ABU KAUSAR AHMED
Category Manager-Buying & Merchandising Professional
Bengaluru,KA
Summary
Retail professional with over 18 years of experience in FMCG procurement and category management. Expertise in assortment planning, vendor management, and inventory control, leading to successful brand growth and product launches based on market analysis. Proven track record in negotiating favorable deals that drive sales growth within a quarter. Highly adaptable, with experience working under various leadership styles and committed to delivering projects on time. Proactive manager with demonstrated leadership abilities, strategic planning expertise and problem-solving acumen. Assists senior managers with accomplishing demanding targets by encouraging staff and coordinating resources. Methodical and well-organized in optimizing coverage to meet operational demands.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
Work History
Deputy Manager-Category (HO)
Health & Glow Pvt. Ltd.
10.2023 - 08.2025
- Ensuring Sales growth for given Brands at Section level MoM & to LY
- Coordination with Brand team on regular basis for sales performance and its growth
- Ensuring Other incomes through visibility
- Best instore offers compared to competition, also changes in coordination with brands whenever necessary to increase the sales & walk-ins
- Planogram & visibility placement update, if necessary for sale performance.
- New product Introduction, based on market review & customer demand.
- Coordination with Regional Merchandisers on stocks, visibility, sales & planograms
- Supporting regional teams on their feedbacks on competitions in regional market
- Action on Ageing stocks (non-sale for a period) in support of brands.
- Maintains strong relationship with Brands for speedy action whenever required
Category Manager
The Organic World - Sowparnika Retail Pvt Ltd.
04.2022 - 06.2023
- Playing major role in connecting existing & start up Brands to the local stores
- Ensuring customers safety with No-list ingredients QC
- On time availability by launching Customers requested products
- Ensuring listing of brands with Margin deliverable as per management’s demands (Case to Case takes approval based on Product & Brand.
- Achieving Sales & Margin as per the Business Plan with proper Trade Plan along with the Sales & Marketing team for On Time execution. (Keeping in mind all upcoming Festivals, Occasions or Seasonal factors)
- Weekly Price work for Fruits & Vegetables on benchmark with competitions, in coordination with the F&V procurement team
- Handling e Commerce Platforms with pricing, offers & coordinating with marketing teams for offer & other marketing communications & activities, & coordinating with Customer Care team giving solutions to customers raised issues.
- Coordination with Brands for all their issues to get the best supports from their end.
- Visiting stores to train & check proper Availability, Visibility, Stacking & Implementation of all Planed Merchandised for the month, and all-time availability of all basic items & top selling items.
Senior Manager-Category-FMCG-Foods, Non-Food, Dairy & Frozen
B-Local Technologies Pvt Ltd.
04.2021 - 05.2022
- Playing major role in connecting existing & start up Brands to the local stores
- Establishing & managing retail outlets for maximum product coverage. Interacting with clients and assisting them for enhancing brand loyalty and customer retention.
- Brand launch in stores with proper explanations with promotion & other activations
- Product Cataloging for App identifying product USP
- To analyze and suggest stores on correction of their assortment based on the audit done by our team to increase bottom line along with its top line
- In store space management by suggestion & implementing them with planogram and proper use of their empty spaces
- Proper co-ordination with internal team on activity for end-to-end closure
- Co Ordination with brand team on timely executions of activity
- Data works on product launch & commission claims
Category Manager-FMCG Foods & Beverages, Dairy, Bakery & Frozen
Indwell Retail Pvt Ltd - Dus Minute, Bangalore
02.2020 - 04.2021
- Handling FMCG Foods & Beverages, Dairy, Bakery & Frozen for 20 Stores
- Stock management with on time delivery & 95% availability
- Negotiations on TOTs with Brand Companies
- Negotiation for offers with Brands for better sales and placement of the products based on market trend
- Other Income Generation as Listing fee, space share, display & other marketing activities
- Generating, Preparing and submission of regular operational and progress reports to management on time
Deputy Manager-Private Brand- Buying & Merchandising
Nilgiris Dairy Farm Ltd.
01.2015 - 01.2019
- Handling Private Brand (FMCG Food, Non-Food & General Merchandise for Nilgiris in entire South – Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala & Andhra & Telangana (132 Stores)
- Negotiation for offers with Brands for better sales and placement of the products based on market trend
- Category related guidance to Franchisee & other customer’s viz. Assortment suggestion, Plannogram, Cross Merchandising- Guidance.
- Getting confidence of customers for placement on launch of new products with all necessary supports viz. offers/VM/Sampling activity etc.
- Working and closure of Annual Business Plan based on past and future trend.
- Stock Age Monitor
- Monitor’s Stock Ageing report and coordination with DC & Operation team for fast movement of stocks
- To monitoring FIFO maintenance at warehouse
- Coordination with concern team on liquidating under age stocks
Manager-Category, from Buyer Food (Bangalore)
KB's Fair Price (Small Format Neighbourhood Stores)
02.2008 - 01.2015
- Taking care of functions for Staples, FMCG & General Merchandise working and meeting of accountable to report to the National Category Head as well as CEO of the Company.
