Category Head - Ethnic; Womenswear

Position: Category Head - Ethnic (Womenswear)
About the Company
Style Baazar is one of India’s leading value fashion retail chains, offering affordable and trend-driven apparel for men, women and kids. With a strong presence across emerging markets, we focus on delivering quality fashion at competitive prices through customer-centric assortments, efficient sourcing and a robust supply chain.
Our mission is to make stylish, accessible fashion available to every aspiring Indian household.

About the Role
Working in the capacity of Ethnic-Womenswear Buying Lead to develop competitive & sustainable category strategy for profitable growth, create the framework for smooth functioning of the category to attain maximum merchandising efficiency.

Responsibilities
Develop and execute category business strategy aligned with annual operating plans and financial budgets.
Drive revenue growth while ensuring optimal working capital management.
Identify growth opportunities through customer insights, market mapping and competitor benchmarking.
Lead timely customer demand analysis and market trend studies to inform merchandise buying decisions.
Oversee seasonal and rolling OTB (Open-to-Buy) planning in collaboration with the planning team.
Manage inventory forecasting, stock flow planning and replenishment to maximize sell-through and minimize markdowns.
Monitor KPIs including sales, sell-through, stock cover, discount levels and margins, reacting swiftly to changes in demand and supply chain dynamics.
Manage carryover, markdown and terminal stock effectively.
Design and implement core buying frameworks based on store capacity, flow planning and commonality targets.
Develop commercially viable and competitive assortments across price points.
Ensure regional assortments deliver a consistent product message while catering to local customer preferences.
Lead quarterly new product introductions to maintain freshness and customer excitement.
Drive category assortment planning and promotion strategies (development and execution).
Conduct ongoing consumption and performance analysis to optimize range productivity.
Lead strategic sourcing (domestic & imported) to ensure quality, cost competitiveness and timely delivery.
Act as escalation point for supplier negotiations, contracts and performance management.
Build and maintain strong relationships with existing suppliers while onboarding at least one new supplier annually to strengthen the vendor base.
Ensure on-time merchandise availability across stores.
Stay ahead of fashion trends, seasonal demands and festival/occasion-based buying cycles.
Translate consumer buying patterns into forward-looking strategies and predictive planning.
Collaborate cross-functionally to address key seasonal and festive requirements well in advance.
Drive the development and continuous improvement of merchandising and buying systems and processes.
Champion the “City Buyer” concept to optimize sourcing efficiency and reduce operational costs.
Strengthen governance in buying, forecasting and promotional planning frameworks.

Qualifications
B.Tech(Fashion),

B.Des, M.Des, From NIFT, IIFT, Pearl Academy

Experience
Minimum 10+ years in to Fashion retail, Fashion Value chain Organization.

Skills
Negotiation Skills, P&L Handling, Business Acumen, Creative thinker, Stakeholder Management.