Senior Buyer/ Senior Planning / Merchandising / Brand Manager
Resume:
Nithin Merry Abraham
E-mail Address: *************@*****.***
Mobile: +965-****-****
Professional Profile
A Retail professional with over 8 years of experience in merchandise range building, buying, inventory management, product development and merchandise planning.
Result-oriented, decisive leader with a positive approach, confident, diligent and possess exceptional people management, strategy & business planning, communication, presentation and negotiation skills.
Proficient at working in fast paced, high pressure environments, adhering to strict deadlines and multiple deliverables
Capacity to communicate with all stakeholders effectively
Ability to make decisions with integrity that supports organizations’ guidelines and makes good business sense
Experience and knowledge of the retail market plus a passion for numbers and an exposure to managing a high number of SKU's, sales generation, driving and delivering KPIs and budget management
Strong analytical and numerical skills with the ability to manage and deliver retail-reporting utilizing advanced Excel skills
Career Summary
Al Yasra Fashion, Kuwait (November 2015 – Present) Prominent regional fashion retail leader, with a world-class portfolio of over 60 high-end fashion, watches & accessories and footwear brands that include DKNY, Kenzo, Jimmy Choo, Ecco and Cole Haan across the Middle East Senior Merchandise Planner for Ontime, Trinkets, Fossil Boutique & Sacocher Key Responsibilities
Senior planning role and responsibilities for a multi-brand retail concept for Watches, Jewellery & Accessories with a brand portfolio of 50+ international brands which includes Emporio Armani, Fossil, Michael Kors, DKNY, Cavalli Class, Moni & J and Aigner
Develop Full-year sales, inventory, margin and Open to Buy Plans at Brand level for a full year (by seasonality) that ties to the financial goals
Provide analytical assistance in the development of business strategy with an understanding of its implications to profitability
Review rolling Open to Buy against Sales achieved and make decisions to maximize the available open to buy while ensuring that each channel of business within the company has appropriate inventory available while meeting stock turnover goal
Initiate and support daily and weekly updates on business as it relates to the last forecast, identifying trends, and highlighting selling that exceeds or falls short of expectation. Initiate conversations with cross-functional partners regarding potential risk or opportunities and suggested changes to course of action for both current and future quarters
Present logic and strategies in sales forecast meetings to ensure new marketing initiatives and brand newness are aligned with the additional sales revenue that is to be generated for the period Page 2 of 5
Develop New Brand strategies, projected sales, inventory by SKU needs, and order flow setups for launch timeframe
Conduct periodic checks on aged inventories and exit brands in order to recommend promotional or markdown strategies to liquidate profitably
Maximise sales with the minimum of outlay by ensuring that stock levels are controlled effectively, by measuring the impact of current trading conditions and assisting the business to keep markdown to a minimum using the WSSI tool working
Develop and present analyses to assess strategy and business performance which include observations, conclusions and recommendations by providing on-going analysis using custom reports
Develop and maintain a positive relationship with Brand, Operations, Merchandise and Marketing team members through a collaborative team atmosphere and active communication M.H.Alshaya, Kuwait (January 2009 – July 2015)
A leading international franchise operator for over 80 of the world's most recognised retail brands including Starbucks, H&M, Mothercare, Debenhams, American Eagle Outfitters, Victoria's Secret, Boots, Top Shop and Boots in prime locations across the Middle East
Senior Merchandiser for Mothercare - Footwear, Hosiery, Accessories & Maternity Department Key Responsibilities
Plan stock/intake requirements to meet the budgeted sales. Manage the range building and/or selection/buying process of ranges. Maintain gross profit on purchases and/or net profit on sales in line with overall business expectations
Full responsibility of Merchandise planning by maintaining and delivering gross profit on purchases and net profit on sales in-line with overall business expectations
Integration of planning disciplines within a cross-function Operations Team
Ensure consistent, accurate planning and analysis procedures are utilized throughout the financial and assortment planning process
Decide product procurement through host brand range reviews or direct negotiation, including in-season buys and establish Open to Buy
Set and execute annual buying budgets, and develop pricing strategies, improved margin mix, trade spending plans and distribution goals
Assess store execution of merchandising plans, recommend optimum space management options based on store trends and category sales performance
Recommend retail pricing levels, decide sale lines and mark down percentage strategy
Identify /plan promotional events, and deliver in consultation with Operations and VM`s
Coach and monitor performance of merchandise team and create a clear and ambitious growth plan for team to ensure their career progression
Analyse and monitor sales records, trends and economic conditions to anticipate consumer buying patterns and determine what the merchandise will sell and the inventory that is needed
Approach marketing manager to set annual marketing campaigns to ensure proper implementation as per guidelines
Create analyses and periodical reports related to brands market, stock inventory and rotation, category, gender, competitive and customers to enhance the brand’s equity, marketplace performance and stretch revenue goals for upcoming year
To establish alternative suppliers to ensure a good mix of product range is available
Overall responsibility for price negotiations with Host Brand to make recommendations for cost efficiency and maximization of margin
Page 3 of 5
Forecast sales plans and revise intake requirements during in-season trading by drafting merchandise plans down to the level of Store by month by department, detailing sales, markdown, intake and stock Merchandiser for Mothercare - Footwear, Hosiery & Accessories Department Key Responsibilities
