SHAJI ALEX

• Managed brands including Aigner, Charriol, Maurice Lacroix, Saint Honore, Hugo Boss, Escada, Givenchy. Responsible for planning and signing off yearly business plans, optimizing sales potential, stock management, strategizing marketing retail calendar, and ensuring visual merchandise standards.

Key responsibilities:

Strategic contribution:

• Formulate and implement brand strategy & plans to ensure its aligned with the objectives of the brand and the organization.
• Develops and manages the individual business plans and conducts a quarterly business review with retail director & top management
• Prepare a 5-year business plan for the brands managed
• Proposes the pricing and discount strategy for the brands in line with principle strategy & guidelines, regional & territorial needs to the retail director/head of brands.
• Proposed sales targets based on historical sales, seasonality, market trends and brand potential to the top management in co-ordination with retail team and finance.
• Proposes sell in budgets and manages the purchases to optimize the inventory & maximize sales potential.
• Propose initiatives to increase the ASP, UPT of the brands managed.
• Propose and participate various exhibitions to liquidate the slow movers and optimize the ageing stocks.
• B2B opportunities, upselling methods, pop up booths to promote the brand.

Operational accountabilities:

• Negotiate with brand principals on commercial terms, margins, consignment stocks, and other day to day operations.
• Assist the head of brands in the development and review the contractual agreements.
• Monitor market intelligence provided from data analytics and recommend appropriate sales strategies of the brand, ensuring alignment with brand strategy and exclusivity.
• Coordinate with retail around novelties and exclusive launches to increase the brand & product awareness to its exclusive customer base.
• Conduct regular POS visits, ensure VM standards as per brand guidelines, communication with retail team about the ongoing incentive schemes, promotions competitor analysis, identify any experiences challenges with the brand or from other retailers.
• In co-ordination with brand, retail & project team proper planning for the new POS opening within the deadlines with opening inventory, POS & packaging materials.
• Identify and set KPI’s to assess the performance of the brand as per business plans.

Relationship Management

• Responsible for maintaining a good and valuable relationship with brand principals, suppliers, partners and other stake holders.
• Play major role in exclusive client development with the support of CRM system by maximizing the performance of motivated, innovated and engaged brand sales team.
• Hold quarterly performance review meetings with store managers for each POS to discuss performance Vs. budgets, projections, SWOT analysis and close any identified gaps through appropriate training, support and close follow ups.

Marketing

• Develop the marketing budget: Laise with the finance and marketing taking into consideration principal requirements, guidelines, brand strategy and purchase budget in line with the contractual agreements.
• Communicate marketing budget with retail director to provide inputs and get approved from relevant authorities as per hierarchy.
• Work along with marketing team to develop and execute marketing plan in alignment with brand strategy and brand exclusivity.
• Measure the impact and ROI of the marketing plans on brand performance following the execution post each activity.
• Participate in marketing activities involving events, campaigns and PR increase brand awareness & exclusivity.

• Handled wholesale and retail distribution for brands like Tefal and Seb (Made in France) household FMCG products.