Manager - Planning & Merchandising (Apparel)

Kazo Fashion; Dadri; On-site; INR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Kazo Fashion is seeking an experienced Merchandise Planning professional in India to lead OTB planning, budgeting and assortment strategies. The role requires strong Excel skills, deep analytical ability and multi-store retail experience.

You will drive inventory productivity, monitor performance metrics, and coordinate with Design, Buying, Retail Operations, Finance, and Supply Chain to ensure plans meet business targets.

Qualifications

• MBA/PGDM in Retail Management, Merchandising, Fashion Management or Finance.
• Experience of 10–14 years in apparel or fashion retail is preferred.
• Advanced Excel and strong analytical capabilities are essential.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and manage annual, seasonal and monthly OTB plans aligned with the approved AOP.
• Develop category-wise assortment plans, option plans and merchandise mix.
• Monitor style-wise, category-wise and collection-wise product performance.
• Monitor inventory levels across stores and warehouses and drive replenishment.
• Prepare periodic merchandise performance reports and dashboards.
• Work with Design, Buying, Retail Operations, Finance and Supply Chain to align plans.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Analytical skills

Forecasting

Planning

Budgeting

Stakeholder management

Decision making

Education

MBA/PGDM in Retail Management, Merchandising, Fashion Management or Finance

10–14 years of experience in apparel or fashion retail

Job description

Role & responsibilities

1. OTB Planning & Budget Management

• Prepare and manage annual, seasonal and monthly OTB plans aligned with the approved AOP.
• Develop category-wise and product-wise merchandise budgets.
• Monitor planned versus actual purchases, sales, inventory and closing stock.
• Ensure merchandise procurement remains within approved OTB limits.
• Track budget utilisation and highlight deviations with corrective action plans.

2. Merchandise & Assortment Planning

• Develop category-wise assortment plans, option plans and merchandise mix.
• Define product width, depth, size curves and price architecture.
• Plan merchandise allocation based on store segmentation, sales potential and customer profiles.
• Coordinate with Design and Buying teams to align product range with business requirements.
• Identify assortment gaps and recommend opportunities for category growth.

3. Product Performance & Analysis

• Monitor style-wise, category-wise and collection-wise product performance.
• Track key metrics such as sell-through, gross margin, stock turn, ASP, stock cover and markdown percentage.
• Identify bestsellers, slow-moving products and non-performing styles.
• Recommend replenishment, stock movement, markdown and liquidation strategies.
• Conduct regular product performance reviews and share actionable insights with stakeholders.

4. Inventory & Stock Productivity

• Monitor inventory levels across stores and warehouses.
• Ensure optimum stock availability while minimising excess inventory and stock-outs.
• Drive effective replenishment and stock rotation.
• Monitor ageing inventory and take timely corrective measures.
• Improve inventory productivity and working capital efficiency.

5. MIS & Business Reviews

• Prepare periodic merchandise performance reports and dashboards.
• Analyse sales and inventory trends against approved budgets.
• Provide category-wise performance insights and business forecasts.
• Highlight risks, opportunities and corrective actions to management.
• Support annual business planning and seasonal reviews.

6. Cross-Functional Coordination

• Work closely with Design, Buying, Retail Operations, Finance and Supply Chain teams.
• Align merchandise plans with business requirements and sales targets.
• Ensure timely execution of merchandise and inventory plans.
• Drive data-based decision-making across the planning function.

Preferred candidate profile

• MBA / PGDM in Retail Management, Merchandising, Fashion Management or Finance.
• 1014 years of relevant experience in apparel or fashion retail.
• Strong experience in OTB planning, merchandise budgeting, assortment planning and inventory management.
• Experience in multi-store retail operations is essential.
• Advanced Excel and strong analytical capabilities.

Core Competencies

• Strong commercial and financial acumen.
• Excellent analytical and numerical skills.
• Sound understanding of apparel retail business metrics.
• Strong planning, forecasting and budgeting skills.
• Cross-functional stakeholder management.
• Problem-solving and decision-making ability.