othaim stores for produce dep.
• Import many kinds of fruits & vegetables (exotic fruits, mango, -----etc )
• Filling all sku1 under our own Label.
• Negotiate contracts with the suppliers.
• Develop job description for buyers & warehouse packing.
• Promote good relations between purchasing & other employees in the organization.
• Supervise clerical activities involved in purchasing.
• Quality control for all the received products.
• Improve the packaging procedure ( select the items, increase the weight, use a different color of trays ------etc )
• Reduce the cost & increase the profit ( buying from the farmers directly )
• Involved for setting the companies inter-department annual budget.
• Preparing aggressive promotions on daily & weekly basses.
• Follow up competitors & monitor them.
• Solve problems with venders.
• Investigate and identify supply sources and prepare and process purchase orders.
• Maintain records of goods ordered and received..
Sultan center TSC, Kuwait, Oman
o SENIOR BUYER: June 2001 Till April 2004
The Sultan Center Food Products Co. TSC (better known as The Sultan Center, or TSC) is a dynamic organization based in the Middle East that incorporates a diverse portfolio of successful companies
With retail as its primary focus, TSC is Kuwait’s largest independent retailer and a leading supplier of supermarket items, perishables, and general merchandise in the Middle East. www.sultancenter.co
Duties:
• Create value-added items in all departments.
• Create the hot food department
• Select suppliers.
• Negotiate reasonable terms with the suppliers.
• Compare supplier product quality, service level & cost price.
• Interview salesperson & representatives.
• Issue purchase orders.
• managing & controlling daily activities of the Fresh dep to ensure the operation at maximum efficiency and according to the standards and procedures.
• Monitors, controls and takes preventive actions on sales results, timely ordering of fresh products, physical stock, product display, price tags, expiry date & shrinkage of the products, seasonal & other store promotions, etc.
• Ensures excellent customer service, responsible for customer complaints resolution & constant improvement of customer service.
• Maintains a safe, clean & healthy work environment and ensures the department employees comply with the Hypermarket hygiene policies and procedures, represent.
• Organizes, supervisors and evaluates the work of the department employees, prepares the weekly/monthly work schedule & participates in HR activities.
• Constantly keeps informed about competitor’s activities & price levels, new products on the market, customer behavior, and the latest market trends.
• Following up on vendor’s visibility agreements and positioning contracts within the stores.