Manager - Merchandising Planning Value Stores

Manager Merchandising Planning

Location: Gurgaon, India

Role Purpose & Organizational Impact

The Manager Merchandising Planning is responsible for maximizing the profitability of own retail Value stores across Emerging Markets (EM) by driving key merchandising processes, strategic initiatives, and data-driven decision-making. This role ensures that all in-season activities (promotions, markdowns, and replenishment) are aligned to achieve planned sales, margin, and inventory objectives, while enhancing customer experience and operational excellence across all stores.

What We Are Looking For

dynamic merchandising professional

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning & Execution:

  Define and implement

  key merchandising strategies

  aligned with business objectives and the merchandising framework.

• OTB & Seasonal Buys:

  Plan, manage, and monitor

  seasonal Open-to-Buy (OTB)

  and buys to achieve targeted sales and margins.

• Sales & Stock Management:

  Maintain

  monthly sales and stock intake plans

  , including product gap analysis and assortment planning.

• New Store Development:

  Collaborate with

  store development teams

  to ensure

  optimized product space allocation

  in new stores.

• Visual Merchandising & Trade Marketing:

  Partner with

  VM and trade marketing teams

  to standardize

  in-store communication tools

  across EM.

• Supply Chain Optimization:

  Work closely with

  SCM teams

  to improve

  replenishment and reduce inefficiencies

  .

• KPI Management:

  Monitor key metrics (

  net sales, sell-through, margin, inventory, IDL

  ) and drive corrective actions to achieve business goals.

• Markdowns & Promotions:

  Implement

  standardized markdown and promotional strategies

  (e.g., BOGO, seasonal discounts) to balance profitability and inventory aging.

• Reporting & Insights:

  Develop and manage

  merchandising reports and dashboards (Power BI)

  to support data-driven decision-making.

• Weekly Trade Reviews:

  Conduct

  weekly analysis of sales, inventory, and product performance

  , and create

  gap plans with markets

  .

• Best Practice Sharing:

  Promote

  knowledge transfer

  across value stores and franchise networks within EM.

• Project Leadership:

  Lead

  strategic projects and initiatives

  to support growth and operational excellence.

• Leadership & Culture:

  Serve as a

  role model for leadership

  and foster the

  ONE EM mindset

  across teams.

We Are Looking for Experience In

• Excellent communication skills

  with the ability to collaborate across multi-country teams.

• Strong knowledge and hands-on expertise with Power BI (mandatory).

• Merchandising or trading background

  (Note: No buying backgrounds).

• Total experience of less than 10 years, with 6–8 years in merchandising.

• Go-getter attitude with strong ownership and a results-driven mindset.

Well-Versed In

• OTB (Open-to-Buy) management.

• Replenishment planning and stock optimization.

• Markdown and promotion strategies

  (e.g., BOGO offers, discounting).

• Store operations and retail management.

• Inventory management and retail analytics.

• Sales forecasting and category performance tracking.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong financial acumen and retail math expertise.
• Advanced MS Excel and reporting skills.
• Analytical, detail-oriented, and structured problem solver.
• Ability to influence across diverse teams (directly and indirectly).
• Trading mindset with entrepreneurial agility.
• Solid understanding of retail management systems and processes.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, multi-market environment.

Education & Experience

• University degree

  in Business, Marketing, Sales, or a related field (or equivalent professional experience).

• 6–8 years of merchandising or trading experience,

  ideally in

  retail value stores or emerging markets.

• Total work experience under 10 years.