Company Description
ENSEMBLE is India’s first multi-brand luxury fashion store, established in 1987. The brand is dedicated to discovering, mentoring, and nurturing Indian design, with a focus on preserving the country’s rich heritage of craft, embroidery, and textiles. With nine stores across India and a growing online presence globally, ENSEMBLE curates the best of Indian fashion in a modern and refined way. Led by Tina Tahiliani, the company also emphasizes providing customers with excellent and efficient service.
Pan-India Strategic Merchandising Plann in g & Forecasting
Vendor & Designer Management
- Develop and implement long-term merchandising strategies based on market trends and sales data.
- Develop and manage the holistic annual and seasonal Open-to-Buy (OTB) plan for the entire network of 11 stores
- Create sales and inventory forecasts by region, city, store cluster, and door, accounting for demographic, climatic, and cultural buying patterns using historical data analysis where it already exists
- Lead the development of a cluster-based strategy (e.g., defining which stores are "Flagship," "High-Volume," "Emerging," etc.) and tailor assortments and budgets accordingly. Essentially build our brand portfolio and assortment from the store level up
- Define and monitor pricing, promotion, and markdown strategies on a national and regional level
Multi-Location Inventory Management & Allocation :
Plan and manage all inventory flows from central distribution to each of the 11 stores.Implement a dynamic replenishment model that responds to real-time sales data across all locations.Lead the strategy for intra-inventory transfers between stores to balance stock and maximize full-price sell-throughMitigate regional overstock and stock-out risks through proactive analysis and actionCross-Functional Leadership :
Partner with Buying & Merchandising to build a cohesive national assortment plan with localized depth where neededCollaborate with Regional / Store Managers to understand ground-level performance, customer feedback, and competitive landscape in each cityProvide the leadership team with a consolidated view of national performance, plus deep-dive analyses on regional opportunities and threatsWork with Logistics and Supply Chain to ensure efficient and timely inventory distributionTeam Leadership & Systems :
Build and lead a high-performing planning and allocation team capable of managing multi-store complexityEstablish, track, and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) for the entire network and individual stores (e.g., GMROI, Sell-Through %, WOS, Sales per Sq. Ft., stock coverChampion the use of advanced planning systems and BI tools to enhance forecasting accuracy and operational efficiencyKey Result Areas (KRAs) & Performance Metrics :
The success of the Head of Product Planning will be measured against the following key performance indicators, which are vital to driving profitability and inventory efficiency across the 11-store network :
1. Financial Performance
Gross Margin Return on Investment (GMROI) : Maximize the return on every rupee invested in inventoryGross Margin % : Achieve or exceed the planned gross margin targets by minimizing markdowns and optimizing sell-throughSales vs. Plan : Achieve or exceed the overall sales budget as well as category-level sales targets2. Inventory Productivity & Efficiency
Inventory Turnover : Increase the number of times inventory is sold and replaced within a given periodWeeks of Supply (WOS) : Maintain optimal inventory levels to support sales plans without incurring excess stockEnd-of-Season Stock % : Minimize leftover seasonal inventory to reduce carrying costs and markdown liabilities3. Commercial Performance
Sell-Through Rate (%) : Achieve target sell-through rates at full price, particularly for key items and collections.Sell-Thru % (Category / Store Level) : Monitor and improve sell-through performance across different product categories and individual store locations.Markdown % / Discount Efficiency : Control the depth and timing of markdowns to protect profitability4. Forecasting & Planning Accuracy
Open-to-Buy (OTB) Adherence : Ensure actual inventory commitments align closely with the planned OTB budgetSales Forecast Accuracy : Measure the accuracy of pre-season and in-season sales forecasts versus actual results.Demand Forecasting Error : Minimize variance between forecasted and actual demand at the SKU level5. Range & Allocation Effectiveness
Performance by Store Cluster : Ensure sales and inventory plans are effectively tailored to and met by each store cluster (e.g., Metro, Tier-1)Stock-to-Sales Ratio : Maintain a healthy ratio of inventory to sales for each store and categorySize Curve Optimization : Minimize size-related stockouts and overstocks through improved analysis and allocation