Assistant Manager/ Manager- External brands planning and merchandising

Iconic Fashion India; Gurugram District; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Job summary

Iconic Fashion India is seeking a commercially driven and analytical leader to head merchandising and planning for key domestic and international fashion brands. You will translate business plans into actionable strategies to drive growth, optimize sales and profitability, and maximize margin per square foot.

The role requires strong commercial acumen, advanced planning and forecasting skills, and close collaboration with front-end and retail teams to deliver sustainable sales growth and

Qualifications

• Proven ability to drive sales growth and profitability across multiple brands.
• Strong understanding of fashion merchandising, buying, and merchandise planning.
• Experience managing domestic and international brands in a multi-brand retail environment.

Responsibilities

• Drive sales, profitability, and overall business performance for key domestic and international fashion brands.
• Develop brand-wise business plans and growth strategies aligned with category objectives.
• Monitor brand performance against sales, margin, sell-through, and inventory targets.
• Identify growth opportunities across brands, product categories, stores, and sales channels.
• Build relationships with brand partners to align on objectives and performance expectations.
• Develop and execute merchandise and financial plans to achieve targeted sales, margin, and profitability numbers.

Skills

Fashion merchandising

Buying

Merchandise planning

Analytical skills

Stakeholder management

Communication

Negotiation

Execution

Education

Graduate or postgraduate qualification in Business Management, Retail Management, Fashion Management, or related discipline

Tools

Excel

Retail planning systems

Business reporting tools

Job description

We are looking for a commercially driven and analytical professional to lead merchandising and planning for key domestic and international external fashion brands within the Iconic Fashion category. The role will focus on driving business growth, optimizing sales and profitability, maximizing margin per square foot, and developing robust merchandise plans to achieve business targets.

The ideal candidate will combine strong commercial acumen with analytical and planning capabilities, working closely with front-end and retail teams to translate business plans into actionable strategies and deliver sustainable sales growth.

Key Responsibilities

1. Business Growth & Brand Performance

• Drive sales, profitability, and overall business performance for key domestic and international fashion brands.
• Develop brand-wise business plans and growth strategies aligned with overall category objectives.
• Monitor brand performance against sales, margin, sell-through, and inventory targets.
• Identify growth opportunities across brands, product categories, stores, and sales channels.
• Build strong relationships with brand partners to align on business objectives and performance expectations.
• Develop and execute robust merchandise and financial plans to achieve targeted sales, margin, and profitability numbers.
• Drive assortment planning, sales forecasting, stock allocation, and inventory management across brands.
• Ensure the right product mix, depth, and availability to meet customer demand and maximize sales potential.
• Monitor stock cover, ageing inventory, sell-through, and replenishment requirements to maintain healthy inventory levels.
• Track actual performance against budgets and forecasts, identifying gaps and implementing corrective action plans.

3. Margin & Space Productivity

• Maximize margin per square foot through effective assortment, space productivity, and inventory planning.
• Analyze sales and profitability by brand, store, category, and space allocation to improve overall productivity.
• Optimize the balance between sales growth, gross margin, inventory investment, and markdowns.
• Drive full-price sell-through and minimize stock ageing, excess inventory, and margin erosion.
• Recommend opportunities to improve space utilization and productivity across the brand portfolio.

4. Front-End & Retail Collaboration

• Work closely with front-end, retail operations, and store teams to drive sales and achieve business targets.
• Translate merchandising plans into clear store-level actions, ensuring effective product availability and presentation.
• Review store performance regularly and identify opportunities to improve conversion, average transaction value, and sales productivity.
• Collaborate on promotional plans, launches, seasonal initiatives, and inventory movement to maximize business outcomes.
• Provide timely insights and recommendations to retail teams to address sales gaps and improve execution.

5. Business Analysis & Performance Management

• Prepare and review regular business reports covering sales, margins, inventory, sell-through, and brand productivity.
• Track key performance indicators and proactively identify risks, opportunities, and deviations from plan.
• Develop data-backed recommendations to improve business performance and profitability.
• Support budgeting, forecasting, seasonal planning, and periodic business reviews with relevant insights.
• Ensure disciplined follow-through on action plans to deliver committed business numbers.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Sales Achievement: Deliver brand-wise and category-wise sales targets.
• Margin Performance: Achieve planned gross margin and profitability targets.
• Margin per Sq. Ft.: Improve space productivity and profitability.
• Plan Accuracy: Maintain effective sales forecasting, budgeting, and merchandise planning.
• Sell-Through: Improve full-price sell-through and seasonal stock liquidation.
• Inventory Health: Optimize stock cover, ageing, inventory turns, and availability.
• Brand Productivity: Drive sustainable growth across key domestic and international brands.
• Retail Execution: Improve business outcomes through effective collaboration with front-end teams.

Desired Skills & Competencies

• Strong understanding of fashion merchandising, buying, and merchandise planning.
• Excellent commercial, financial, and analytical skills.
• Proven ability to drive sales growth and profitability across multiple brands.
• Strong understanding of inventory management, assortment planning, and space productivity.
• Ability to interpret business data and convert insights into actionable plans.
• Strong stakeholder management and collaboration skills, particularly with front-end and retail operations teams.
• Proficiency in Excel and business reporting tools; experience with retail planning systems is an advantage.
• Strong communication, negotiation, problem-solving, and execution capabilities.

Experience & Qualifications

• Relevant experience in merchandising, buying, retail planning, or category management within fashion or lifestyle retail.
• Experience managing domestic and international brands in a multi-brand retail environment is preferred.
• Demonstrated track record of achieving sales, margin, inventory, and productivity targets.
• Graduate or postgraduate qualification in Business Management, Retail Management, Fashion Management, or a related discipline.

Success Profile

The successful candidate will be a business-oriented merchandising and planning professional who can drive brand growth, deliver planned sales and margins, maximize margin per square foot, maintain healthy inventory, and partner closely with front-end teams to convert plans into measurable business results.