- Plays a major role in achieving topline & accordingly the Margin%.
- Best pricing in the market after benchmark as per the format.
- Getting Offers from the Brands and on time implementation to stores.
- Vendor management & relationship maintenance for better support to business as joint partner
- Planning & Developing a Strategy in Assortment Finalization.
- TOT Finalization with Regional & National Companies.
- MBQ implementation- taking care of Inventory & Vendor credits.
- Implemented ARS process maintaining stock & Vendor payment terms
- Other Income Generation from Company/Brands.
- Inter departmental relationship for business process
- Worked closely with SAP team from merchandising team during SAP HANA Migration and data upload
- Aligning the Masters with appropriate Margins
- Configuration of Margin% in Purchase related transactions
- Working on developing a Module to execute Promotions via System.
- Working on Flow Thru & Put Away Model.
- Promoted and transferred to Regional Manager Category (Staples)- (NE-NB)
- Taking care of functions of Staples
- Plays a Major role in finding Vendors and connecting stock to required Locations being very interior places like Agartala, Darjeeling, Gangtok etc.
- On-time connectivity of stocks during seasonal activities and other road blocks due to natural calamities and other regional issues.
Buyer-, Bangalore
SPENCERS RETAIL LTD. (An RPG Enterprise)
09.2006 - 02.2008
- Worked as a buyer
- Learned the buying process maintaining margin
- Support to DC team for stock inward with all checks
- Started negotiations along with report manager
- Learned the process of ARS work flow along with IT Team
Education
Bachelor of Science - Fashion & Apparel Design
The Oxford College of Science
Bangalore 06.2021 - 04.2004
Senior Secondary School -
National Open School
Delhi 04.1999 - 10.2000
Secondary School -
St. Mary’s School
Assam01.1995
Skills
Performance optimization
Category - Buying & Merchandising Professional
References: Available on request.
Accomplishments
- Health & Glow Pvt. Ltd.-A Beauty & Personal Care Destination - A part of the retail Giant DMart
- Got the opportunity to take care of No.1 Skin care brand within the company as Neutrogena from Kenvue with MoM growth, followed by Olay, Lotus Herbals, Sebamed, Himalaya etc.
- Working on Monthly sales plan based on Seasonal/Occasional factors to achieve monthly targets
- Handled the category of Fragrances with leading Brands of Baccarose
- Initially Brought up the Herbal Category to live from 50L to 1.5 Cr
- Assortment correction taking care of right SKUs & by returning & liquidating the inactive SKUs in cooperation of Brand.
- The Organic World- Sowparnika Retail Pvt. Ltd.
- Managed to achieve sales of 2Cr.+ breaking the barrier of 1.70 Cr.
- Aligning many well performed, stopped brands to grow the business, understand their issues
- Managed Brand performance & their inventory for easy performance
- Got opportunity to handle ecommerce & given growth to e-commerce platform by aligning the assortment & reducing the undelivered.
- BLocal Technologies Pvt Ltd. -A Start-up lead by a Fintech Co. Modefin.
- Enrolled 40+ Brands into BLocal
- Tie up with Majors like HUL & Amul for Dark store distribution
- Successful acceptance of Assortment Correction & Planogram Implementation to local retailers
Disclaimer
Date of Birth: 1979-01-21 Place: Bangalore Signature Abu Kausar Ahmed
Buying & Merchandising Professional
Over 18+ years of experience in FMCG Retail industry since 2006, withs skills of Brand and Product, Vendor or Client and Inventory Management with Focus on Sales growth.
Timeline
Deputy Manager-Category (HO)
Health & Glow Pvt. Ltd.
10.2023 - 08.2025
Category Manager
The Organic World - Sowparnika Retail Pvt Ltd.
04.2022 - 06.2023
Bachelor of Science - Fashion & Apparel Design
The Oxford College of Science
06.2021 - 04.2004
Senior Manager-Category-FMCG-Foods, Non-Food, Dairy & Frozen
B-Local Technologies Pvt Ltd.
04.2021 - 05.2022
Category Manager-FMCG Foods & Beverages, Dairy, Bakery & Frozen
Indwell Retail Pvt Ltd - Dus Minute, Bangalore
02.2020 - 04.2021
Deputy Manager-Private Brand- Buying & Merchandising
Nilgiris Dairy Farm Ltd.
01.2015 - 01.2019
Manager-Category, from Buyer Food (Bangalore)
KB's Fair Price (Small Format Neighbourhood Stores)
02.2008 - 01.2015
Buyer-, Bangalore
SPENCERS RETAIL LTD. (An RPG Enterprise)
09.2006 - 02.2008
Senior Secondary School -
National Open School
04.1999 - 10.2000
Secondary School -
St. Mary’s School