Assistant Manager - Merchandising Trading Job in Bengaluru at PUMA

PUMA is hiring for the role of Assistant Manager - Merchandising Trading!

Responsibilities of Candidate: 

• Manage trading and allocation for PUMA counters across key Large Format Retail (LFR) accounts, including Centro, Lifestyle, Shoppers Stop, Pantaloons, and Fashion Factory.
• Lead a team of two traders (merchandisers), overseeing day-to-day operations and performance.
• Collaborate closely with sales, buying, and operations teams, maintaining a strong connection with the product line and customer trends to develop effective allocation strategies.
• Responsible for ensuring the availability of the right stock at the right place and time, thereby enabling sales achievement.
• Collaborate with Visual Merchandising (VM), Retail Operations, and Sales teams to ensure seasonal rollouts are aligned and implemented as per plan.
• Ensure timely dispatch of incoming new season stock to respective stores as per the launch plan.
• Execute accurate replenishment and maintain healthy stock levels at the SKU level to avoid lost sales opportunities.
• Manage RTV (Return to Vendor) to the warehouse and facilitate stock consolidation between stores to reduce slow-moving merchandise and improve store assortment.
• Work closely with the buying team to ensure buys are placed in the right product types attributes based on forecasted requirements, store grading & banding and strategic inputs.
• Prepare seasonal assortment plans, ensuring the right mix at Division Category, MRP band, and product type level
• Monitor style performance through regular tracking of Rate of Sale (ROS) and Sell-Through.
• Prepare article-level discount lists during End of Season Sale (EOSS) to achieve planned net sales targets within the budgeted markdown percentage, while also meeting Gross Profit % targets.
• Drive weekly and monthly reporting and analysis; present insights during sales reviews and initiate necessary actions to achieve targets.
• Constantly aim to improve the efficiency of replenishment and allocation processes by refining the allocation inputs to maintain optimal SKU-level inventory.
• Collaborate closely with the retail sales team to identify operational gaps and implement corrective actions.
• Monitor daily business performance and profitability through key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Maintain optimal stock cover across stores.

Requirements

• MBA / MFM / B.F.Tech from a reputed institute with 2–3 years of relevant experience in retail merchandising, trading, or planning.
• Strong proficiency in ‘Advanced Microsoft Excel’ is a must.
• Excellent analytical and numerical skills.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills for stakeholder management
• Self-motivated and driven; capable of working independently with minimal or no supervision.
• Ability to multitask and prioritize work based on business needs.
• Analytical and inquisitive mindset with a keen eye for detail.
• Willingness to learn and adapt to new technologies/tools as required by the business.
• Interest in sports or active participation in any sport will be an added advantage.