(South Africa)Portfolio 
• Member of the Geo Account Merchandising Leadership Team
• Member of the IAT leadership team

Key Accountabilities:
• Create, drive and deliver productive and aligned cross-category assortment strategies and tools to maximise sales and profits for the geo's strategic accounts, in line with Consumer need, City offense and Category strategy across the account portfolio.
• Receive seasonal strategies driven through Nike global, attending integrated meetings at the European head office called EPAC (Early Product and Assortment Commencement).
• Lead and execute account assortment strategy within the IAT (integrated account team) and across the Merchandising and Business functions for the full marketplace.
• Develop and implement business and pricing strategies, planning and direction to drive merchandising priorities and set clear objectives, priorities, processes and measurement.
• Lead, inspire, mentor and develop a team of 10 senior and junior Merchandisers to deliver to business priorities and objectives, and ensure assortment excellence to the consumer.
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners across the business to develop and deliver differentiated, integrated marketing and merchandising strategies, and consumer and trend right across all segments, supported by forecast excellence and aligned to satisfy and deliver to consumer needs.
• Partner with retail planners to support account strategy, retail capacity and product flow.
• Work across categories and integrated account teams to develop a consumer-led capacity perspective that serves the needs of the marketplace and delivers against strategic financial and business growth goals and objectives.
• Lead and represent merchandising in the Category Game Plan (CGP), partnering with the sales team to provide key Merchandising information (product technicalities, seasonal trend and color palettes, and global product priorities) to support the development and delivery of aligned seasonal product and assortment strategies at a key and strategic account level, and the achievement of sales lead deliverables.  This included representing Merchandising at SIM (sales integrated meeting) to support KAPM (Key account planning meeting) preparation.
• Provide account input into consumer-led capacity, insights, and local pricing.
• Determine assortment segmentation across strategic account cluster.
• Deliver go-to-market tools for strategic accounts.
• Deliver account feedback to key and strategic account leadership teams to drive future success within the South African Merchandising team, enabling the shaping of assortment opportunities, deliverables & decision rights.

Key Achievements:
• Led the South African Merchandising team integration with the EMEA (European Headquarters) Merchandising team.
• Delivered DTC assortments concepts and buying strategies that supported consumer centric brand storytelling

• Developed team KPI's and development programs that resulted in strengthened leadership and team management competencies.
• Prepared a strong talent bench within the merchandising team, resulting in candidates being transferred to European headquarters, as well as transiting weak talent out of the business.
• Led and managed the pricing review for NFS (Nike Factory Stores).
• Led the implementation of assortment strategies across full IMP (integrated marketplace) including wholesale, retail and factory stores.
• Driving the price strategy across entire marketplace.
• Achieved a successful rating and being awarded stock and shares based on merit.


Director - Merchandising



Key Accountabilities:
• Develop and execute the Apparel strategy for the Nike Business to maximize Apparel growth for the benefit of the brand within our marketplace and deliver marketplace right assortments.
• Lead DTC assortments concepts and buying strategies that support consumer centric brand storytelling.
• Leading the process of defining, evaluating, and refining current and future assortments and product strategies.
• Lead and refine the harmonization process to ensure SKU efficiencies and overall increased productivity across the channel view.
• Develop an understanding of the core consumer and integrate this knowledge with retailer and product segmentation strategies.
• Manage in-line channel growth in a sustainable, profitable manner.
• Contribute to the planning and management of business unit key performance indicators.
• Contribute to country business planning, representing product function and point of view.
• Partner with the sales team to drive AS/CS channel financial and growth objectives across Footwear, Apparel, and equipment, and ensure effective market place, product and technology insight and knowledge, business unit strategy communication, assortment planning and line construct analysis, and retail line gap analysis.
• Lead the execution of harmonization tools and deliverables within merchandising.
• Refine new planning approaches, tools and merchandising formats and lead activities to drive new business opportunities and growth accelerators, maximizing productivity.
• Manage and maintain strong working relationships with key stakeholders both domestically and internationally, representing the business unit strategy, product, process and pricing.
• Lead and represent merchandising in the Category Game Plan (CGP), driving the integration of calendar events and deliverables across the business unit and wider functions.
• Manage and maintain a seasonal and fiscal business unit calendar incorporating domestic and international deliverables and deadlines.
• Partner with strategy, sales and planning teams to review and analyze seasonal buy and forecast for the business unit, ensuring accuracy of incoming buys.
• Participate in inventory analysis and contingency plan execution and conduct regular reviews with internal stakeholders with regards to product planning, availability, bookings and delivery.
• Authorize and supervise the timely input of all key source data for the purpose of planning, reporting, reviewing and assortment building.
• Project Manage sell-in tools and activities and promote business unit involvement in key sell-in events.
• Lead team delivery of professional, informative and influencing Sales Role Outs (SRO's).

