Reliance - Deputy Manager - Buying - Home & Travel Category

Deputy Manager - Buying (Home & Travel Category)

About Us:

Established in the year 2007, Reliance Brands Limited is an investment arm of Reliance Industries that began with a mandate to launch and build international and domestic brand equity in India.

Over 13 years of rich experience catering to the segments of luxury, bridge-to-luxury, high-premium and high-street lifestyle, RBL has built a great understanding of the psyche of the Indian Consumer. With corporate offices in Gurgaon, Mumbai & Bangalore, RBL now operates over 50 brands spread over 430 stores and 345 shop-in-shops across the country and also own the retail concept stores The Tank & The White Crow across the country. In May 2019, RBL marked its first international foray by acquiring the British toy retailer, Hamleys. Globally Hamleys has 201 doors across 17 countries.

In May 2019, RBL marked its first international foray by acquiring the British toy retailer, Hamleys. Globally Hamleys has 201 doors across 17 countries. In the same year, RBL also unveiled its multi-brand outlet The White Crow that showcases a unique curation of over 44 premium brands.

Role: The Company's merchandise mix and assortments are constantly evolving as merchants and planners focus on what customers want to buy and respond by providing best of the products on a wider variety of name brand merchandise. Incumbent is expected to drive & maximize Sales & Profitability in the business by providing effective Merchandise Strategies. Planning & In Season management of Assortment & Inventory by Stores/Region/Product Hierarchy to achieve or exceed Strategic Business Targets viz. Top-line, Sell-Thru, Gross Margin, etc. He/she must have a keen eye to detail and decisions driven by customer needs

Key Responsibilities:

Sales Strategy :

- Prepare the Seasonal/Annual Operating Plan for all channels of Sales basis Historical sales data, LFL/New Store Growth, Planned Inventory Cover, Markdown / Liquidation Strategy

- Align the Sales Strategy with all Business Stakeholders (Finance, Planning, Operations/store teams, SCM, etc.)

- Cascade the strategy at each level of product hierarchy (Division/Department/Class/Sub-Class)

- Prepare & communicate Marketing/Promotion Calendar for the season

Supplier Strategy :

- Competition & Novelty Research - To check availability of all Major New Launches & Competitor Offering in the market

- Sourcing & negotiating with new vendors with respect to Terms of Trading (Product Cost, Delivery Terms, Lead Time, Payment Terms, etc.)

- On-boarding of New vendors as per planned contribution to sales strategy in alignment with right category mix

Price & Margin Strategy :

- Review/re-create margin strategy as per new targets for the season/year

- Prepare/review pricing of existing product range into Pricing buckets (Low Level Pricing, Mid-Level Pricing & High Level Pricing) as per market trends, Inflation, change in taxes/duties, Terms of Trade, Miscellaneous costs, etc.

- Plan the price range of new Product as per competition mapping to achieve desired margins

- Deliver Budgeted Gross Margin

Assortment/Option Strategy :

- Develop Options/assortment as per OTB of each Category Mix to place buys of the season

- Ensure Optimum width and depth of Import merchandise to Cover Sales as well as Display plan

- Standard Assortment of SKUs as per the store format & grading

- Create & maintain an Active product launch calendar, 3 Exclusive launches each quarter

- Tie Ups with vendors for sourcing of locally available/developable products, negotiate on pricing & benchmarking with competitor offerings

Additional Responsibilities :

- Manage Business KPIs such as GMROI, GMROF, Vendor Fill Rate, Inventory Management, Sell Thru Management, etc.

- Prepare & review various Business Reports

- Data Analysis basis which provide feedback to relevant stakeholders and ensure effective coordination with other department

- Schedule Product Training as per requirement as well as for every New Launch

- Coordinate with the Commercial/Accounts Payable team to ensure smooth & timely payment to vendors

- New Store Initial Planning/Fill Management

- Develop/Coordinate/Implement new or improved System integration & Automation of Order Management Portal, Daily Sales Reports, CXO Dashboard, Vendor Portals, etc.

Desired Skills and Abilities:

- Superior understanding of Indian retailing and global trends

- Strong product knowledge & decision making skills

- Multi-tasking ability with strong Communication and Time Management skills

- Strong Analytical & Negotiation skills

- Ability to build and nurture multiple internal and external (vendor-partner) relationship

- Good planning and execution skills

Education & Experience Required:

- PG in Retail Management/Fashion Management from a reputed business or fashion institute

- 5-8 years of experience in similar role of Buying of a similar category

- Strong Product knowledge of the Category/Brand

- Preferred Industries - Organized Fashion Retailers/Ecommerce companies

The Pink Ribbon on the packaging:

We at RBL are committed to diversity in its workforce and are an Equal Opportunity Employer.

In an attempt to bring out the best out of its employees, RBL allows Early Leadership opportunities and promotes Entrepreneurship capabilities, and keeps the invisible threads that connect the RBL family together through the many RBL rituals conducted through the year