Nomfundo Penelope Mthembu

Living Room Softs

Core Overview;  Effectively drive top-line turnover whilst managing gross profit and supplier profitability  Negotiate Promotional activity, cycle deals , Adhoc support, price increases and Trading terms  Build and Maintenance of key supplier relationships as well as sourcing new suppliers. Duties & Responsibilities;  Responsible for Sales, Gross profit, Stock and profitability within category.  Build promotional grids, adverts, Campaigns, Themes and supplier collaboration with Adhoc support.  Manage administration, Reports and master data management.  Understanding of Categorization and product mix.  Ranging and Store profiles, Planograms  Ensuring of company policy compliance with Private Brand suppliers/manufacturers.  Daily Data analysis of performance alongside Pre-analysis post analysis of promotional events.  Monitor competitor landscape locally and nationally, to ensure I have the best deals and pricing, consistently

• Full management of the Baby goods department for Game Stores within South Africa and assisting Africa. • Form close collaboration with suppliers, other divisional buying and store operations teams, Private Label, General Merchandise, FMCG and Marketing Teams. • Responsible for building a compelling and optimal assortment range indicating price leadership in line with Category Strategy. • Co-ordinate the range review process and presentation of product assortment to Head of Merchandise. • Determine assortment (clustering) methodology by subcategory in order to optimise relevance at a store level while delivering stock efficiencies. • Ensure model stock value and compelling assortment complies with budget requirements in order to remain cost effective. • Make sure product clearance plans & exit strategies are in place. • Manage key supplier relationships in order to optimise the cooperation levels in sourcing, supplying and pricing of product. • Oversee the selection of items for promotion in line with agreed promotional activity plans and advertising strategy in order to ensure operational compliance with promotional offers. • Determine selling prices and negotiates cost prices of product for optimal pricing practices. • Provide ad hoc billing information for input into the income forecast report.

Daymon Worldwide is a consulting company specializing in Private Brands in retail. I manage the Private Brands within the Massdiscounters t/a Game and Dionwired business, Baby goods, Stationery, DIY, Occasion & Gift-ware, Jewelry & Watches. My focus being Brand management and product development. Develop strategies, growth plans, business analysis – 4P’s , competitor analysis, innovation & opportunity research, consumer knowledge,maintain relationships with suppliers & sourcing. • Collaborates across internal and external teams to develop consumer-centric solutions in Product and Packaging to boost incremental revenue and a positive brand image. • Works closely with both internal company and customer Business Managers, such as Buyers and Category Managers, to analyze categories, identify opportunities for Private Brand penetration and volume growth, as well as category profit improvement. • Builds and maintains solid professional relationships with Suppliers and other key stakeholders. • Creates and communicates a position statement and marketing strategy for each Private Brand Account, based upon customer direction, data analysis, and consumer research. • Develops and coordinates unique promotions that align with the marketing strategy and broader business objectives of each Private Brand. • Uses marketing research and analysis to identify weaknesses in each Private Brand’s relationship with its target consumers to facilitate creation of a brand improvement strategy. • Coordinates packaging development process for all new Private Brand products and ensures punctuality to shelf. • Measures and reports on Private Brand performance through core competency in sales, share, and margin analysis. • Identify missed opportunities in product development, thereafter creating remedial concept project plans to deliver solution-enthused alternatives

Buying (purchasing) baby and toddler essentials, baby clothing, bathroom textiles and furniture, bedroom furniture and textiles, baby & Toddler Toys and hardware indoor and outdoor. Drove sales and broader business growth through weekly and monthly promotions as well as negotiating profitable trading terms and margin with key Suppliers. • Achieved, exceeded and maintained department margin and gross profit Rand percentage, as signed-off at half year and quarterly Category Operating Plan meetings. • Influenced and executed seasonal product and purchasing strategy in department in partnership with Buying Executive in line with business strategy. • Researched new opportunities and innovations, thereafter executing relevant seasonal trends in line with target market and departmental purchasing strategy. • Negotiated weekly, monthly and yearly deals for promotions and communicated these to Marketing Department. • Managed and motivated a large team to ensure strategy was timeously delivered. • Built a competitive market product range according to purchasing strategy to maximize sales and gain market share. • Identified true areas of growth through business and market analysis. • Reviewed monthly performance analytically, considering stock levels, turnover and profitability. • Negotiated and built strategic relationships with Suppliers during local and international travel opportunities.

Delivered on customer-driven products by undertaking trends research, business analysis and strategic marketing to enhance sales opportunities. • Reviewed and evaluated post-season reports regarding width, depth and price, promotions and marketing, operations and post mortem, current trade, and competitor analysis, against original season plan. • Developed strategy with Planner to define KPI targets and how best to achieve them. • Prepared briefs, specs and build assortment according to strategy and by using feedback from international travel. • Compiled briefs, specs and cads, negotiated prices and fabrications, and confirmed orders and delivery dates with Suppliers. • Presented range to top Management at review stage. • Ensured Open-to-Buy (OTB) was managed appropriately and spent timeously. • Maintained beneficial Supplier relationship through regular communication via telephone and email. • Processed fits and pre-production samples alongside Quality Assurance Department and ensured all Suppliers followed predetermined Grade Rules.

Built strong working relationships with international and national brands Suppliers such as JEEP, Levi’s and Billabong in order to receive an exclusive range of boys’ clothing. • Analyzed weekly sales to facilitate immediate reaction time to promote ‘good sellers’ and reject ‘bad sellers’. • Prepared information on seasonal trends to be communicated to Planning Team at start of each season and interpreted requirements for seasonal buying plans. • Collaborated with Quality Assurance Department to ensure company quality standards were met. • Conducted regular store visits to ensure product was packed and displayed correctly and readily available.

Converted practical industry exposure into deep knowledge and skills relating to customers, trends, market, products, group and departmental strategies, and Supplier relationships. • Provided input to development and delivery of group strategy. • Coordinated by interpreting local and international trends in fabric, color and styling to deliver an appropriately balanced range to meet customers’ needs. • Learnt how to manage buying process to ensure constant adherence to critical path. • Maintained a healthy Supplier relationship, and negotiated with them on cost prices to drive appropriate price points and primary margins. • Communicated a new range to group and stores, using effective marketing of products.