Manager - Buying & Merchandising - Mens Wear

Location: Bengaluru

Role Summary
To drive the growth, profitability, and market relevance of the  Men’s Wear  category by delivering the right assortment at the right time and price. The role is responsible for  seasonal buying, assortment planning, vendor management, and in-season trade management , ensuring strong sell-through, healthy inventory turns, and customer satisfaction across stores and channels.

Key Responsibilities
Category & Business Ownership
Support delivery of  category KPIs – sales, margin, sell-through, stock turns, and GMROI .
Execute seasonal category plans aligned to business targets.
Monitor weekly trade performance and initiate corrective actions (rebuys, markdowns, stock transfers).
Ensure freshness and relevance of range across core, fashion, and seasonal segments.

Product Planning & Buying
Assist in developing  seasonal assortment architecture  across assigned divisional groups
Plan option counts, depth, and size ratios in alignment with store clusters and demand patterns.
Support timely execution of the buying calendar and seasonal launches.
Translate design concepts into  commercially viable buy plans .
Identify new product opportunities based on customer insights and market trends.

Market & Consumer Focus
Understand customer preferences across fits, fabrics, price sensitivity, and regional demand.
Conduct competitor benchmarking on assortment, pricing, and trends.
Participate in store and market visits to gather real-time insights.
Analyze post-launch performance and recommend assortment or pricing adjustments.

Vendor & Sourcing Management
Build and maintain strong vendor relationships to ensure quality, cost, and on-time delivery.
Support vendor negotiations, cost optimization, and margin improvement initiatives.
Monitor vendor performance on lead times, compliance, and product quality.
Assist in order placement, sample approvals, and production tracking.
Drive consolidation and efficiency in sourcing to improve speed to market.

Financial Planning
Support effective utilization of  Open-to-Buy (OTB)  budgets aligned to category goals.
Assist in pricing strategy through costing and margin analysis.
Track inventory productivity and manage markdowns to protect margins.
Contribute to forecasting and demand planning exercises.

Product Presentation
Collaborate with VM and Retail teams to ensure strong on-floor execution and visual storytelling.
Support new launches, promotions, and seasonal campaigns.
Assist in planogram development and space allocation.
Ensure consistent product presentation standards across stores.

People & Cross-Functional Collaboration
Guide and support junior team members on category execution and processes.
Work closely with Design, Planning, Retail, Marketing, and Supply Chain for seamless execution.
Share category insights and best practices to improve team effectiveness.