Key Achievements (AS channel only)
• Developing and driving the apparel strategy. Growing over all apparel sales contribution from 8% over two years to 28% of total business. As highest contributing dimension to sales and profits for Nike SA.
• Driving footwear and apparel product segmentation within the marketplace contributing to footwear and apparel sales growing double digits season on season seasonal sell through +15% on prior year.
• Driving pricing strategies within the marketplace across apparel and footwear ensuring competitively priced product against the competition ensure market share hold at 35% across entire sportswear.
• Driving the energy of product into the market place through CS (category speciality) accounts, to ensure future success when scaling the product into volume lines through AS (Athletic speciality)
• Managing and applying healthy margins driving seasonal growth across GPM +4.5% on PY, ensuring well balanced mix within the assortment.

• Developed and delivered an Apparel strategy that resulted in double digit growths on Apparel within the AS channel.  Due to the success of the apparel strategy it has been implemented into the balance of the business.
• Integral part in driving a pricing strategy across the apparel business ensuring Nike apparel is priced competitively within the marketplace.
• Introduced a product lay-down across accounts and dimensions ensuring option counts/mix of assortment are within correct key price points.
• Championed the integration of CGP into merchandising, resulting in significant improvements to cross functional alignment and deadline delivery.
• Achieved a successful rating each year consistently.
• Defined processes and tools to ensure the efficiency of the merchandising function and delivery of business unit goals and objectives in the absence of a Merchandising Director.

Head of Merchandising AS CS dimension 

portfolio size R90 million AF (authorized futures)
Youth Women swear brand contribution to total Business 45% target market 16-25yrs female (high fashion)

International Brands in Portfolio:
• DENIM BRANDS: Guess, Levis, Pepe, Miss Sixty, Apple Bottoms, Polo Jeans, Religion, Freddie, GAP
• LIFESTYLE BRANDS: Caterpillar, Sass, Jorge, Betty Basics, Mink Pink, FCUK, Lipsy.
• SURF AND SKATE BRANDS: Billabong, Roxy, FOX
• SPORT INSPIRED BRANDS: Puma, , Adidas
• LOCAL BRANDS: Sissy Boy, Jeep, and Marion & Lindi.

Key Accountabilities:
• Profile stores nationwide and develop bottom up plans, with accurate forecasting and store allocation.
• Facilitate and drive Brand growth in sales and OTB by season, based on seasonal analytics, performance and global trends.
• Develop new international relationships with brands, as well as sourcing international brands for the South African marketplace.
• Implement buying strategies and manage the buying process for the range of existing and new brands, including negotiation of margin, terms and conditions on signing, in line with financial objectives.
• Manage SKU efficiency, seasonal flow, OTB, buying and selecting, markdown budgets, pricing/promotional work and margin per brand to reach KPI's set out.
• Managing the overall balance of assortments.
• Ensure merchandising and store teams are trained on new products and brand initiatives.
• Work with the Business Planner to drive the stock to sales plan.
• Control stock levels, stock turn, and open / closing stock to achieve set KPI's, driving returns markdowns/discounts and promotions.
• Communicate seasonal product knowledge to the Marketing Director, and visual and store management.
• Provide weekly management reports on performance to target by brand.
• Report and present at management level on reviews and post seasonal performance by brand by store.
• Finalize SIS (Shop in Shop) concepts for Stuttafords stores across the brand range, capitalizing on per square trading density within the designated brand spaces.
• Manage the pricing and markup of the GAP product and oversee marketing and seasonal priorities of the GAP brand within the South African Market.
• Oversee store staff and visual team on in-store merchandising by brand within GAP.
• Managing the distribution of stock from warehouse to standalone and Shop in Shop Gap stores, and the sell through and replenishment/AA of items within the standalone GAP stores.

