Assistant General Manager - Branding/Marketing & Corporate Communications

Business Unit: Coromandel Retail BU

Location: Corporate Office, Hyderabad

Reports To: Sr GM - Ecommerce & New Initiatives

Position Summary:

As Coromandel Retail expands its footprint from 1,200 to 2,000+ stores, the role will lead the overall strategic brand vision, visual identity, customer experience, and communication roadmap. This role will position Gromor Retail as India's premier, largest, and most trusted one-stop agricultural solution for farmers by driving brand standardization, experiential retail innovation, and high-impact corporate and omnichannel messaging at scale.

Key Deliverables & Scope:

- Scale & Network Standardization: Govern end-to-end brand identity and visual standards across all operational stores and orchestrate the seamless visual rollout for all upcoming stores.

- Retail Differentiation & VM Leadership: Drive visual merchandising (VM) innovations and store-level branding to establish Gromor as the benchmark one-stop retail store in rural India.

- Experiential Farmer CX: Transform physical store touchpoints to deliver an intuitive, high-engagement customer experience tailored to diverse agricultural catchments and regional crop profiles.

- Omnichannel & Corporate Reputation: Integrate physical, digital, and rural activation channels while managing enterprise-wide corporate communications, media relations, and employer brand equity.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Retail Brand Strategy & Network Scale-Up:

- Architect the overarching retail brand strategy to support network expansion to 2,000+ COCO outlets while maintaining 100% identity consistency.

- Formulate robust brand governance frameworks, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and audit mechanisms for store-level branding execution.

- Direct catchment-specific brand localization strategies adapted to regional crop cycles, seasonal patterns, and farmer demographics.

2. Visual Merchandising (VM) Innovation & Differentiation:

- Champion VM innovations in store layout, product displays, window messaging, and interactive zones to create market differentiation.

- Standardize internal and external store elements - including exterior facade, secondary display units, signage, and agronomy advice touchpoints.

- Collaborate with store operations and infrastructure teams to ensure scalable, cost-efficient, and durable VM deployment across new retail launches.

3. In-Store Customer Experience (CX) Elevation:

- Map and optimize the end-to-end farmer journey within the store, ensuring frictionless navigation, clear product brand communication, and high-touch advisory experiences.

- Utilize CRM tool analytics, customer feedback, store traffic and field insights to continuously evolve in-store engagement and increase footfall conversion.

4. Omnichannel Marketing & Rural BTL Activations:

- Lead large-scale rural marketing programs, events like Mega store opening, Games sponsorship etc.

- Ensure unified brand messaging across digital applications, on-ground activations, and physical retail touchpoints.

5. Enterprise Corporate Communications & PR:

- Direct strategic corporate communications, public relations, press releases, and media engagements to build corporate brand equity.

- Position Coromandel Gromor Retail as the market leader in Agri-retail and an employer of choice across corporate and regional talent markets.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

- Brand Consistency & Expansion Pace: 100% visual standardization index across existing stores and on-time VM execution for new store rollouts.

- Customer Experience & Store ROI: Measurable increase in farmer NPS (Net Promoter Score), store footfalls, and repeat purchase rates.

- Market Position & Awareness: Brand top-of-mind (TOMA) recall score across operating states and agricultural zones.

- Strategic ROI: Cost optimization in VM/branding deployment per store without compromising quality standards.

Candidate Profile & Competencies:

- Education: Full-time MBA/PGDM in Marketing from a Tier-1 business school.

- Experience: 15 - 20 years of experience in Retail Marketing, Brand Management, and Corporate Communications, with a proven track record of Marketing and retail networks.

- Leadership & Execution: Experience scaling retail networks, managing multi-million marketing budgets, and leading cross-functional teams across branding, category, operations, and communications.

- Domain Expertise: Deep understanding of rural consumer psychology, branding, visual merchandising, experiential retail, corporate communication, BTL and omnichannel integration.