To assist in the planning of stock/intake requirements to meet the budgeted sales. Manage the range building and/or selection/buying process of ranges
Prepare seasonal range plan by grade pre & post buying process
Assist in the range building, selection and buying process of the seasonal range by carrying out efficient decision making on product procurement
Manage the buying file creation process each season prior to seasonal buys
Strategize stock and intake requirements to meet the budgeted sales plan
Review trading KPIs against targets and provide weekly updates
Analyse every aspect of bestsellers (bestselling price points, colours or styles) and ensure that bestsellers reach their full potential
Monitor slow sellers and taking action to reduce prices, set promotions or stock relocation as necessary
Work closely with Shops Managers to provide them support on stock replenishment and display guidelines
Oversee the pricing of all merchandise are in accordance with the pricing master through routine store visits during new launches
Meeting with Host Brand and managing the timescales and delivery dates
Monitor and provide status on inventory performance versus plan so that deviations from plan may be addressed on a timely basis
Maximizes sales through optimizing allocation of stock to the stores in a manner that will ensure the desired inventory turnover goals by store to support achievement of the profit objectives
Coordinate the creation of ad-hoc reports and analysis as requested
Reviewing competitor product and price offerings Assistant Merchandiser for Mothercare - Baby, Kids & Maternity Department Key Responsibilities
Stock-flow management from Regional warehouse to Local market warehouses and to stores through Allocation and Replenishment process
Review SKU performance daily to monitor out-of-stock position by store and adjust inventory levels based on sales trends and replenishment guidelines
Communicate to store and warehouse the information regarding new arrivals, display material, stock release and returns
Develop relationships with internal and external contacts and assess appropriate and critical information
Ensure information on internal business application systems is accurate and make recommendations for corrections
Track invoices and shipments and proactively inform management of deviations
Liaise with the warehouse for the timely deliveries of merchandise and posting of Goods Received Note of the merchandise
Manage and maintain stock file accuracy with a focus on auditable elements
Assisting with the preparation for range signoffs Page 4 of 5
Pro-actively utilize available business application systems and identify improvements and requirements for further action
Produce and analyse reports to determine sales and margin information with recommendations where appropriate
Manage / maintain stock file accuracy on auditable elements Key Achievements
Actively produced and created a central repository to manage vital information across numerous departments and products, including relationships between product and its supplier as well as product and their location
Help consolidate master information from multiple data domains and business lines into a single repository to provide improved controls, cleanse and enrich information and share content across the enterprise, sales channels and trading partners Master Data
Management
Markdown /
Mark-up
Management
Effectively maximized revenue by monitoring the sell through
Suggest timing and magnitude of price change at both product and aggregate levels to improve product turnover
Help keep inventory fresh and appealing to customers while maintaining price elasticity and product rate-of-sale
Pricing
Management
Defining tailored Retail Pricing Strategies by keeping in mind the many outside influences that affect profitability and the business bottom line across the Middle East
Strategies include mark up on cost and retail
Considering competitive pricing strategy to provide customer service to stand above the competition
Loss Making
Stores Review
Profit performance reports prepared on a quarterly basis for reporting Stores that are operationally profitable
Determine the viability of the Store with the use of its space by examining the sales per square foot to give insights for improving store layout, merchandising, and staff performance. WSSI – Weekly
Sales Stock
Intake
Efficiently manage stock based on a sales forecast and actual sales and stock information
Facilitated the optimisation of Gross Margin Return on Investment by balancing the impacts of margin and stock turn
Help monitor the KPIs by getting a rapid indicator of tactical activity required and quickly make decisions on mark-downs, promotions, push allocations, inventory consolidations Product
Transition
Management
Work alongside merchandising team to successfully plan and execute a variety of product transitions including Planogram, New Category Launched, and Seasonal buys
Execute timely placement of orders and minimize obsolescence and maximize turn through timely forecast updates
Page 5 of 5
Relevant Skill Set
Excellent communication and inter-personal skills
Good Business awareness
Effective influencing and negotiation skills
Demonstrable leadership and management qualities
Highly organized with an ability to multitask, prioritize under pressure and to tight deadlines
Analytic and attention to detail
Strong time-management skills
Proficient in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word and Outlook
Strong technical aptitude with the ability to quickly master new applications and systems Education Qualifications
Bachelor of Engineering (B.E) in Computer Science 2004 - 2008 Sathyabama University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
High School 1991 - 2004
Carmel School, Kuwait
Personal Details
Date of Birth : February 20, 1986
Nationality : Indian
Marital Status : Married
Areas of Interest : Travelling, Playing sport, Music and Movies Languages Known : English, Hindi, Arabic, Malayalam Special Skills : Hard work, Punctuality, and Easy adaptability Supply Chain /
Host Brand
Relations
Partner with Merchandising and Supply Chain to assist in minimizing key supplier lead times to warehouses and stores with improved reliability
Develop and maintain positive and effective relations with Host Brand team to facilitate timely and accurate processing of orders and delivered product
Drive and collaborate planning process with Host Brand, ensuring plans are aligned and can be supported
Contact this candidate