Manager - Buying and Merchandising

Key Responsibility:

Buying & Assortment Planning

- Plan and finalize seasonal product ranges based on market trends, historical sales, and brand strategy.
- Develop assortment strategies that align with sales targets, gross margin plans, and customer expectations.
- Execute the seasonal buying calendar, including product selection, vendor negotiations, and purchase order placement.
- Collaborate with vendors on pricing, lead times, and delivery schedules to ensure cost efficiency and timely availability.
- Manage OTB in partnership with the planning team to optimize inventory investments across categories.

Merchandising & Execution

- Coordinate initial product allocations and replenishment strategies to ensure a balanced merchandise mix at store level.
- Ensure effective in-season management through WSSI tracking, stock balancing, and markdown planning.
- Monitor product lifecycle by analyzing bestsellers and slow movers and take corrective action accordingly.
- Work closely with Visual Merchandising and Marketing teams to support seasonal campaigns and product storytelling in-store.
- Ensure compliance with brand guidelines in product selection, pricing architecture, and merchandising presentation.

Performance Management

- Review and analyze weekly sales performance at style, category, and store level against business targets.
- Drive sell-through and margin performance through in-season stock adjustments, markdowns, and promotional activities.
- Track ageing inventory and execute phase-wise markdowns to maintain healthy stock turnover.
- Conduct regular market visits and competitive benchmarking to identify assortment gaps and consumer trends.

Collaboration & Stakeholder Management

- Liaise with Planning, Operations, Logistics, and Finance teams to ensure end-to-end merchandise flow and store readiness.
- Coordinate with store teams for feedback on product performance and customer response.
- Engage with Brand Managers and Principals to align buying strategies with brand vision and commercial objectives.
- Contribute to training initiatives by providing seasonal product insights and trend updates to front-end teams.

Desired Experience:

- 6-8 years of progressive experience in retail buying and merchandising, including OTB planning and in-season projections.
- Proven success in driving high level cross functional collaboration, enhancing customer engagement, and achieving & exceeding sales KPI targets for stores.
- Strong analytical skills with experience in forecasting, performance reporting, and market trend analysis.
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, or a related field.