GENERAL SUMMARY:
Strong interest in fashion and with excellent fashion sense. Maximizes sales and profitability of a given area of business through the development and implementation of a strategy, analysis and appropriate reaction to sales trend. Achieves sales and gross margin goals through the effective merchandising and management of departments. Manages stock levels to ensure healthy sell through and meet stock plan. Ensures the purchase stocks are on plan and executed with the right display on the right time, right price, and right place.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
1. Develop merchandise strategies for the departments taking into consideration consumer age profile as well as its demographic and psychographics and buy in to cater for their lifestyle in consideration of direction of Contemporary styles, quality and good perceive value. Always select the best products, promote and merchandise with targeted consumers in mind.
2. Strong interest in fashion and excellent fashion sense and market sensitivity.
3. Develop and execute seasonal merchandise plans and pricing strategies.
4. Develop and achieve planned goals in sales, merchandise mix, markups, markdowns, shortage, turnover, gross profit and controllable elements of net profit.
5. Control open-to-buy, stock levels and deliveries in order to stay within the stock plan and to increase turnover.
6. Analyze and interpret the various merchandising, inventory and sales reports and takes appropriate action in order to achieve sales and profit goals.
7. Maintain collaborative partnership and negotiate effectively with vendors for favourable terms, discounts, transportation costs, and rebates on merchandise purchased; plan major vendor programs in important growth areas; analyze performance of resources and make adjustments as needed.
8. Explore new merchandising trends and new vendors frequently; develop new items in the market and tests new items in the stores.
9. Conduct trend briefing and other merchandise information meetings for managers and sales staff regularly; reads trade publications to keep abreast of current trends.
10. Identify and maximize fast-selling items and slow selling items and to take appropriate action.
11. Determine marketing plans and promotional calendar. Work closely with marketing to effectively promote and attract customers with strong product/campaign visuals, contents and promotions.
12. Reconcile marketing plans with assortment and financial plans.
13. Develop and work with VM team and operation team on visual guidelines for the brands/concepts with seasonal strategies. Eg. New Seasonal or collection highlights. Markdowns and special buy highlights for sale events.
14. Maintain well-balanced stocks and assortments in each store and to maintain an effective basic stock program to review and to revise levels periodically.
15. Weekly involvement on selling floor to check on assortments of merchandise displayed and to review business performance with managers and sales staff. Involvement to experience in sales of products to customers in order to understand and pick up important consumer behavior and their response to the merchandise selected.
16. Develop long range construction plan recommendations for physical improvements in the department in order to achieve merchandising objectives.
17. Plan, develop and conduct training for merchandising staff in merchandising and management skills and sales staff in product knowledge.
18. Regular Market Survey on competitors to improve and seek to be the top of mind for consumers on fashion in Metro.
19. Any other duties that may be assigned from time to time in order to maintain staffing flexibility and efficiency.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES REQUIRED TO PERFORM ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
· Degree or equivalent
· Passionate retail buyer with at least 5 years’ proven experience
· Detailed and effective sales and stocks planning and management of sales, stocks and margins according to targets.
· Good business acumen
· Research, data analysis and trend forecasting.
· Outstanding communication skills
· Strong negotiation skills
· Excellent organizational skills and good sense of urgency
· Good problem solver and positive mindset
· Analytical and PC/System skills
· Excellent commercial and customer awareness