Akhilesh Joshi

• Serviced accounts using product marketing and merchandising techniques to enhance product & costing awareness.
• Extensive product & sourcing knowledge base across multiple product categories. Dealt with Poland buyer- LPP Reserved, ABFRL- Brands VanHesuen - Men’s innerwear including Briefs/trunks/vests. VanHeusen athleisure, t-shirt, joggers, shorts, athleisure vests , bonded sportswear etc.
• Researched new vendors, acquired samples and negotiated merchandise deals.
• Monitored and evaluated supplier performance to verify quality of products and delivery times met company standards - coordinated across 7 Tirupur factories, 2 Delhi NCR factories and 2 BD factories.
• Successful execution of 4-5 Cr. monthly business
• Built positive relationships with vendors for consistent and reliable supply of products.
• Negotiated pricing with vendors to achieve maximum profitability.

Key Highlights

• Led E2E merchandising for South African buyer- OLD SCHOOL- Delivered shipments within a span of 25-30 days (PD to Shipment)
• Managed cross functional teams including 1 Asst. Merchandiser, 1 quality personnel in Tirupur & 1 Quality personnel in BD.

• Identified opportunities and analyzed marketplace key performance indicators to provide best costing solutions
• Dealt in multiple domestic brands & varied depth of product categories - USPL (Label- Singles, Wrong), VanHesuen, etc. Shirts, T-Shirts, Joggers, trousers, ABFRL- Brands VanHesuen- Men’s innerwear which includes Briefs/trunks/vests, athleisure, t-shirt, joggers, shorts ,athleisure vest etc
• Completed technical estimates using cost models based on varied factory capabilities.
• Coordinated with factories across India & Bangladesh

• Managing business development & execution worth 6 Million GBP annually across 300-400 styles.
• Effective team lead with excellent Delegating, Persuading & Influencing skills
• A thorough and an exceptional knowledge base in the field of sourcing, costing & garment manufacturing
• A strong base in the technical field and attention to quality enables good follow-ups and coordination of the complete merchandising process
• Distinctive Time Management & Organizational Skills which define how I manage to delegate work & get the best results along with my team
• Pro-active leadership skills with problem solving attitude
• A direct interaction with buyers has helped in developing an understanding of their ‘Ways of working’ to deliver excellent client services.

• Worked with the INDITEX Group for one of their well-known brands - BERSHKA (Spain) along with other direct buyers / retailers like LPP Group, AMICHI, WOMEN SECRET, BIG STAR
• Engaged in product development and preparing costing presentations for product selections during buyer meetings
• Accountability and responsibility of dealing with Liaison office & buyers, presenting new developments and sampling along with getting the production on time
• Managed timely production execution across all factories
• Placed orders for merchandise consistent with quality, quantity and other specification requirements.
• Worked on various levers including supply chain optimization, competitive bidding, etc. to provide competitive costs in apparel and accessories.

• Worked independently for one of the largest accounts for Orient – Fat Face (UK) handling business worth 6 Million GBP
• Worked with my team to drive the broader vision of achieving business goals.
• Accountable and responsible for dealing with buyers, presenting new developments, costings and ensuring timely production execution.

• An opportunity and responsibility to handle independently a client base from all across Europe that included brands like - Mango, Promod, River Island, ZARA Home Bikbok, Vivikes, Lindex, Lexington, John Lewis, Laura Ashley, Dorothy Perkins etc
• Led product development through extensive market survey of on-going trends
• Implemented business strategies to generate business and maximize profit margins for the organization.
• Worked on pro-active risk mitigation to ensure timely production deliverables.
• Solution-oriented approach helped in building confidence with customers