Assistant Manager Buying

KAZO Brands; Dadri; On-site; INR 1,200,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Job summary

KAZO Brands in India seeks a seasoned buyer/merchandiser for Bags & Accessories to drive seasonal and annual strategy across channels. You will analyze market trends, optimize assortments, and partner with design and sourcing to deliver commercially viable products.

Strong Excel and ERP planning skills are essential for achieving sales and margin targets. The role requires 5–10 years in buying/merchandise planning within bags or accessories retail, with a data-driven, market-aware mindset to

Qualifications

• Experience in buying or merchandise planning for bags or accessories.
• Strong analytical and commercial orientation.
• Proven ability to manage category assortments and OTB planning.
• Proficient with MS Excel and ERP-based planning tools.

Responsibilities

• Develop the seasonal and annual buying strategy for Bags & Accessories aligned to brand positioning.
• Analyse market trends, customer preferences and competitor offerings to identify new product opportunities.
• Build and maintain category assortment across EBO, SIS and other channels.
• Finalize product assortment based on performance, profile and store requirements.
• Collaborate with Design/Sourcing to develop commercially viable products and collections.
• Prepare seasonal, monthly and category-level sales and inventory plans.

Skills

Analytical skills

Merchandise planning

Category management

MS Excel

Vendor coordination

Stakeholder management

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

• Develop the seasonal and annual buying strategy for Bags & Accessories in line with brand positioning and business objectives.
• Analyse market trends, fashion directions, customer preferences and competitor offerings to identify new product opportunities.
• Build and maintain the category assortment across EBO, SIS and other relevant channels.
• Finalise product assortment based on category performance, price architecture, customer profile and store/channel requirements.
• Work with Design/Sourcing teams to develop commercially viable products and collections.
• Conduct regular competitor and market analysis on product, price, assortment, promotions and newness.
• Ensure the right balance of core, fashion, seasonal and trend-led products.
• Prepare seasonal, monthly and category-level sales and inventory plans.
• Develop OTB (Open-to-Buy) plans based on sales targets, stock requirements and inventory budgets.
• Plan category-wise option count, depth, size/colour mix and store/channel allocation.
• Set sales, margin, stock and sell-through targets for the category.
• Monitor actual performance against plan and identify gaps and corrective actions.
• Plan stock requirements considering seasonality, launches, promotions and business growth.

3. Inventory & Stock Management

• Maintain optimum inventory levels and ensure healthy stock cover and stock productivity.
• Monitor sell-through, stock turn, ageing, WOS/stock cover and OOS on a regular basis.
• Identify slow-moving and non-performing products and recommend appropriate actions.
• Ensure timely replenishment of fast-moving/core products.
• Plan markdowns, promotions and liquidation strategies in coordination with the relevant teams.
• Minimise excess, aged and obsolete inventory while maintaining adequate availability.

4. Business & Commercial Management

• Own category performance against Sales, Gross Margin, Sell-Through, Stock Turn and Inventory targets.
• Analyse category profitability and identify opportunities to improve margins.
• Monitor full-price sell-through vs. discounted sales.
• Evaluate product performance and make data-driven decisions on repeat, drop, increase or reduce quantities.
• Ensure buying decisions are aligned with the company's price architecture and margin strategy.
• Prepare regular business reviews and present category insights to management.
• Develop differentiated assortments based on store cluster, geography, customer profile and channel potential.
• Plan initial allocation and replenishment requirements.
• Analyse store-level performance to identify assortment gaps and opportunities.
• Partner with Sales and Operations teams to improve availability and category productivity.
• Ensure effective launch planning for new collections and products.

6. Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Design, Sourcing, Production, Sales, Marketing, VM, Finance and Operations.
• Coordinate with Sourcing on product costing, lead times, MOQ and delivery schedules.
• Collaborate with VM to ensure product presentation supports the category strategy.
• Work with Marketing on campaign and promotional requirements.
• Partner with Finance to ensure buying remains within approved budgets and financial parameters.

Candidate Profile

• Experience: 5–10 years in Buying, Merchandise Planning or Category Management, preferably within bags or accessories retail.
• Strong understanding of fashion retail buying and merchandise planning.
• Good knowledge of category management, assortment planning, OTB and inventory planning.
• Strong analytical and commercial orientation.
• Good understanding of sales, margin, sell-through, stock turn, ageing and markdowns.
• Strong negotiation and vendor/sourcing coordination skills.
• Proficiency in MS Excel and merchandise planning/ERP systems.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to balance fashion sensitivity with commercial and data-driven decision-making.