Head Planning and Merchandising

Company Description

ENSEMBLE is India’s first multi-brand luxury fashion store, established in 1987. The brand is dedicated to discovering, mentoring, and nurturing Indian design, with a focus on preserving the country’s rich heritage of craft, embroidery, and textiles. With nine stores across India and a growing online presence globally, ENSEMBLE curates the best of Indian fashion in a modern and refined way. Led by Tina Tahiliani, the company also emphasizes providing customers with excellent and efficient service.



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Vendor & Designer Management

• Develop and implement long-term merchandising strategies based on market trends and sales data.

· Develop and manage the holistic annual and seasonal Open-to-Buy (OTB) plan for the entire network of 11 stores

· Create sales and inventory forecasts by region, city, store cluster, and door, accounting for demographic, climatic, and cultural buying patterns using historical data analysis where it already exists

· Lead the development of a cluster-based strategy (e.g., defining which stores are "Flagship," "High-Volume," "Emerging," etc.) and tailor assortments and budgets accordingly. Essentially build our brand portfolio and assortment from the store level up

· Define and monitor pricing, promotion, and markdown strategies on a national and regional level

Multi-Location Inventory Management & Allocation:

· Plan and manage all inventory flows from central distribution to each of the 11 stores.

· Implement a dynamic replenishment model that responds to real-time sales data across all locations.

· Lead the strategy for intra-inventory transfers between stores to balance stock and maximize full-price sell-through

· Mitigate regional overstock and stock-out risks through proactive analysis and action

Cross-Functional Leadership:

· Partner with Buying & Merchandising to build a cohesive national assortment plan with localized depth where needed

· Collaborate with Regional/Store Managers to understand ground-level performance, customer feedback, and competitive landscape in each city

· Provide the leadership team with a consolidated view of national performance, plus deep-dive analyses on regional opportunities and threats

· Work with Logistics and Supply Chain to ensure efficient and timely inventory distribution

Team Leadership & Systems:

· Build and lead a high-performing planning and allocation team capable of managing multi-store complexity

· Establish, track, and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) for the entire network and individual stores (e.g., GMROI, Sell-Through %, WOS, Sales per Sq. Ft., stock cover

· Champion the use of advanced planning systems and BI tools to enhance forecasting accuracy and operational efficiency

Key Result Areas (KRAs) & Performance Metrics:

The success of the Head of Product Planning will be measured against the following key performance indicators, which are vital to driving profitability and inventory efficiency across the 11-store network:

1. Financial Performance

· Gross Margin Return on Investment (GMROI): Maximize the return on every rupee invested in inventory

· Gross Margin %: Achieve or exceed the planned gross margin targets by minimizing markdowns and optimizing sell-through

· Sales vs. Plan: Achieve or exceed the overall sales budget as well as category-level sales targets

2. Inventory Productivity & Efficiency

· Inventory Turnover: Increase the number of times inventory is sold and replaced within a given period

· Weeks of Supply (WOS): Maintain optimal inventory levels to support sales plans without incurring excess stock

· End-of-Season Stock %: Minimize leftover seasonal inventory to reduce carrying costs and markdown liabilities

3. Commercial Performance

· Sell-Through Rate (%): Achieve target sell-through rates at full price, particularly for key items and collections.

· Sell-Thru % (Category/Store Level): Monitor and improve sell-through performance across different product categories and individual store locations.

· Markdown % / Discount Efficiency: Control the depth and timing of markdowns to protect profitability

4. Forecasting & Planning Accuracy

· Open-to-Buy (OTB) Adherence: Ensure actual inventory commitments align closely with the planned OTB budget

· Sales Forecast Accuracy: Measure the accuracy of pre-season and in-season sales forecasts versus actual results.

· Demand Forecasting Error: Minimize variance between forecasted and actual demand at the SKU level

5. Range & Allocation Effectiveness

· Performance by Store Cluster: Ensure sales and inventory plans are effectively tailored to and met by each store cluster (e.g., Metro, Tier-1)

· Stock-to-Sales Ratio: Maintain a healthy ratio of inventory to sales for each store and category

· Size Curve Optimization: Minimize size-related stockouts and overstocks through improved analysis and allocation