Al Futtaim Jobs - Senior Buyer - Garden | ACE Hardware | Dubai (Dubai, AE)

Job Requisition ID: 63824 

No two days are the same at Al-Futtaim, no matter what role you have. Our work is driven by the desire to make a difference and to have a meaningful impact with the goal of enriching everyday lives. Take our engaging and supportive work environment and couple it with a company culture that recognises and rewards quality performance, and what do you get? The chance to push the limits every single day.

 

As a humble family business that started on the banks of the Dubai Creek in the 1930s, Al-Futtaim has expanded to a presence in 31 countries, a portfolio of over 200 companies, and 42,000 employees. You’ll find us in industries ranging from automotive and retail, to finance and real estate, and connecting people with international names like Lexus, Ikea, Robinsons, and Adidas. Our team is proudly multicultural and multinational because that kind of diverse representation gives us the global mindset to grow and impact the people, markets, and trends around us.

 

Come join us to live well, work better, and be the best.

Senior Buyer – (Outdoor & Leisure / Hardware / Indoor) | ACE Hardware | Dubai

About the role: 

The Category Manager is responsible for achieving all the goals & targets relating to merchandise, i.e. range planning and assortment, range structure, number of articles, width and depth of the range, sales targets, pricing and gross margins, number of suppliers, negotiation & trading terms, assortment planning, planogram cycle, and implementation of the promotional/seasonal strategy of the business across all territories.

Will work cross functionally across departments to forecast the needs of the business and make decisions based on customer and market trends and sales, ensuring high levels of newness is constantly being introduced while managing effect inventory and stock controls.

The Category Manager should be analytically minded, sales and customer driven, possessing excellent negotiating skills to secure the best prices according to budget with a good knowledge of sales and marketing principles in order to drive the commercial objectives.

With a strong, solid background in purchasing and supply chain management, the candidate will take a proactive approach in reviewing the commercial offer, making recommendations and implementing changes. The role will have a clear project focus, supporting the business function at a strategic level to achieve budget goals and new range development.

 

Key responsibilities

Range Selection

• All merchandise ‘planning’ follows the “think/plan/buy/move and sell” principle ensuring the process is adhered to at all times.
• Merchandise assortments follow the good/better/best principle.
• Ensures that ‘Category Management’, encompassing the above, through to in-store Planograms & layouts are followed and adheres to the process
• Sets the Product Category range priorities in accordance with the overall merchandise strategy and is agreed with the Head of Category and GM.
• Keeps updated about local market conditions and requirements in each territory, such as “taste levels”, developing trends, competitor growth & customer buying habits as well as product acceptability. All these factors are used to ultimately arrive at a decision regarding range selection and the width & depth of the different product areas within the range.
• Ensures the range is selected, priced & delivered, taking account of the product lifecycle as well as our supply chain and warehousing capabilities.
• Maintaining 96% in-store product availability on 4,500 ‘A’ lines (approx 65% of sales)

 

Product Forecast and Merchandise Management

• Maintains ongoing communication with the ACE Regional Warehouses (Shanghai and Jebel Ali, as well as the ACE RSC in Long Beach, California), regarding all issues related to the ‘ACE sourced’ product range & product forecasts.
• Ensures that sales forecasts are adapted to sales patterns in order to achieve an optimal goods flow.
• Works closely with the 3PL partner & Planning & Business Analytics. Reviews performance of merchandise, plans vs. actual, viability of a particular item, stock cover etc. Based on analysis raises awareness of any product that may not be performing and plans for promotions, price cuts etc. Also identifies ‘best sellers’ and ensures that stock cover for these is adequate & reflects sales projections.
• Ensures that product newness is maintained, i.e. that new products are introduced in a timely manner and discontinued ranges are cleared in an effective manner through part sale and other ‘clearance’ or promotional activities thereby ensuring that the aged stock profile & ‘quality’ of stock is kept to a minimum.
• Ensures the OTB is set and managed and whether it is being operated by the buying or store teams is always in line with expectations.

