General Merchandise Trading Director

Lotuss Stores (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd; Kepong; On-site; MYR 300,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

Lotuss Stores Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. is seeking a General Merchandise Trading Director to lead the commercial strategy, trading performance, profitability, and growth across all channels.

The role focuses on accelerating omnichannel and e-commerce, defining category strategies, pricing, promotions, and supplier partnerships, with emphasis on inventory optimisation. You will own the GM P&L, drive international sourcing, private-label growth, and collaborate with Digital, Marketing, Supply Chain, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Commerce, Marketing, or related field.
• MBA is an advantage.
• 15+ years' experience in retail commercial/trading leadership.
• Strong experience in General Merchandise buying and category management.
• Proven success leading e-commerce and omnichannel retail businesses.
• Experience managing large commercial P&Ls.
• Strong negotiation and supplier management skills.
• Advanced analytical and commercial acumen.
• Proven experience in own-brand/private-label development and portfolio management.
• Strong experience in international sourcing, supplier development, and global procurement strategy.
• Experience working with international manufacturers and sourcing markets across Asia, Europe, and/or other key global regions will be an added advantage.

Responsibilities

• Lead General Merchandise trading strategy and P&L across all channels.
• Drive e-commerce and omnichannel performance with customer-centric merchandising.
• Manage category growth, supplier partnerships, and promotions.
• Oversee pricing, promotions, and inventory optimisation to maximise profitability.
• Collaborate with Digital, Marketing, Supply Chain, and Finance to improve customer experience and efficiency.

Job description

The General Merchandise (GM) Trading Director is responsible for leading the commercial strategy, trading performance, profitability, and growth of the General Merchandise business across all channels. This role drives category strategy, merchandising, pricing, promotions, supplier partnerships, inventory optimisation, and digital commerce to deliver sustainable sales and profit growth.

A key focus of the role is accelerating omnichannel and e-commerce performance by creating a seamless customer experience across physical stores and digital platforms.

Key Responsibilities

Develop and execute the overall trading strategy for General Merchandise.

Deliver sales, gross margin, market share, and profitability targets.

Drive category growth through customer-led assortment and merchandising strategies.

Identify emerging consumer trends and new business opportunities.

Category & Supplier Management

Lead buying and category teams to develop compelling product ranges.

Build strategic partnerships with local and international suppliers.

Negotiate commercial terms, rebates, promotions, and exclusive products.

Drive innovation, own-brand development, product differentiation, and private-label growth opportunities.

Develop and execute international sourcing strategies to improve product quality, innovation, cost competitiveness, and access to global trends.

Identify, evaluate, and manage global supplier networks to support commercial objectives and supply continuity.

Develop and execute the GM e-commerce growth strategy.

Optimise product assortment, pricing, promotions, and content for digital channels.

Improve online conversion, basket size, customer acquisition, and retention.

Work closely with Digital, Marketplace, Marketing, and Supply Chain teams to improve fulfilment, availability, and customer experience.

Leverage data analytics to drive digital trading decisions.

Expand marketplace and online-exclusive offerings.

Accelerate online growth of own-brand products and exclusive internationally sourced ranges.

Own the trading P&L for the GM business.

Deliver sales, margin, stock turn, and inventory productivity targets.

Optimize promotional investment and return on investment.

Ensure effective working capital and inventory management.

Use customer analytics to shape assortment and promotional strategies.

Monitor competitor activity and pricing.

Enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty through differentiated propositions.

Lead, coach, and develop high-performing commercial teams.

Build succession pipelines and organizational capability.

Foster collaboration across Commercial, Operations, Marketing, Digital, Finance, and Supply Chain.

Governance & Compliance

Ensure compliance with company policies, regulatory requirements, and ethical sourcing standards.

Drive continuous improvement in trading processes and governance.

Qualifications & Experience

Bachelor's Degree in Business, Commerce, Marketing, or related field.

MBA is an advantage.

15+ years' experience in retail commercial/trading leadership.

Strong experience in General Merchandise buying and category management.

Proven success leading e-commerce and omnichannel retail businesses.

Experience managing large commercial P&Ls.

Strong negotiation and supplier management skills.

Advanced analytical and commercial acumen.

Proven experience in own-brand/private-label development and portfolio management.

Strong experience in international sourcing, supplier development, and global procurement strategy.

Experience working with international manufacturers and sourcing markets across Asia, Europe, and/or other key global regions will be an added advantage.

Strategic Commercial Leadership

Customer-Centric Mindset

Digital & E-commerce Expertise

Data-Driven Decision Making

People Development

Cross-functional Collaboration

Own Brand & Product Development

International Sourcing & Global Supplier Management

Strategic Procurement

Lotuss Stores Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. (Registration No. 200001018812 (521419-K)) (formerly known as Tesco Stores (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.) is a member of the Charoen Pokphand Group Co., Ltd (C.P. Group) since December 2020.

Having acquired Tesco Malaysia’s business in December 2020, Lotus’s Malaysia has now assumed the operations of all existing Tesco stores, employing over 8,600 employees across one head office, two distribution centres, and 62 stores throughout Peninsular Malaysia. It also has Malaysia’s most extensive online grocery home shopping network with over 100 delivery trucks and operations in Penang, Johor Bahru, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, and Ipoh.

Lotuss Stores Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. (Registration No. 200001018812 (521419-K)) (formerly known as Tesco Stores (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.) is a member of the Charoen Pokphand Group Co., Ltd (C.P. Group) since December 2020.

Having acquired Tesco Malaysia’s business in December 2020, Lotus’s Malaysia has now assumed the operations of all existing Tesco stores, employing over 8,600 employees across one head office, two distribution centres, and 62 stores throughout Peninsular Malaysia. It also has Malaysia’s most extensive online grocery home shopping network with over 100 delivery trucks and operations in Penang, Johor Bahru, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, and Ipoh.

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