Chief Merchandise Officer

Role & responsibilities

Business Strategy:

• Support new store openings and regional expansions through tailored merchandising strategies.
• Develop short- and long-term buying strategies to optimize assortment, availability, and margins.
• Evaluate market trends and competition to innovate and adapt quickly.

Merchandising Planning:

• Define and implement merchandise strategy for all store formats aligned to customer insights, regional demands, and company vision.
• Lead category architecture, assortment mix, private label development, and price positioning.
• Plan seasonal and festive merchandising calendar in coordination with marketing and operations.

Vendor Management:

• Build strategic partnerships with suppliers and negotiate best-in-class terms, pricing, and margins.
• Manage sourcing, procurement cycles, and long-term supplier development.
• Ensure ethical sourcing and compliance with food safety, ESG, and regulatory standards.
• Build strong supplier partnerships, negotiate commercials, secure exclusive deals, and ensure timely procurement.

Category Ownership:

• Drive performance across key categories: Fresh, FMCG, Staples, General Merchandise.
• Optimize SKU count, inventory turns, and shelf space to maximize profitability and efficiency.
• Leverage data analytics to improve product performance, assortment rationalization, and consumer behavior insights.
• Manage and grow the food (staples, dairy, FMCG, etc.) and non-food (home care, personal care, general merchandise) portfolio across Star Localmart stores.

Margin & Profitability Focus:

• Develop pricing architecture to maintain competitiveness while protecting margin.
• Oversee promotion planning with a focus on ROI and customer footfall.
• Collaborate with marketing and operations for effective promotions rollouts.
• Must have the knowledge of GMROI, GMROFS
• Drive initiatives to improve category-level gross margins through effective pricing, promotions, and sourcing efficiencies.

Market Intelligence:

• Stay abreast of market trends, competitor activity, and consumer insights to inform merchandising decisions.
• Should be an expert in analyzing then AC Nielsen trends.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Lead and mentor a team of category managers, buyers, and merchandise planners.
• Work closely with Supply Chain, Store Operations, Marketing, and Finance to deliver merchandise objectives.
• Foster a high-performance culture and data-driven decision-making.

New Store Opening:

• Defining strategies for opening new stores, Research local demographics, competitor offerings, and consumer trends to ensure the product mix aligns with demand.

Team Leadership:

• Build and mentor a high-performance buying & merchandising team with a focus on data-driven decision-making.

Preferred candidate profile

1. Experience: 1520 years in merchandising/category leadership roles in organized retail/FMCG, with at least 5+ years in a leadership role managing end-to-end categories. One must have experience in the South and West markets.

2. Domain Expertise: Proven experience in managing both food and non-food categories in small-format retail (e.g., convenience stores, neighborhood stores, discount stores).

3. Education: MBA or PGDM in Retail, Marketing, or Operations from a reputed institution.