Thomas George Email & Phone Number

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Experienced Category Head with a strong track record in managing the food department PAN INDIA with an annual business revenue of INR,190 crores and maintaining net margin of 20%. Successfully lead, develop, and mentor Category Managers to oversee 5,600 SKUs across 24 hypermarkets, ensuring premium shopping experiences through exclusivity and innovative initiatives. Proven expertise in P&L management, category strategy and brand management.Key Highlights.•Achieved an outstanding 102% sales and 100% margin, company-level targets for the financial year 2022-2023. Promoted as a Senior Business Manager.•Awarded the prestigious "SPAR SPARK PERFORMER" for achieving the highest sales and margins in Q3 2021, with a remarkable sales record of 38 Cr.•Successfully grew online sales by an impressive 100% month-over-month by continuously refining the product assortment and implementing strategic initiatives such as weekly promotions, seasonal themes, bill busters, and emerging categories.•Relaunched Gourmet Categories and introduced artisanal products in 24 stores PAN INDIA, resulting in an additional revenue of 96 Lakhs. This achievement was made possible through the introduction of an international assortment of 1000 SKU's.•Leading an ongoing project, the Chocolate Factory with Cadbury, aimed at revamping the chocolate and confectionery category. The objective is to provide cosmetic appeal to the category and increase the Average Basket Value (ABV) of shoppers, with an ambitious goal of achieving a 20% sales increase.•Led international category captaincy projects with renowned brands such as Mars International, Perfetti Van Melle, Nestle, Pepsico, and Redbull and Chocolate factory with Mondelez International. The objective was to provide cosmetic appeal to the category and increase the Average Basket Value (ABV) of shoppers, these collaborations yielded an impressive average category growth of 20% and contributed 15% of other income revenue to the department.

Kochi, Kerala, India

Lead Category Manager with expertise in managing Grocery, Home, and Personal Care categories. I bring a strong track record of driving sales growth, strategic merchandising, and efficient inventory management. With a customer-centric approach and in-depth industry knowledge. Responsible for overseeing the P&L for these categories, delivering an annual business revenue of INR 145 crores. Lead a team of 4 buyers, managing a diverse range of 4,300 SKUs across 9 hypermarkets in the Kerala region. Implemented effective buying and merchandising strategies to drive sales and ensure above 95% inventory availability. Conducted market research and competitor analyses to identify customer needs and trends. Collaborated with stakeholders to execute impactful ATL and BTL promotions and optimized brand assortments. Driven profitability by developing exit strategies for non-performing products Key Highlights:•Achieved an impressive year-on-year sales growth of 14% by refining the product assortment and prioritizing customer-centric initiatives. Improved market share of national brands by identifying and listing regionally popular brands.•Recognized for exceptional performance and business acumen, entrusted with additional responsibility for managing the Grocery category's P&L within a year of joining.•Secured remarkable sales growth of 35% during the 'Sabse Saste 5 Din' sales, ranking second and third Pan India in 2018-2019. Implemented effective merchandising and replenishment plans, meticulously planned inventory, and capitalized on promotional opportunities.•During the COVID-19 pandemic, achieved a recovery rate of 72% for the staples category by revamping merchandise. Successfully launched regionally popular brands and unbranded products, maintaining an average margin of 15% through strategic sourcing from well-established local market players. Adapted packaging from loose commodities to packed commodities to meet changing consumer preferences.

Chennai Area, India

Managed FMCG category’s P&L and front-end category operations (4,100 SKUs) across Tamil Nadu state’s chain of 58 supermarkets and smart stores. Oversaw sales, setup new stores, and identified and procured regionally popular brands. Also, formulated annual category plans, budgets and strategies for sales mix and brand share, and planned markdowns for liquidation of high-value inventory/slow-moving SKUs.Key Highlights:•Improved category’s margin by 6% by engaging with regional vendors for customer-centric promotions; visibility budgets; QPS (Quantity Purchase Scheme); liquidation support; and re-negotiating annual TOT (Terms of Trade) based on product sales, market trends, and customer demands

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Managed FMCG category’s P&L across eight hypermarkets (~4,800 SKUs) in Chennai, Coimbatore, and Hyderabad, building best-in-class customer experiences. Led a team of buyers for sourcing and buying, maintained 95%+ availability of stock, and enhanced SKU velocity through geographically relevant assortment plans. Also, managed institutional sales, developed sales projections, and managed inventory.Key Highlights:•Achieved 103% of sales target through continuous monitoring and refinement of sales targets, development of effective product placement and visibility plans, and ensuring implementation of planned promotions.•Setup and managed store in Chennai Forum Mall – store were recognized as the best store across South India in terms of innovation in visibility and brand activation, and assortment planning. Also, it was the fastest growing store in terms of FMCG sales and store performance (y-o-y)•Successfully launched a new store in Pro Zone mall in Coimbatore.

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Established yearly budgets and targets and led teams for managing sales and operations of 13 supermarkets (annual business value: INR 42 crores, ~35% of company’s total turnover) including omni-channel sales and last mile delivery. Directed, guided, and monitored performance of 13 managers, 25 supervisors, and 100+ staff members.Key Highlights:•Reduced pilferage and DAD (Disposal Authority Document) by 17% through regular stock-checks of high- value items and items with maximum shrinkage•Key member of team, accountable for, designing and setting up ‘community stores’, retail stores setup in gated communities with 300+ flats

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Led and managed food, non-food (FMCG), and wine and liquor categories (4,900 SKUs) across 54 supermarkets, generating annual business value worth INR 100 crores. Directed several functions such as planning and forecasting, sourcing and procurement, merchandising planning and replenishment, and vendor and inventory management.Key Highlights:•Improved product assortment across all 4,900 SKUs; and undertook market research for sourcing international, national, and regional merchandise for several formats (gourmet, club, specialty, and neighborhood stores)•Formulated joint business plans with major suppliers such as Nestle, Britannia, Parle, PepsiCo, Coca Cola, ITC, HUL, P&G, and other top brands.

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Modelled and maintained master database and undertook data analysis for identifying actionable insights and driving data-driven decision making.

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Designed, customized, and delivered visually appealing store layouts, category flow and product visibility plans, and planograms (using Nielsen Spaceman software) for 5,800 SKUs (across five hypermarkets) in the FMCG category. Optimized space usage to maximize sales and increase product visibility, created and maintained master database of SKUs’ dimensions, and defined MBQs (Minimum Base Quantity) and shelf-fit norms.

Msc, Advanced Manufacturing Engineering & Management

B.Tech, Mechanical Engineering