Sales Operations & Brand Manager
Fawaz Al Hokair Group- Fashion Retail
Total years of experience :27 years, 5 Months
• Manage the day to day retail sales operation of the company and fully responsible of the P& L ( complete responsibility of Top and bottom line margin)
• Responsible for business plan (forecast, budgeting, buying, CAPAX, expansion etc)
• Setting up Bench mark, Develop and implement standards of best practice throughout retail operations
• Manage and improve the operational systems, processes and policies in support of organizations mission - specifically, support better management reporting, information flow and management, business process and organizational planning.
• Ensuring that agreed customer service standards and revenue targets are achieved or exceeded, whilst at the same time managing costs within budget.
• Ensure an exceptional level of store merchandising standards are executed across all stores.
• Maintain optimum stock levels to drive sales to exceed the planned budget.
• Monitor competitors activities and market intelligence to outperform competition
• Recruit, manage and develop team members.
• Training & coaching. (Establish and maintain a successful work culture. Recruit, retain, and develop an effective store management team. Coach and mentor store management to facilitate their professional and personal growth)
Recognized fashion Multi brand department stores ( over 150, 000sq.ft, over 300 employees)
*Manage day to day operation of the stores to maximize sales and profitability, Management with regards to development of staff, Marketing and Business Development teams
• Achieving Business targets,
• Staff recruitment, training and development
• Inventory management
• Mall Management
• Over all responsible for the business intelligence analysis.
• Ensuring that agreed customer service standards and revenue targets are achieved or exceeded, whilst at the same time managing costs within budget.
• Ensure an exceptional level of store merchandising standards are executed across all stores.
• Achieving the retail targets specifically, budget, relative P&L (i.e. controllable costs at the store level) and the execution of store campaigns.
• Develop and manage clear processes to control shrink resulting from customer and staff theft, poor store administration, and damage to displayed and stored merchandise
• Ensure VM standards & Executions.
• Supported the merchants to achieve the maximum margins seasonally.
• Reviewing weekly and monthly market performance, P&L, KPI's, MS reports with the Commercial Director & bench mark with the Store Managers/ Retail Partner.
*Keeping the consistency of the 30% sales growth from the second month of joining
* Exceeding the projected target by 20%
Recognized casual wear brand for men's, ladies & kids. Having 26 stores across UAE, Oman and Qatar.
• Manage the day to day retail sales operation of the Company for a specified region/s
• Developing and implementing overall growth strategies for the business (specific to the brand positioning and the growth potential)
• Exceed the sales objectives for the Brand as defined in the Business Plan.
• Develop and implement standards of best practice throughout retail operations
• Manage and improve the operational systems, processes and policies in support of organizations mission - specifically, support better management reporting, information flow and management, business process and organizational planning.
• Ensuring that agreed customer service standards and revenue targets are achieved or exceeded, whilst at the same time managing costs within budget.
• Ensure an exceptional level of store merchandising standards are executed across all stores.
• Achieving the retail targets specifically, budget, relative P&L (i.e. controllable costs at the store level) and the execution of store campaigns.
• Recruit, manage and develop team members.
• Training & coaching. ( establish and maintain a successful work culture. Recruit, retain, and develop an effective store management team. Coach and mentor store management to facilitate their professional and personal growth.)
• Agreed the planning (including OTB), ordering, allocation & subsequent replenishment based on receipt & distribution of merchandise, building stock for peak trading periods, & mitigating terminal stock.
• Develop and manage clear processes to control shrink resulting from customer and staff theft, poor store administration, and damage to displayed and stored merchandise
• Ensure VM standards & Executions.
• Supported the merchants to achieve the maximum margins seasonally.
• Achieved double digit Sales growth (LFL 34%) in a year.
• Turn around the losing business into profit in 8 months.
• Projected closing stores (6) turned around to be productive & profit making stores
• Opened 4 new stores within a year.
• Reduced the shrinkage below company expectation.
• Trained & Developed 8 store managers, 2 area managers in 18 months.
• Staff has been trained to give the best retail experience to the customers. ( Bossini staff is one of the vibrant sales force today in the market)
• Supported the merchants to achieve the highest margin seasonally.
