Head of Brand Acquisition

Al Tayer Insignia; United Arab Emirates; On-site; AED 350,000 - 450,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading luxury retail firm in the UAE is seeking a Head of Brand Acquisition to drive brand strategy across Fashion, Jewellery, and Home sectors. The ideal candidate will manage partnerships, lead negotiations, and align brand strategies with commercial objectives. This role requires at least 12 years of experience in retail buying, exceptional communication, and negotiation skills. Understanding global market trends is crucial, along with a results-driven approach to enhance the retail portfolio.

Qualifications

• Minimum 12 years in retail Buying or Business Development, managerial level.
• International experience in multi-brand functions.
• Strong communication skills with professionalism.

Responsibilities

• Source and manage brand partnership opportunities in Fashion, Jewellery, and Home.
• Ensure communication of key developments to senior leadership.
• Oversee negotiations of franchise agreements and manage onboarding.

Skills

Retail Buying

Business Development

Fashion Knowledge

Negotiation

People Management

Financial Acumen

Job description

Al Tayer Insignia | Head of Brand Acquisition

About Us

As a leader in luxury retail in the Middle East, Al Tayer Group's retail division, Al Tayer Insignia, hosts a portfolio of some of the world’s best luxury brands in the fashion, jewellery, home, and department store categories. Complementing its position in luxury retail, Al Tayer Insignia has also built new frontiers in lifestyle retail, representing leading brands in the Beauty, Home, Fashion and Hospitality sectors. Our brands include Bloomingdales, Harvey Nichols, Armani, Gymshark, SKIMS and The White Company, to name just a few!

About The Role

The Head of Brand Acquisition is a strategically critical and high-profile role, who will work closely with the VP Buying and cross functional leadership team to drive the Al Tayer brand acquisition strategy across Fashion, Jewellery and Home. One of the principal objectives of the role is sourcing and executing new franchise partnerships in line with the strategic goals and growth commitments of the Al Tayer retail business as they evolve.

This role will develop and implement commercial strategies whilst championing a highly sought after commercial product offer.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Sources, reviews and identifies new brand partnership opportunities across Fashion, Jewellery and Home categories.
• Manages the brand acquisition pipeline to ensure opportunities are accurately mapped and developments captured.
• Ensures senior leadership are kept abreast of key developments through clear and concise communication.
• Oversees the creation and pitching of compelling and tailored brand development plans in line with regional (GCC) opportunities and customer demand.
• Manages the agenda for brand principal visits which will typically include brand CEOs and Vice Presidents.
• Conducts mall and store floor walks with principal brands showcasing ATI retail portfolio.
• Works with finance on the delivery of business plans in line with strategic and financial objectives and communicating with relevant stakeholders for alignment.
• Working closely with Legal to manage complex franchise agreement negotiations whilst maintaining clear communication with stakeholders.
• Oversees the end-to-end onboarding of new franchise brands.
• Provides consistent reporting of performance and highlights weekly opportunities & risks to the cross functional team.
• Manages risks with current partnerships and suggests action orientated plans aligned with Vice President of Buying and internal stakeholders.
• Understands the international market and can assist in forecasting and developing strategies accordingly ensuring the concession business stays relevant and up to date.
• Works closely with key stakeholders to create, adapt, and deliver both short- and long-term goals to ensure each concession gives consistent and tactical support to the wider business objectives.
• Possesses great knowledge of customer trends and shopping behaviours, exploring new opportunities (brands or categories) that could enhance the existing department store portfolio.
• Maintains complete awareness and understanding of the own bought product strategy. Works closely with the Buying team to ensure there is alignment and consistency for the customer.
• Ensures end to end trading of each brand is planned & executed. Works closely with marketing on the delivery of 360 exposure plans, customer activations, window takeovers, in store experiences and inclusion in department store campaigns.
• Ensures a premium level of service and quality is delivered from concession brands in line with store standards.
• Actively builds and sustains strong working relationships with all concession brands and is a principal point of contact.
• Ensures effective working relationships with internal stakeholders cross functionally (commercial, personal shopping, marketing, CRM, legal, Joint Ventures, Projects, Finance and Operations) to support operational and performance needs.
• Negotiates favourable contract terms in line with business objectives and actively ensures contracts are maintained through regular reviews.

Strategic Roles and Responsibilities

• Manages the brand acquisition pipeline, under the guidance of the leadership team.
• Identifies new partnership opportunities in line with company strategy.
• Aligns with respective brand & concession partners and develops the short- and long-term strategy for each brand alongside the Vice President of Buying
• Connects the business brand strategy to the commercial KPIs within ATI ensuring we maximize every opportunity to drive sales.

About You

• Minimum 12 years’ experience in a retail Buying or Business Development related role within the premium/luxury retail sector, in a managerial function.
• International experience in a multi-brand function is mandatory
• Strong interest in Fashion & Retail with keen awareness of global & regional retail / fashion trends and market insights.
• Excellent communication skills, maintaining high levels of professionalism at all times and the ability to present confidently to senior leadership.
• Excellent people management skills with the ability to lead and facilitate cross functional group meetings.
• Strong financial acumen and P&L understanding.
• Confident negotiator and ability to read and understand legal documents.
• Demonstrates integrity and trust at all times whilst dealing with highly sensitive information.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple projects and priorities concurrently.
• Excellent/high level networking skills to build and maintain relationships with key accounts and Principal/stakeholders/business partners.
• Must have proven leadership qualities, demonstrating the ability to lead, develop and motivate teams.
• Proficient in the English language. Italian, French or Arabic would be an advantage.
• Proven track-record of building collaborative working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to evaluate business opportunities and identify potential risks.
• Strategic and analytical thinking.
• A bias for action and a results-oriented approach