Key Achievements
• Launched fifteen international brands in the South African Market, one of them being GAP.
• Drove and managed the GAP brand within the South African marketplace and continued in launching GAP stores, with a high success rate.
• Bought, planned, and ensured overall marketplace health, across twenty-five brands appealing to an LSM group of between 6 and 8, across all ages and races.
• Sourced and introduced a number of Australian brands into the SA marketplace with great success, increasing my portfolio contribution to total business from 18% to 45%.
• Achieved full KPI's, five out of the seven years.

Youth Women swear Brand Buyer/ Brand Manager GAP

(JET discount division CORE SA Consumer): portfolio size R340 (AF) million per year
High volume lines at minimal margins.
Portfolio contribution to total apparel business 25% target market 25-35yrs female (discount fashion)

Key Accountabilities:
• Manage the planning and buying of high volume lines, negotiating cost price and margin approval process for a large portfolio of lady's skirts, with an average OTB of +-R85 million a season. In 18 months the skirts division grew SOB (Share of total business) from 15% to 19%.
• Work with the trend department and suppliers to develop a range by flow with the correct product mix, relative to the consumer needs.
• Manage deliverables, including OTB, bottom up plan, SKU efficiency and forecast accuracy.
• Control stock levels month to month and season to season, trading stock where required to meet sales.
• Report and present to management on post seasonal performance analysis, KPI's stock to sales budget, GPM within the year managed to grow  margin on PY +1.8% , stock turn increased from 6 to 7, age stock reduced  and planned promotional/clearances were strategic maintaining a healthy bottom line.

Specialist Buyer Skirts

(South Africa and Australia markets): portfolio size R 50 million per year
Portfolio contribution to total business 45% target market 16-25yrs female (denim wear)

Key Accountabilities
• Management of women Fashion tops/dresses/non-denim bottoms/tees/knitwear and corporate wear.
• Develop Guess ranges for the Australia and South Africa markets (Guess SA holds the Licensee to Manufacture for Australia and South Africa).
• Travel to USA, Hong Kong, China and India for seasonal developments, design direction and trends.
• Liaising and getting final approval from Guess USA on each style for each season.
• Travel to manufactures in Hong Kong/China/ to hand over relevant styles that meet market requirements.
• Oversee relationships with eleven different manufacturers world-wide.
• Select and approve fabric qualities, signing off fabric test reports to meet Guess standards.
• Select and approve lab dip colours, approving print strike off's for texture, colour and quality of print.
• Approve knit down qualities and sign off all trims and labels, as well as wash care instructions.
•  Approval and negotiations of seasonal cost prices/ volumes and margins.
• Final placement and quality of embroideries, labels as well as trims.
•  Working closely with QA, on arrival of product that is out of tolerance. Thereafter is my responsibility to inform the relevant supplier and negotiate a final discount.
• Management and control of delivery lead times, to ensure production arrives on time to meet our wholesale customer's delivery dates, as well has our delivery dates to stores in SA and Australia.
• Management of line showing a final presentation of each season to Guess South Africa, Guess Australia, Edgars buyers, Stuttafords buyers and independents, highlighting key trend items, and correct information to the buyers on how to merchandise the various colors at store level to achieve the Guess look.
• Assisting marketing to meet briefs for the various magazines. As well as assisting on the styling of fashion shows, too make sure the Guess look, is being followed through correctly.
•  Margin management.
• Quality assurance of garments.

Key Achievements
• Built profitable lines.
• Grew the apparel women's share of business in three years from contributing 10% to 45% SOB both South Africa and Australian markets respectively.
• Achieved seasonal sell through of 75%, GPM maintained 60-65% per season both South African and Australian markets respectively.
• Merchandised and developed lines working with new techniques with the factories and updated fits with ever increasing trends.
• Drove profitable mix within the assortments balancing good better, best principles.
• Consistently met financial budgets and plans against KPI's set out increasing sales and GPM.

Maternity Leave	June 2002-July 2003

Kelly Thain:

Kelly Thain

Midrand University