Karun Puri
Summary
Multi-talented Senior Executive knowledgeable about Retail buying, merchandising and business development.
Always taking ownership of the customer, and the customer experience, with regards to product and service proposition. Putting customer needs at the heart of commercial decision making, and subsequently generating value for the business.
Having both established new businesses & successfully grown existing franchises, I have a proven multi-national track record in developing & maintaining product offers across various categories and outlets. Able to build and coach capable, high performing commercial teams.
Overview
22
22
years of professional experience
Work History
VP, Buying & Merchandising
Lals Group
06.2008 - Current
- Leading a team to deliver the merchandise strategy of multiple retail brands with full P&L accountability. Engaging with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that the correct brand/product assortment is made available to the customer across all the omni-channel outlets to drive profitable sales. Responsible for aligning inventory plans to tie back to, and support sales plans, as aligned with all stakeholders.
- Spearheaded cross-functional initiatives across departments to achieve business goals for bottom-line profits.
- Hired and managed employees to maximize productivity while training staff on best practices and protocols.
- Increased company growth through collaboration with sales and marketing departments.
- Introduced new brands to the market namely US Polo Assn, Carters & Oshkosh b’gosh. Achieved successful launch by providing market intelligence & developing regional specials to satisfy customer needs.
- Shaped solutions and approaches by leveraging trends in customer marketplaces and industries.
Senior Merchandiser
Retail Group Gulf (now Cenomi Retail)
09.2007 - 05.2008
- An engaging and varied role driving retail sales and profit margin through planning and trading the product range. Maximized sales opportunities through focused management of the seasonal trading cycle.
- Managing the buying & merchandising of Club Monaco (USA), Cortefiel (Spain)& Le Chateau (Canada) for stores across the GCC.
- Prepare budgets for different regions & stores. Prepare & use OTB by brand, category, theme, launch period & price-points. Maintaining a healthy stock level & ensuring timely product phasing.
- Liaise with Brand partners for brand development, Visual merchandising, range building, product development & day to day operations.
Merchandise Planner
Max Retail (part Of Landmark Group)
04.2004 - 08.2006
- Effective inventory management to ensure maximum in-stock availability, whilst keeping within the budgeted weeks of supply
- Predicted, analyzed and maintained Open to Buy (OTB) and supported the buying team on budget breakdown.
- Partnered with merchants to predict receipt needs each season and recommended markdown or chase processes.
- Identified risks and established opportunities to drive growth and increase profit through effective inventory management.
- Generated sales reports, analyzed trends and sales targets to create distribution plans for multiple territories- UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman & Bahrain.
Merchandiser
Triburg Buying House
04.2002 - 03.2004
- Independently handled 2 key international accounts- Polo Jeans & Guess Collections
- Work involved the coordination of production, product development & sampling, price negotiations & costing activities with both the brands as well as the vendors.
- Attending buyer meets, presenting new developments & understanding the buyer's requirements.
Education
PG Diploma in Apparel Marketing & Merchandising Mg -
National Institute of Fashion Technology
Bangalore, India2002
Bachelor of Arts - Economics & Industrial Relations & Personnel Manag
Hansraj College, University of Delhi
Delhi, India2000
Skills
- Budgeting and Forecasting
- Market Analysis
- Business Development
- Data Analysis
- Contract Negotiation
- Product Development
- Team Building
- Merchandising Strategies
- Inventory Control
- Profit Maximization
Accomplishments
- Having developed a clear customer, omni-channel, product & stock strategy at Lals Group, I have grown Carter’s & Oshkosh B’gosh into one of the most successful franchises in the GCC region.
- Conceptualized & launched Mom Store- a specialty retailer focusing on everything for mother and baby. Within 2 years of launch it has become UAE’s largest chain in the premium segment.
- Led successful digital transformation initiatives, elevating the group to an omnichannel organization, enhancing customer experiences & optimizing operation efficiency.
Technical Skills
ERP (Microsoft Dynamics 365, LS Retail, Navision, Oracle) Analytics (Excel, Power BI, Board) Ecommerce (Magento, PIMCore ) Collaboration Technologies (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Sharepoint)
Timeline
VP, Buying & Merchandising
Lals Group
06.2008 - Current
Senior Merchandiser
Retail Group Gulf (now Cenomi Retail)
09.2007 - 05.2008
Merchandise Planner
Max Retail (part Of Landmark Group)
04.2004 - 08.2006
Merchandiser
Triburg Buying House
04.2002 - 03.2004
PG Diploma in Apparel Marketing & Merchandising Mg -
National Institute of Fashion Technology
Bachelor of Arts - Economics & Industrial Relations & Personnel Manag
Hansraj College, University of Delhi
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