Professional Brief

 A highly competent and result oriented Retail Management professional with an experience of over 14 yrs, leading business strategy planning, operations management and customer service delivery functions with success, for reputed organizations.
 Currently associated with Sun and Sand Sports – the biggest sports retailer and wholesaler in the Middle East as Store Manager for Vans (Division of VF Corp).
 Expertise at conceptualizing, planning & implementing business strategies as per established company objectives, policies & procedures etc., to achieve targeted profitability & growth of business.
 Proven skills at identifying needs, developing an action plan for facilitating changes to enhance the company’s performance.
 Skilled in focusing on optimum utilization of talent and human resources, evaluation of technical, professional and soft skills of team members.
 An effective communicator with excellent relationship building & interpersonal skills, strong analytical, problem solving & organizational abilities

Key Functional Areas

Retail Management
 Managing and motivating a team to increase sales, and ensure efficiency;
 Managing stock levels and making key decisions about stock control.
 Using information technology to record sales figures, for data analysis and forward planning;
 Dealing with staffing issues such as interviewing potential staff, conducting appraisals and performance reviews, as well as providing or organizing training and development;
 Ensuring standards for quality, customer service and health and safety are met;
 Maintaining awareness of market trends in the retail industry, understanding forthcoming customer initiatives

Customer Services
 Managing customer centric operations & ensuring customer satisfaction by achieving delivery & service quality norms.
 Attending to customer’s complaints and undertaking steps for effectively resolving them.
 Interacting with the customers to gather their feedback regarding the product satisfaction.

Demand Planning
 Study the market consumption and fluctuations for various products and anticipate future demands.
 Coordinate with various functional heads like Supply Chain Managers and Inventory Control Managers for analyzing stock status and ensuring adequate stock availability of all products.
 Advises on current and future in market sales against business targets/forecasts from past trends and take a lead role in identifying solutions to complex problems. Identify trends of shortages and implement robust
reporting and shortage contingency plans.

Team Management
 Recruitment and training of personnel as per requirements and monitoring their performance.
 Employing effective communication and interpersonal skills to motivate team members and solve their grievances.

Career Summary

GMG Group – Store Manager, Vans – Outdoor / Lifestyle (Division of VF Corp), UAE
Aug 2016 till date

 Responsible and Accountable for managing all store operations and SOP.
 Analyzing and evaluating business performance including stock and sell out (best sellers, slow moving products, ageing inventory)
 Responsible for inventory and stock shrinkage.
 Accountable for driving sales to meet the set targets. Have closed the financial year 17-18 positive on budget and showed a growth of 22% versus previous year.
 Received Store of the Month Award thrice from the CEO for the highest growth on budget in Contracted Brands Division.
 Conducting SOP and Risk Compliance Audit for different stores in the company portfolio
 Skills involved – Team Management, Customer Service and Training.
 Conducting In-Store trainings based on Customer Journey, Selling Skills and Product Knowledge for the development of team members.

GMG Group – Store Manager, Columbia – Outdoor / Lifestyle, UAE
April 2014 till July 2016

 Leading and motivating sales team to establish highest retail hygiene
 Accountable to deliver revenues and profits backed by right product mix and stock turnover. Have been successful with a proven record to achieve targets set.
 Analyzing ageing stock and determining effective ways to sell it.
 Have conducted SOP and Risk Compliance Audits for different stores in the company portfolio.
 Conducting In-store trainings based on Product Knowledge, Selling Skills, Customer Service for the overall development of team members.

GMG Group – Store In Charge – Multi Brands, Sun and Sand Sports, Dubai, UAE
Aug 2012 till March 2014

 Responsible for managing all operations of the store which is one of the biggest sports retailers and wholesalers in the Middle East. Managing a big box store holding multi brand products and a sales team of 45 staff.
 Responsible for driving sales, ensuring good customer service.
 Analyzing ageing stock and determining effective ways to sell it.
 Leading an enthusiastic team within a commercial, sales driven and fast paced retail environment
 Organising training for Customer Service, Selling skills, and Merchandising on a regular basis for the overall development of team members.
 Responsible for maintenance of overall image of the store.
 Ensuring proper Risk Control measures are followed for the Store and Team security.
 Function as the point of contact to manage escalated customer grievances after the sales process.

Rivoli Group – Store Manager, Vertu (Luxury Mobile Communication), Dubai, UAE
Jan 2006 – Mar 2012

 Successfully managed all store management operations for the leading retailer in the Middle East, having major franchises like Vertu, Dunhill, Mont Blanc and Omega and operating several mono brand and other stores.
 Awarded as Best Salesperson in Vertu for the quarter July – September 2007 and also bagged the Mystery Shopper Award for excellent customer service and store management.
 Implemented customer centric initiatives which increased customer database of the brand. This resulted in doubling the sales turnover in 07 with regards to the previous year. These efforts were highly appreciated by the management team.

Rivoli Group – Mont Blanc & Links of London, Dubai, UAE
Senior Sales Associate & promoted to Store Supervisor, Aug 2001 – Dec 2005

 Efficiently managed all operations of the store including discipline and scheduling of employees to ensure cost effective and quality store operations
 Was assigned the responsibility of leading operations of the Vertu Boutique- a high profile brand handling luxury communication.
 Monitored all aspects of retail hygiene – store upkeep & fit out, merchandising, visual display & documentation.
 Instrumental in rendering excellent customer service and maintaining store standards to keep up with the portfolio of the brand.

Earlier Assignments

Team Leader, E- Funds International at Mumbai, India, Nov 2000 – Jul 2001
Billing/Cash department, P.D. Hinduja National Hospital & M.R.C, May 1998 – Nov 2000
Manager, Western Placements Services Pvt Ltd, Apr 1996 – Apr 1998

Credentials

Education

 Diploma in Computer Science & Networking.
 B.Com from University of Bombay, India, 1997

Certifications / Trainings

 Certificate in Human Resource Management
 Completed an e-learning course from Xpert Learning
 Attended in House Customer service / Leadership skills training for Store Management conducted by the company.

Personal Details

 Date of Birth: 21st Nov 1975
 Languages Known: English, Hindi, French, Arabic
 Driving License : Yes
 Nationality: Indian