Job Purpose: 

“To oversee the performance of the assigned department and managing the assigned areas of responsibility to ensure the merchandise mix ties in with the company’s strategic direction to meet our sales and profit objectives.”

Key accountabilities:

Sales and Profit

• Accountability for the assigned portfolio management through working collaboratively with the rest of the Department / Division to achieve the seasonal sales and profit targets against the seasonal business plan
• Develop solid business plans and strategies for the assigned portfolio to achieve the agreed KPI. Leverage our strengths and give feedback to improve our business performance
• Conduct weekly departmental business review and update to Director of Fashion and Senior Merchandise Manager
• Manage efficiently and strategically the OTB and range planning for the department in conjunction with Merchandise Planning and Sales (MPS)
• Work closely with Merchandise Planning and Sales (MPS) to manage the OTB system for own department and respective buyers to ensure sales and stock levels meeting seasonal targets 
• Carry out store visits and obtain feedback from customers and staff to ensure floor plans, brand adjacencies and merchandise range meets customer requirements
• Manage the business relationship with the suppliers of the assigned product and business category to maximize sales and gross profit dollar (GP$) potential
• Negotiate with suppliers where necessary in a tough but fair manner to secure exclusive ranges/ brands and optimize the profit margin GP%
• Keep familiar with up to date local and overseas market situations / trends and economics of the market to react appropriately in terms of the buy and OTB planning
• Ensure competitive pricing strategies for products/suppliers based on market reviews, competitor positions, supplier financials, etc.
• Understand supplier cost structure and logistics costs and identify value added opportunities for the Group as appropriate
• To be proactive in understanding the competition, and take strategic action to minimize any loss of the Group’s market share
• Ensure that staff are utilising Omni-channel technology to encourage customers to shop on and off line, maximizing sales at every opportunity   

Merchandise Management

• Attend relevant trade / industry shows, showrooms andworldwide exhibitions and share insights on local and overseas market situations and trends
• Source Global Exclusive newness and innovation to maintain a leading position in the assigned products / markets
• Ensure timely delivery of merchandise and consistency in product quality and quantity offerings to stores
• Monitor sell-through and deliveries of products to all suppliers and take decisive action to manage their performance.
• Nurture brands over seasons and eventually build into BAU brands
• Be clear on the criteria on what brands to look for when on market and at GCC events

Relationship Management

• Apply excellent negotiation skills to communicate with vendors in a tough but fair manner to secure exclusive ranges, brands and maximum GP%
• Liaise with key internal stakeholders/Regional team on marketing / PR pushes, or any store events to drive promotional and marketing calendar
• Work closely with Warehouse to ensure timely delivery of merchandise to Stores
• Communicate with Stores and get weekly feedback on brands and item sales 
• Work closely with vendors and key internal stakeholders to manage their performance and communicate regularly to obtain feedback in line with brand strategies
• Create accurate and timely product information, training / visual presentation packs and trend knowledge to Store Sales staff to support their communication with the customers to maximize sales opportunities
• Deliver the story telling on all the brands that are brought in, and ensure that all relative stake holders are clear and are on board with pushing the product
• To fully understand and communicate our Omni-channel business model with our staff to achieve a seamless customer experience

At Lane Crawford we support our staff with a range of benefits that reflect the importance we place on the well-being of our staff. In addition to a competitive salary, discretionary bonus, annual leave, provident fund, staff purchase privileges, insurance, medical and dental coverage, we provide shuttle buses, various recreational activities, Staff Assistance Programme and the best in-class Training and Development.

All information provided will be treated in strict confidence and used for recruitment purposes only.