JOB DESCRIPTION
The role holder is responsible for developing strategic buying plans for the assigned brand/category. The role holder also ensures smooth buying operations in compliance with the principal/supplier contract principles to achieve the strategic and financial objectives of the brand/category.
- Determines the buying requirements and formulates buying plan and budget for the assigned brand/category, based on the analysis of the historical trends and future forecasts.
- Creates buying plans to ensure profitability by maintaining and building consumer focused brand/category lines and managing SKU performance and efficiency.
- Aligns the buying plan to the overall business unit plan and strategy as laid down by the company’s directions.
- Tracks and evaluates brand/category sales performance, market sales trends and competitor trading activities to identify critical business factors and proposed action plans to increase sales and profitability.
- Consolidates and analyzes actual sales results to plan and forecast in-season sales/inventories on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis to drive sales, bottom-line profitability and inventory targets to meet or exceed financial goals.
- Helps meet the profit targets by ensuring timely launches of the merchandise at stores and ecomm.
- Manages placement of orders based on the buying plans and ensures merchandise is delivered as per the plan based on the agreed service level agreement.
- Ensures identification of buying opportunities to range products and to ensure that business unit maintains its competitive edge by constant renegotiation with principal/supplier.
- Ensures effective communication, collation and follow-up on various product requirements and findings obtained from the sales/store data.
- Collaborate and negotiates to obtain the right assortment for the business by also maintaining a good relationship with principal/supplier.
- Keeps abreast of the latest trends in buying and discuss the same with the buying manager to assess realignment of existing processes.
- Ensures the development of periodic reports on consumer behavior, consumer trends per product etc. to facilitate decisions to maintain, liquidate or dispose-off products or continue/discontinue with the product lines.
- Manages and monitors the day to day activities of the buying team, providing guidance as and when required.
- Participates in capacity and option planning to determine the capacity required and ensure smooth supply of products.
- Prepare seasonal buying information to facilitate for Seasonal Product Presentation.
- Ensuring accuracy and consistent updates on product information, and product status via orderbook management.
- Places orders with the selected vendor(s) based on the buying plans and ensures merchandise is delivered as per the plan based on the agreed service level agreement.
People Management
- Work with the team by providing guidance, mentoring and coaching to achieve the defined goals.
- Drives a culture of feedback and coaching in the Business Unit by providing feedback on an ongoing basis, identifying development needs and coaching the employees on the areas of improvement.
- Drive teamwork mindset between buying & merchandising team.
JOB REQUIREMENT
- Bachelor’s degree Buying and Merchandising or its equivalent.
- A minimum of 5 -7 years of relevant experience with at least 2 years in product buying.
- Written and spoken English is essential.
Additional Skills
- Planning and Organizing.
- Data Gathering and analysis.
- MS Office and Tools.
- Knowledge of ERP (relevant)
- Capacity Planning Knowledge.
Internal Interactions
- Area Manager (s)
- Buying Team.
- Finance.
- Warehousing and Logistics.
- Merchandising Team.
- Supply Chain.
- Planning Team.
- Retail Brand Marketing.
- Marketing Team.
- Ecomm Team.
External Interactions
