Lead Merchandiser

Primary responsibilities:

Collection:

• To build a collection to suit the profile of the customers and constantly prepare an updated shoeline.
• Propose new concepts in the category.
• Decide the selling period of the new concepts.
• Build the collection of identified concept, once approved by the Chief Buyer.
• Continue to develop back-up collection as replacements of non-performance articles.
• Pricing the articles based on concepts, distribution & margin keeping in mind minimum cushions required or reduction.
• All the above need to be approved by Merchandising Head and pricing to be counter approved by the Managing Director.

Category Management

• Create category norms for the allocated category and create lines accordingly
• Make regular visits to stores to understand the performance of the category

Open To Buy:

• The Budget Planning for the new season as per Company indication
• Decide on the concepts to be highlighted in the approaching season.
• As per the control figures decided by the Company, the budget is to be allocated to the concepts.
• Plan for the articles in the concepts and the quantity.
• Month-wise buying plan based on the sales pattern.
• Constant revision in the Plan based on the sales pattern.

Order Placements:

• To place Orders from Contract suppliers to supplement the collection.
• To place Orders from Import suppliers to increase the margin in each concept taking into consideration the concept is not able to develop locally at the same cost.
• Keeping the factories running as per Factory Estimates.

Promotions:

• Volume project to be highlighted – Chosen for you Trend Poster
• PWP
• To keep all Store personnel informed about Fashion trends, Shoe Collection and Selling features of individual articles through the Merchandise catalogue/Newsletter.

Sales Monitoring

• To ensure that the sales of the category in different regions and in different classification of Stores
• Constant review of the concepts in the category.
• Constant review of the category in the four regions in order to supplement sales with optimum stock.
• Providing more substitutes for best selling concepts to capture market.
• Constantly reviewing the performance of new articles across the stores.

Stock Management:

• Constant reviewing the depth of the articles in stores.
• To increase and decrease the number of stores based on the selling potential.
• Eliminate the slow sellers and defective lines by interesting promotions and price reduction.
• Constantly mark the discontinued lines and pass the information to the store level so as to ensure a faster clearance of the same.
• Maintain an updated sample stock of the current lines with the updated sales record of all articles.
• Continue follow-up of the articles performance, increasing procurement of those with high sales out rate, stopping those slow movers, but immediately replace production, other alternative.

New Stores Opening

• To involve in new stores plan to ensure right space is allocated to the categories.
• To work out the Merchandise Plan for the store.
• Provide special supplies for the store to ensure good business.
• To monitor the performance of the category in the new store for minimum one year.
• To ensure that stores receive the products they request on a timely and correct basis.

Market Research

• Keeping track of the emerging trends and prices in the market.
• Prepare seasonal trend board, story board and paper collections.
• Keeping in touch with the District Managers, Store Managers and Customer Service Department.
• Analyzing the emerging buying habits
• Visit competitors and suppliers

MIS

• Develop the systems for logistics and handling of all merchandise from supply source to the Store using modern MIS techniques.
• Contribute and assist to the ongoing development of MIS for Improvements in merchandising and physical distribution with optimum use of EDP.

Harmonies Sales Estimate and Factories Estimate

In charge for Shoe line development, Stock management and involve in Distribution by giving directions and to ensure that no merchandise which is older than 2 years is kept in stock.

People Management

• Hiring of appropriate staff
• Training of people on Product, Competitive products, Consumer and Operations
• Motivation and retention of staff
• Career Planning for high potential employees within the organization
• Proactive succession planning for key roles within the Business