Senior Buyer & Merchandiser: CIS,Aldo Footwear
Apparel Group
Total years of experience :9 years, 3 Months
• Handling Brand management, planning, buying & merchandising aspects of the Business.
• Formulating various Business strategies Budgeting, sales forecasting, buying, Range Plan, New Store planning, Sales Forecast, Buying, OTB management, Price point strategy, Stocks Inflow, Margin & Markdown Strategy for achieving Business Top-line.
• Select products in line with trend analysis and preparation of Range Plan on the basis of Brand Target segment and Business proposition.
• Regular communication with Principals for forecasting, buying, Stock Inflow, Competition Analysis & marketing activities.
• Analysing various reports like stock & sales, stock ageing, Shipment/ In transit, OTB, Markdown, etc.
• Preparing & presenting reports & business strategies to senior management.
• Tracking Brand sales performance - budgeted & targeted on regular basis including feedback from the retail end.
• Regular store visits & competition analysis for related corrective actions.
• Monthly In-planning: forecast sales, re-forecasting buying budget & placing repeat orders for Best-sellers on a regular basis.
• Managing stocks by implementing planned stock distributions, replenishments, consolidations, inter-territory transfers, etc.
• Ensuring proper implementation of Stock Inflow Strategy in conjugation with Imports Team & Territories, ensuring the right product is available at right price at right location at right time.
• Co-ordinating with the warehouse for received shipment quality checks, price labelling, stock transfers, warehouse sales, etc.
• Achieving target sales & gross profit for budgeted season & financial year.
• Reducing stock ageing successfully as per the guidelines of the company.
• Monitoring, motivating & leading team to ensure execution of strategies and escalation of Brand market position.
• Supporting activities pertaining to increase in sales conversion including visual merchandising, marketing-promotions, customer service, etc.
1. Managing Outdoor Brands Business
• Handling two of World’s Topmost Outdoor Brands Business: COLUMBIA, THE NORTH FACE - Buying & Planning.
• En-cashing on competitiveness factor of each outdoor brand, to maximize sales & profitability for the competitive outdoor brands under company’s business umbrella.
• Trend analysis and Range Planning, on the basis of each Brand Target segment and Business proposition
• Conducting sales related activities to ensure execution of strategies and escalation of market position and brand value.
2. Retail Buying & Planning
• Planning Budgets and presenting sales forecasts and figures for future seasons to the Senior Management
• Allocation of Budgets, OTB requirements & Building season wise merchandise mix
• Regular communication with Principals for Ordering, Stock Inflow, Risk Analysis, Substitution & Additional orders.
• Handling the intricacies of new store openings, Base Stock planning & related activities.
3. Monitoring Supply Chain & Merchandising
• Monitoring Stock Inflow in conjugation with Imports Dept.
• Managing Stocks & replenishments
• Conducting movement analysis, rotation & stock reconciliation
• Managing activities pertaining to increase in sales conversion including visual merchandising, marketing - promotions, customer service, etc.
• Inventory liquidation - Markdown Management
4. Analysis
• Tracking sales performance of the brands on regular basis.
• Monitoring brand performance on basis of feedback from the retail end
• Forecasting sales on basis of past analysis and performance
• To do store visits, in-house & market competition study on regular basis & analyzing for related corrective actions
1. One Point Link between Finance, Buying & Merchandising Teams.
• Making financial presentations to senior management - Sales Strategy, Brand Strategy, Price point strategy, Supplier Strategy, Stocks Inflow Strategy, Markdown Strategy & Business Top-line.
• Planning product ranges and preparing sales and stock plans in conjunction with buyers
• Handling all retail merchandising teams across more than 10 countries ( more than 100 stores)
2. Retail Planning
• Forecasting profits and sales, & optimizing the sales volume and profitability of designated product areas using past analysis & trends
• To do Monthly Inplanning : forecast sales, re - forecasting buying budget & stocks intake on a monthly basis
3. Monitoring Retail Merchandising
• Monitoring Merchandising Team & sales related activities to ensure optimum execution of strategies
• To plan the initial allocation of products by store grade, ensuring stock densities are optimized and then communicate to Merchandisers & Inventory Controllers.
• Managing & controlling stock levels based on forecasts for the season by stock redistributions/ replenishments, Consolidations, etc.
4. Monitoring Supply Chain
• Ensuring the proper implementation of Stock Inflow Strategy to the territories in conjugation with Imports Team, ensuring the right product is available at right time at right place at right price.
• To ensure timely launch of season in all territories by controlling deliveries of goods across the supply chain.
• To monitor Re-orders and other stock related issues, to identify production and supply difficulties and dealing with them as and when they occur (e.g. airlifting goods if business requirement)
5. Analysis
• To analyse sales performance against Plan & taking corrective actions.
• Analyzing every aspect of bestsellers, and ensuring that bestsellers reach to their full potential.
• Monitoring slow sellers, and taking action to reduce prices or set promotions as necessary.
1. Analyzing the performance of the existing TNG brand stores across New Delhi and to find out the feasibility/ profitability of opening 5 new stores
2. Location Analysis - City profiling of Delhi to map the locations for opening 5 new stores.
3. OTB Formulation - Formulation of the OTB plan for the new season.
• Liaising with buyers, suppliers, inventory controllers & stores
• Accompanying buyers on meeting with suppliers and managing the distribution of stock, by negotiating cost prices, ordering stock, agreeing timescales and delivery dates.
• Identifying production and supply difficulties and dealing with any problems or delays as they arise.
• Maintaining a comprehensive library of appropriate data.
• Drafting Range catalogues in conjugation with the buyers & providing the same to marketing team & inventory controllers.
• To monitor sell through, margins, stock movement & forward covers in stores on a regular basis.
Projects Undertaken during NIFT studies : • Marketing Research Project on decline of Brand Value (Indian Airlines) and reasons leading to it. • Project on lifestyle apparel market and develop a women’s wear range relevant for Reebok lifestyle stores. • Project on Rural Fashion Development – a “National Institute of Fashion Technology” sponsored initiative.