2008 - 2010 Retail Operations Manager, ECCO - Denmark
Leading shoe brand operating in the Mideast, Eastern Europe and Pakistan with over 30 stores and 6 franchise partners.
• Provided all Support to the ECCO franchise partners in the region. (Act as "Retail Expert"); Ensuring consistency of brand image across all regions of operations.
• Exceed the sales objectives for the Brand as defined in the Business Plan.
• Identification of Key locations within new shopping malls and re location where required within existing malls to improve on overall profitability and performance.
• Achieving the retail targets specifically, budget, relative P&L (i.e. controllable costs at the store level) and the execution of store campaigns.
• Responsible for and overseeing the commercial planning of new store openings.
• Preparing seasonal buying budgets for shops based on set sales plans and new openings in coordination with the company's partners.
• OTB management to monitor Cash inflow & outflow as per the working capital requirements.
• Training the partner's brand manager, Operations Manager, shop manager's etc.; (Train the staff to act as Brand Ambassador)
• Reviewing weekly and monthly market performance, P&L, KPI's, MS reports with the Commercial Director & bench mark with the Store Managers/ Retail Partner.
• Conducting appraisal interviews with Brand Managers and executing regular best practice workshops for the managers;
• Managing agreed marketing plan and following visual merchandising guidelines.
• Assisting & advising the Brand Manager's in creating local events and campaigns.
• Maintaining satisfactory level of Customer service thru regular staff training and ensuring staff availability.
• Represented the company as Operations Manager for ECCO-Golf Business for MENA region Achieved 10 new accounts and 180% sales growth.
• Manager all major golf events marketing campaigns (Dubai Desert Classic, Xerox, Ladies Masters, Egyptian Open, Dubai World Series etc)
• "ECCO" Golf shoes became one of the fast selling and famous within short period among customers, due to best VVIP customer service.
• Achieved double digit Sales growth in short period.
2001 to 2008 Operations & Brand Manager, MAH Group-Saudi Arabia
• Build Annual Business Plan to reflect brand positioning.
• Responsible for overall day to day operation.
• Responsible for analyzing, re-forecasting, and reporting the Financial performance of the brand through the monthly presentation of P& L
• Identified Key locations within new shopping malls and re location where required within existing malls to improve on overall profitability and performance.
• Responsible for pricing for all stock within the brand & margin strategy where applicable.
• Recommended / utilized optimum space management options (where applicable) based on store trends/category sales performance.
• Developed and Maintained relationship between Company & host brands.
• Out Sourced new brands - New product design & development as per local market requirements. (Travelled to European and Asian countries)
• Decided the financial sales plans & reforecast for new stores.
• Agreed the planning (including OTB), ordering, allocation & subsequent replenishment based on receipt & distribution of merchandise, building stock for peak trading periods, & mitigating terminal stock.
• Achieved 3-digit growth in short period.
• Around 25 stores opened.
• Yearly forecasted sales and margin achieved.
• Developed 4 buyers.
1997-2001 Store Manager, MAH Group- Saudi Arabia.
• Manage the store daily operations.
• Identifies current and future customer requirements by establishing rapport with potential and actual customers and other persons in a position to understand service requirements.
• Ensures availability of merchandise and services by approving contracts; maintaining inventories
• Monthly targets achieved continuously.
• Won the most vibrant staff award for 2 consecutive years.
1997-2001 Store Manager
MAH Group, Saudi Arabia
• Retail Operations
• Business development
• Budgeting & Forecasting
• Driving Sales / Revenues.
• Market analysis & Identifying trends
• Strong Marketing and Sales Management
• Communication
• Competitor analyses
• Merchandising management & VM/Concept Management
• OTB & Terminal stock management ( Seasonal prognosis)
• Numerical & Analytical Skills
• P & L Management.
• Project management ( Store openings)
* Recruitment, Training, development and performance management
* KPI management
* Taking ownership.
1996 to 1997 CBL Marketing Ltd, Sri Lanka, Sales Promoter/ Supervisor
• Suggesting and promoting new products, which increased the sales by 23%;
• Managing and guiding sales representatives;
• Playing a key role in promoting and launching new products;
• Observing and identifying competitor's activities;