Head Planning and Merchandising

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-through · Mitigate regional overstock and stock-out risks through proactive analysis and action Cross-Functional Leadership: · Partner with Buying & Merchandising to build a cohesive national assortment plan with localized depth where needed · Collaborate with Regional/Store Managers to understand ground-level performance, customer feedback, and competitive landscape in each city · Provide the leadership team with a consolidated view of national performance, plus deep-dive analyses on regional opportunities and threats · Work with Logistics and Supply Chain to ensure efficient and timely inventory distribution Team Leadership & Systems: · Build and lead a high-performing planning and allocation team capable of managing multi-store complexity · Establish, 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 cover · Champion the use of advanced planning systems and BI tools to enhance forecasting accuracy and operational efficiency Key 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 inventory · Gross Margin %: Achieve or exceed the planned gross margin targets by minimizing markdowns and optimizing sell-through · Sales vs. Plan: Achieve or exceed the overall sales budget as well as category-level sales targets 2. Inventory Productivity & Efficiency · Inventory Turnover: Increase the number of times inventory is sold and replaced within a given period · Weeks of Supply (WOS): Maintain optimal inventory levels to support sales plans without incurring excess stock · End-of-Season Stock %: Minimize leftover seasonal inventory to reduce carrying costs and markdown liabilities 3. 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 profitability 4. Forecasting & Planning Accuracy · Open-to-Buy (OTB) Adherence: Ensure actual inventory commitments align closely with the planned OTB budget · Sales 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 level 5. 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 category · Size Curve Optimization: Minimize size-related stockouts and overstocks through improved analysis and allocation