Ensures the ‘Promotional Strategy’ is delivered, with the target sell through being achieved and has a full understanding of how they’ll deliver the promotional buying brief

 

Gross Margin Management

• Sets the pricing strategy for the ACE category range in each territory and guarantees re-enforcement of the ‘ACE Value’ perception building items, when setting prices of the ACE range.
• Sets overall guidelines for margin exploitation by product area and ensures processes are established to analyse margin deviation. Is primarily responsible for the periodic Gross Profit Simulation exercise for each territory to make sure that pricing delivers the margin/ profit goals agreed...
• Maintains a strategic communication link with ACE International regarding all matters relating to costs.
• Evaluates the pricing of the total range prior to the ‘season’ start, ensuring prices are in line with set targets and market conditions.
• Achieve cost benefits throughout the supply chain by taking strategic buying decisions.

Additionally has the responsibility to make certain that overall margin goals are met irrespective of clearance sale and promotional activities. Manages the ‘blended’ margin

 

Supply Chain Management

•  Works closely with the Demand Planning & Business Analytics team in defining, establishing and developing the supply chain operation i.e. as in realising benefits in sourcing directly from suppliers as opposed to the Regional Distribution Centre in Jebel Ali & USA.
• Ensures that all objectives/ metrics are delivered including quality, quantity, cycle time and cost through development and execution of strategic and tactical initiatives.
• Works with the Planning & Business Analytics teams in planning the flow of merchandise for ACE in line with the overall volume goals set and with the purpose of maintaining stock as per requirements of the business.
• Maps the ordering process, the frequency of placing re-orders, and the use of warehousing facilities in a manner that the handling costs are kept to the lowest and lead times of the products are optimized.
• Optimises all the benefits of SAP ECC6 and ensures that the ‘system’ is allowed to operate unhindered.
• All merchandise ordering is ‘managed’ by SAP whether local/domestic or import, based on ‘rules’ agreed and set by the JH.

Has responsibility for category stock availability at country level

 

Supplier/Vendor Management

• Decides the budget goals for suppliers at country level.
• Has total accountability in agreeing (with Head of Category) and setting supplier numbers
• Ensures that supplier measures are incorporated into supplier management & that ‘Trading Terms’ are negotiated and are in place for all chosen (approved) suppliers.
• Ensures that (as part of negotiations) faulty goods/swell allowances are in place as well as all forms of ‘margin support’
• Accountable for supplier capability assessments
• Maps the ‘Value Chain’, i.e. “Where does the money go?”/”Who has control?”/”Are there too many intermediaries (agents, distributors, etc.)?”/”Is there unnecessary product handling?” (want clean flow, especially for high volume sku’s)/”What’s the country of origin?”/”Should I be negotiating with someone else?” etc.

Acts with integrity to ensure that all suppliers are complaint in all Al Futtaim ethical and  sourcing practices

 

Business Development

Plays a key role in the construction of merchandise assortment plans by country. During the pre-project & project stages plays a key role in the following activities: (1)Analyse the feasibility of the product range that can be sold and safeguards that the products are tested and in line with local legislation (2) Detailed competitor & market analysis (3) Study to guarantee compliance with import regulations (4) Brand positioning (5) Decides the pricing strategy & gross margin goals (6) Oversees the merchandise ordering & flow lines (9) Specifies the changes required in SAP  to cater to new country requirements.

 

System development & Co-ordination with different functions

• Plays a vital role in developing and maintaining system processes relating to the buying & supply chain elements of SAP.
• Together with the Category Head and ACE Marketing Manager defines the commercial activities/ plans for the ACE business and ensures 100% availability of all selected product as per the marketing schedule.
• Plays a key role in the SAP and BI ‘reporting’ development in collaboration with Retail IT/STS.
• Plays a ‘driving’ role in developing the yearly “Outdoor” and “DIY” catalogues for the local markets, ensures that availability meets targets for catalogue launch.
• Works closely with the Operations Manager to secure the optimal range presentation in all stores.

Facilitates the close interaction of the Buying team with the store teams to ensure that commercial priorities and feedback is ongoing

 

About the person:

• 2-5 Years’ experience in Buying/ Category Management – preferably in DIY or Home improvement
• Very good skills in planning, organisation & negotiation; Good skills in supply chain management, merchandise management & all aspects of business management; Good working knowledge of SAP; High level of computer literacy and working knowledge of the logic and design of external data information platforms

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