An outdoor leisure retailer focused on apparel, footwear and outdoor equipment I was fully accountable for all aspects of the business and reported to the board. My most critical responsibilities were:- Providing leadership for the business and most specifically the management team- Developing the business strategy & driving growth- Providing the required support for the leaders of the merchandise, marketing, operations, finance and franchise teams- Identifying new store opportunities, lease negotiations & contracts, the design, construction and opening processes- I retained full P&L ownership of retail, franchise & wholesale divisions- Permanently re-evaluating the business' position in the market, relevance to its customer base and future trajectory, whilst trying to identify and contain risks

Merchandise Management:I oversaw a merchandise team, managing all aspects of the product range build, sourcing, critical path, ongoing curation and analysis. I Took responsibility to sign off key vendor selections, agreements and negotiations. This included a mix of branded and private label suppliers from across the globe. Along with my team, we conducted regular competitor visits, gathered market intelligence & took appropriate commercial action. Analysis and performance against plans was vital & we took appropriate action to maximise sales whilst monitoring stock levels and locations across all stores to optimise stock efficiency.Marketing Management:My marketing team was at the forefront of developing and executing a 360 degree marketing plan for the group. This included the needs of the franchise and corporate store divisions. eCommerce and later omni channel distribution became key pillars of our strategy, these were both great successes that contributed meaningfully to the groups performance. The marketing team was also responsible for in store marketing, visual displays, consumer shows, trade marketing, digital and traditional marketing.

Lead the onboarding, roll out and development of the franchising division. Secure new franchisees, develop a real estate plan for the group, support the franchisee in the pre-opening phase and continue with development thereafter.Negotiate deals with suppliers, drive marketing, ensure that group standards are maintained, manage all key stakeholder relationships, oversaw the implementation of a centralized merchandise and ERP system

Design, source & supply of private label merchandise on behalf of strategic partners:- Sourcing of apparel and hardgoods for key customers- Vendor and critical path management- Oversight of all quoting, margin, quality assurance, shipping and delivery requirementsImport, distribution & wholesale of branded goods:- Identification of opportunities in the local market- Securing distribution rights for relevant brands- Import, marketing, sales and support of the relevant brands- developing a balanced multichannel distribution strategy involving B2C and B2B

I formed a key part of the senior leadership team that developed the Edcon Sourcing Office (ESO) blueprint, from concept to execution. This organisation centralized sourcing across the numerous businesses within the group.I was accountable for the entire divisional sourcing process across 800 stores in the group. My team evolved into the key point of contact between the various merchandise units from the many retail businesses within the group, and our supplier base. As the interface between the two stakeholders we enhanced the organisation's understanding and expertise in sourcing & developing new suppliers, negotiation, risk management, critical path oversight, compliance audits, ongoing supplier relationships and ever improving quality.Our supply base spanned 4 continents and 10 countries.My team worked closely with merchandising teams & the various chains across the group to ensure that our sourcing strategy was fit for purpose and future proof, and could respond to the changing needs of each business as driven by their respective markets.

Cape Union Mart is a large retail business, primarily focused on the outdoor market.I was initially employed as a store manager. I enjoyed consistent promotion to product specialist, merchandise planner, buyer, senior buyer & lastly divisional merchandise manager and then appointed to Exco.Responsible for managing a team of 8 buyers & planners, covering all aspects of the technical product categories as well as their design & development. I worked closely with branded and own label suppliers across the globe.Developed private label ranges to include technical clothing & footwear, backpacks, sleeping bags etc, identifying the products, concept, design, sourcing, supply & quality controlAnalysed performance of each product/range, identified market trends, consumer needs & competitor activities. Extensive negotiation, influencing & steering of outcomes across pricing, volume, discounts, rebates and so on.