Saroj R

CATEGORY: SKINCARE & APPAREL

• Achieved a 12% increase in business turnover, progressing from 900 crore to 1,800 crore in one year by implementing strategic merchandising, buying, marketing, and business plans.
• Manage a team of 32 staff members, providing leadership and guidance to drive operational efficiency and productivity.
• Oversee buying, merchandise planning, allocation, and sales for 5 luxury brands across 9 countries, including Dubai, Kuwait, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, KSA, Bahrain, Jordan, and Oman.
• Monitor sales, markdowns, margins, budget management, buying, and inventory control to optimize financial performance.
• Formulate comprehensive business strategies and plans for brand growth across online and offline platforms.

• CATEGORY: SKINCARE & APPAREL
• Spearheaded brand management and product development, leading end-to-end business activities, and building a private beauty brand aligned with market needs.
• Planned and implemented strategies to drive revenue growth, profitability, and improved brand positioning.
• Held P&L ownership, conducting in-depth market and competitor analysis to identify growth opportunities.
• Deployed innovative digital solutions to accelerate growth, enhance consumer engagement, and enable virtual selling.
• Expanded brand and product portfolio, leveraging customer and market feedback to design effective sales strategies.
• Developed and scaled an e-commerce framework, driving operational success across platforms.
• Implemented marketing innovations, boosting customer retention from 8% to 32%.
• Negotiated strategic contracts, achieving a 12% improvement in profitability, and a 15% enhancement in contribution margins.
• Reported directly to co-founders (CEO and MD), providing insights and executing strategic plans to meet revenue and growth targets.
• Identified market trends and improved customer targeting, increasing repeat business, and reducing pack returns.
• Orchestrated high-ROAS campaign planning (4–5) through data-driven marketing and customer insights.

• CATEGORY: SKINCARE & APPAREL
• Spearheaded online and offline business operations in India and internationally
• Successfully launched five private label brands, driving an increase in the brand portfolio.
• Onboarded brands on 22 e-commerce platforms (Amazon, Flipkart, eBay, Walmart, etc.). And executed comprehensive management of listings and marketing strategies.
• Implemented performance marketing, Google, Meta, influencer marketing, social media, PR, and offline ads to enhance brand visibility and drive sales.
• Conducted OTB planning, P&L management, and inventory control to optimize pricing and product mix, resulting in a 15% increase in profit margins.
• Developed efficient pullback and replenishment systems, leading to a 20% reduction in stockouts, and improved customer satisfaction.
• Innovative products, storylines, and marketing strategies resulted in a 30% increase in customer engagement and sales.
• Tracked marketing expenses versus performance, conducted in-depth market and competitor analysis, and formulated seasonal looks and style guides for campaigns, resulting in a 25% increase in ROI.
• Created store visual merchandising guides and conducted extensive research on trends in products, brands, and styles, leading to a 40% increase in store footfall and sales conversion.

• Developed OTB plan for each brand by analyzing sales data, sales forecasts, inventory checks, and forthcoming events.
• Collaborated with the team to design merchandise plans, including pricing, promotion, and assortment, for the timely availability of stocks at stores and warehouses.
• Planned markdowns and promotions to optimize sales and inventory turnover.
• Allocated merchandise to achieve LFL (like-for-like) growth, and meet monthly launches, weekly drops, and thematic targets.
• Achieved an 18% increase in gross margin and reduced customer returns by 9% through effective merchandise planning and allocation strategies.
• - Visionary leadership, global strategic alliances, high-stakes negotiations, strategic business planning with budget/sales forecasting, tactical market planning/research, competitor analysis and monitoring, new business development, brand management, training and mentoring.

• CATEGORY: SKINCARE & APPAREL
• Orchestrated revenue, margin, and growth strategies for various categories, contributing to a 15% increase in overall sales
• Implemented effective range planning for 120 stores, resulting in optimized inventory and higher sales turnover.
• Spearheaded the development of planning and forecasting processes, leading to a 20% increase in profitability.
• Utilized trend forecasts to devise and execute sales plans, resulting in a 10% boost in category sales.
• Conducted comprehensive financial analysis, yielding valuable insights on sales, margin, discount, and inventory, leading to a 12% reduction in excess inventory.
• Collaborated with the central planning team on Open to Buy (OTB) procedures, ensuring efficient allocation of resources, and reducing stock-outs by 10%.
• Streamlined inventory management processes, leading to a 15% decrease in carrying costs and stock wastage.
• Directed a cross-functional team consisting of designers, factory operations, and sourcing personnel to ensure seamless operations and timely product delivery.
• Implemented vendor-product mapping strategies, optimizing supply chain efficiency, and reducing lead times by 20%.
• Collaborated with sales and marketing teams to drive category growth, resulting in a 25% increase in market share.

• Spearheaded the successful onboarding process for 15 new brands for retail sales, including renowned names like Biba, W, Peter England, American Eagle, Nike, Puma, and Adidas, leading to a 20% increase in overall retail sales.
• Conducted meticulous merchandise selection, negotiation, and purchase activities, resulting in a 15% improvement in profit margins.
• Managed merchandise buying, planning, store allocation, and supply functions, optimizing inventory turnover, and reducing stockouts by 25%.
• Monitored the performance of 12 brands, driving a 30% increase in sales, a 25% improvement in ROI, and a 20% enhancement in the stock-to-sales ratio (SOR).