The Deputy Manager – Buying & Merchandising (Category Management) will support the seasonal range planning, assortment building, category performance management and commercial execution for the Footwear category.
The role will be responsible for translating category and business requirements into effective assortments, tracking seasonal deliveries, monitoring sell-through and category performance, supporting End of Season Sale (EOSS) planning, and providing actionable insights at store, region, gender, style and size levels.
The position will work closely with Buying, Merchandising, Retail Operations, Marketing, Planning, Product Development and Store teams to ensure successful execution of the seasonal category strategy.
Key Responsibilities
1. Season Range Planning & Assortment
-
Support the development of seasonal range plans and assortment architecture for the Footwear category.
-
Assist in building the right assortment based on category objectives, consumer preferences, store potential, historical performance and business requirements.
-
Support assortment decisions across gender, category, style, size, price point and store grades.
-
Participate in seasonal product conferences and contribute to product and assortment discussions.
-
Identify assortment gaps and opportunities based on sales trends, market insights and category performance.
2. Seasonal Product & Delivery Management
-
Take ownership of tracking seasonal product deliveries for the respective category.
-
Monitor delivery timelines against the agreed seasonal calendar and highlight potential delays or gaps.
-
Coordinate with relevant internal stakeholders to ensure timely availability of products across channels and stores.
-
Maintain and update seasonal product trackers and provide regular visibility on delivery status.
3. Buying & Merchandise Planning
-
Support the Buying Manager in developing seasonal buy plans aligned with category and business objectives.
-
Prepare and maintain seasonal buy forms, catalogues and relevant merchandising documentation.
-
Support merchandise planning to ensure the right product, quantity and assortment is available across stores and channels.
-
Monitor inventory and sell-through trends and provide recommendations for corrective actions wherever required.
4. Category Performance & Sell-Through Management
-
Monitor and analyse category performance on a periodic basis across regions, stores and store grades.
-
Conduct detailed analysis at category, gender, style and size levels to identify key performance drivers and gaps.
-
Track sell-through and identify slow-moving, underperforming and high-performing products.
-
Provide actionable recommendations to improve category productivity and inventory efficiency.
-
Monitor performance against agreed GM% and category deliverables and highlight deviations.
5. End of Season Sale (EOSS)
-
Support the Buying Manager in EOSS planning and execution for the Footwear category.
-
Analyze inventory ageing, sell-through and product performance to support markdown and liquidation decisions.
-
Track EOSS performance and provide periodic updates on sales, inventory and sell-through.
-
Support identification of products requiring specific interventions to optimize inventory liquidation.
6. Marketing & Seasonal Initiatives
-
Support the development and execution of the seasonal marketing calendar and key marketing initiatives.
-
Coordinate with Marketing and relevant stakeholders to ensure category priorities are incorporated into seasonal campaigns.
-
Support the creation of merchandise display plans for new-season products during the season.
-
Ensure merchandising initiatives are aligned with product launches and category priorities.
7. Product Knowledge & Store Training
-
Conduct product training sessions for store teams to enhance product knowledge and selling effectiveness.
-
Build awareness of key product features, technologies, benefits and selling propositions among store staff.
-
Work with Retail Operations and store teams to ensure effective communication of seasonal product launches and priorities.
8. Product Development & Channel Support
-
Support new product development initiatives for key channels and business partners.
-
Provide category and market inputs based on consumer trends, store-level performance and sales insights.
-
Collaborate with relevant stakeholders to identify product opportunities and assortment requirements for specific channels/partners.
9. Business Analytics & Insights
-
Perform periodic, in-depth analysis of category performance across:
-
Region
-
Store and store grade
-
Category
-
Gender
-
Style
-
Size
-
Sell-through
-
Inventory/productivity
-
Identify trends, opportunities and risks and translate data into actionable business recommendations.
-
Prepare and present category performance reports and insights to relevant stakeholders.
-
Support data-driven decision-making for range, assortment, replenishment and EOSS planning.
Key Stakeholder Interfaces
The role will work closely with:
-
Buying & Merchandising
-
Retail Operations
-
Planning & Allocation
-
Marketing
-
Product Development
-
Finance
-
Supply Chain
-
Store Teams
-
Key Channel / Business Partners
Role Specifications
Qualification
-
Graduate from FDDI preferred.
-
Additional qualification in Fashion, Retail, Merchandising, Business Management or a related discipline will be an advantage.
Experience
-
Minimum 4 years of relevant experience in Buying & Merchandising / Category Management, preferably within the Footwear, Fashion, Sportswear or Lifestyle Retail industry.
-
Experience in seasonal range planning, assortment building and category performance management will be preferred.
Key Competencies
Functional Competencies
-
Season range planning and assortment building
-
Category management
-
Sell-through management
-
Merchandise planning
-
EOSS planning and execution
-
Category and store-level performance analysis
-
Style and size-level analysis
-
Inventory and assortment productivity
-
GM% management
-
Product knowledge and merchandising
-
Retail and consumer understanding
Behavioral Competencies
-
Strong analytical and numerical ability
-
Commercial acumen
-
Attention to detail
-
Problem-solving and decision-making skills
-
Strong communication and stakeholder management
-
Ability to work collaboratively across functions
-
Ownership and accountability
-
Ability to work in a fast-paced, target-driven retail environment
-
Strong presentation and data interpretation skills
Key Success Measures
Success in the role will be measured through:
-
Effectiveness of seasonal range and assortment planning
-
Category sell-through and productivity
-
Achievement of agreed GM% deliverables
-
Timely tracking and availability of seasonal deliveries
-
Effectiveness of EOSS planning and inventory liquidation
-
Category performance across stores, regions, styles and sizes
-
Quality of business insights and recommendations
-
Effectiveness of product knowledge and store training initiatives
-
Successful execution of seasonal and category priorities
About Skechers
Skechers, a global Fortune 500® company, develops and markets a diverse range of lifestyle and performance footwear, apparel, and accessories. Serving over 180 countries and territories, Skechers connects customers to products through department and specialty stores, e-commerce and digital stores, and through our more than 5,300 Skechers retail locations.
