Merchandising and Planning Manager

The Company

DFS Group is the World’s leading luxury retailer catering to the traveling public. DFS operates both duty free concessions in airport and downtown luxury T-Gallerias offering customers a wide array of designer and luxury brands.

DFS is a global organization employing over 5,000 people worldwide. Corporate headquarters are in Hong Kong. There are 4 geographic divisions: Asia North (Hong Kong, Macau, and Hainan,), Asia South (Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Indonesia), Japan, North America & Pacific (Okinawa, Guam, Saipan and Palau, North America, Hawaii) and EMEA (Venice, Paris, Abu Dhabi).

DFS T-Gallerias bring exciting and luxurious retail environments to downtown locations. Currently, there are DFS T-Gallerias ranging in size from 20,000 to 175,000 square feet with locations including Venice, Sydney, Auckland, Guam, Saipan, Bali, Siem Reap, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Okinawa, Singapore and Macau.

In 2016 DFS opened its first European T Galleria, Fondaco dei Tedeschi, in the very heart of Venice, few steps from Rialto Bridge. ​Thanks to its fascinating restoration and cross-cultural organization, Fondaco dei Tedeschi provided a “destination in the destination” from the very beginning: our Italian crew guide and inspire visitors through a holistic experience, making contemporary the long tradition of this historical building that dates to XIII century.

Fondaco dei Tedeschi offers local and Italian brands as well as international ones, distributed on four floors, from ground floor to third.​ We host almost 400 brands, belonging to different categories: Food&Gift, Beauty, Watches & Jewellery, Accessories and Fashion. ​Italian brands cover almost 60% of our product mix, where the partnership with Venetian craftmanship embodies our being a part of Venice itself. Their artisanal art resonates throughout the court and in our windows. 

​Fondaco dei Tedeschi is a fascinating building with a unique offer, but it’s our People that bring Fondaco to live everyday. Our women, our men, bring Fondaco to life, through their attitudes, values and competencies, moving together as one unique being.

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Job Description

The Merchandising and Planning Manager is responsible for localizing and executing the Division’s merchandise strategy and vision for delivery luxury retail to the traveling consumer at Fondaco dei Tedeschi in Venice
The  Merchandising and Planning Manager is accountable to work directly with:
-the corporate Planning team to define local portfolio budget and relevant OTB (open to buy)
-the corporate and regional Merchandising team to drive the division’s product strategy
The  Merchandising  and Planning Manager will work directly with the store leadership to understand specific customers and utilize that understanding in curating the global product strategy for that consumer will also work collaboratively with local internal stakeholders, such as Marketing, Visual Merchandising and Sales colleagues
The Merchandising and Planning Manager will scout, select, negotiate and buy local brands and artisanal products to grant a proper local offer food gift and souvenirs, local and niche fashion accessories brands, beauty, fragrances, jewelry (high and fashion)
The  Merchandising and Planning Manager is responsible for the success of the division’s product offer, measured by sales performance versus budget, space productivity growth and gross margin performance versus budget

Key responsibilities
-monitoring and optimizing space productivity in stores
-curating the global merchandise strategy to meet the needs of Fondaco dei Tedeschi clients, ensuring a proper level of
localization, managing the division’s local buyers
-gather market intelligence regarding key competitors and work with corporate merchandising to refine strategies to compete
most effectively
-Lead division communication with the central merchandising team on category strategies, store planning, and localized
initiatives
-Develop and maintain an effective working relationship within cross functional teams
-Manage and lead her/his team curating proper performance and development for each team member

Merchandising
•Effectively manage the local buying function including vendor agreements, open to buy seasonal assortments and execution of
localization plan, for all categories fashion, accessories and gifts, food, gift, beauty, ensuring appropriate locally acquired
assortments catering to the target customer for Venice 117 brands)
•Inspire and lead the team in sourcing and buying activities, acting as senior buyer in key processes
•Work directly with the corporate and regional merchandising teams in developing the category and location plans in line with the
customer driven opportunities for Venice
•Ensure product and pricing offer is aligned to the customer profile of the individual stores
•Give feedback, and coordinate with corporate and regional merchandising teams to ensure that products bought centrally are
adapted to the local clientele ..(currently hybrid brands only, previously wider scope)
•Responsible to monitor space productivity and promote changes to grow productivity per square foot
•Develop unique localized assortments linked to the unique cultural opportunities in Venice
•Develop strategy and sourcing for own brand or co branded products, both locally and in coordination with central merchants
•Deliver sales and margin on budget report and analyze sales, margin, and space productivity results
•Manage artisan regular animation in coordination with Local Marketing Team to source products in line with store
animation/cultural events

Planning
•Properly manage Local Brands OTB, in line with budget and corporate planning forecast
•Maintain alignment with the corporate Planning team on category/location forecasts based on most current ROF forecasts
•Review on a monthly base the OTB forecast for all local brands, and execute Inventory strategies with brand partners
•Prepare and present to corporate Planning leaders Fashion investment reviews before buying campaign twice per year
•Review and execute strategies, in alignment with corporate office, to manage Aged old stock
•Overview and manage markdown and promotional strategy for local brands
•Ensure smooth order flow with Brand partners and Logistics and effective stock order replenishment on a weekly monthly basis
•Monitoring competitors on pricing, products, materials, shapes etc t o guarantee commercial forecast activities related to
collections’ trends (sell out forecast), on both qualitative and quantitative perspectives
•Functionally report to Global Planning Team

Key Requirements

• Must have Bachelor’s Degree
• Fluency in English and Italian, French as a plus.
• 7 +  merchandise management experience with a Divisional or Global retailer.
• Analytical, organizational skills and strategy building skills
• Proven leadership in a multi-cultural work environment.
• Must have strong communication skills, both oral and written.
• Goal oriented approach, multitasking
• Good problem-solving skills.
• Function as a resourceful and proactive team member.
• Able to work under deadlines.
• Action & results oriented
• Business Acumen