Role Overview:

The Assistant Category Manager/Senior Buyer Home Furnishing will support the Category Manager in driving category growth, managing end-to-end merchandising operations, and ensuring the right product mix, pricing, and promotions across stores and online channels. The role requires strong analytical skills, vendor management, and an understanding of home textiles, and furnishing trends.

Required Skills:

- Bachelor or Masters degree in Retail/Fashion.

- Minimum 6 years of experience in category/buying roles, preferably in home furnishing.

- Strong analytical ability and command over MS Excel & MIS reporting.

- Good negotiation and vendor management skills.

- Strong understanding of home furnishing Product, trends, materials, and consumer preferences.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Category Management & Planning:

- Assist in developing annual business plans, category strategies, and sales targets.

- Analyse category performance, customer trends, and inventory movement to optimize assortment.

- Conduct market research and competitor benchmarking for pricing and product mix.

2. Vendor & Product Management:

- Identify, evaluate, and on board new vendors/suppliers.

- Negotiate pricing, margins, payment terms, and SLAs.

- Coordinate with vendors for product development, sampling, quality checks, and timely deliveries.

3. Assortment, Pricing & Merchandising:

- Support in building seasonal assortments for home furnishing (bedsheets, Carpets, curtains, cushions, rugs etc.).

- Collaborate with buyers and design teams for new collection launches.

- Ensure correct pricing, discounts, and promotional planning.

4. Inventory & Supply Chain Coordination:

- Monitor stock levels, slow movers, and replenishment cycles.

- Work closely with supply chain, warehouse, and stores for order planning and inventory health.

- Track sell-through and take corrective actions to optimize stock.

5. Cross-Functional Coordination:

- Collaborate with marketing for campaigns and visual merchandising.

- Work with finance on budget planning, cost control, and margin improvement.

- Coordinate with store teams to ensure product visibility and planograms.

6. Reporting & Analytics:

- Prepare weekly/monthly category performance reports.

- Track KPIs: sales, margins, stock turns, fill rate, ageing, and sell-through.

Core Competencies:

- Category & Assortment Planning

- Vendor Development & Negotiation

- Product Knowledge Home Furnishing

- Data Analysis & Business Acumen

- Inventory Management

- Pricing & Margin Management

- Cross-Functional Collaboration

- Communication & Stakeholder Management

- Problem-Solving & Decision Making

- Merchandising & Visual Understanding