Purchase Manager-General Merchandise

Department: Purchase / Procurement / Merchandising
Industry: Retail Supermarket / Hypermarket / Department Store
Designation: Purchase Incharge/Manager – General Merchandise & Non-Food Items

1. Job Purpose

To manage end-to-end procurement, sourcing, buying, vendor development, and commercial negotiations for General Merchandise (GM) and Non-Food categories. The role is responsible for ensuring the right product assortment, competitive pricing, quality standards, optimum inventory levels, and timely availability of merchandise across retail stores, while achieving sales, margin, and profitability targets.

2. Key Responsibilities

A. Category Buying & Procurement

• Manage purchasing and merchandising activities for General Merchandise and Non-Food categories, including:
• Homeware, kitchenware, and household utility products
• Plasticware, storage, and home organization
• Cleaning supplies and household consumables
• Stationery, toys, and gifting products
• Personal care accessories and travel accessories
• Dcor, seasonal products, and festival merchandise
• Other non-food products as per the retail business portfolio
• Develop category-wise buying plans, product assortments, and seasonal purchasing strategies.
• Identify new products, market trends, and opportunities to improve category sales and profitability.
• Ensure the right product mix, price points, quality, and availability across stores.

B. Vendor Management & Sourcing

• Identify, evaluate, negotiate with, and onboard manufacturers, distributors, importers, and suppliers.
• Develop a reliable vendor base to ensure competitive pricing, product quality, and supply continuity.
• Negotiate purchase prices, credit terms, payment conditions, delivery schedules, minimum order quantities, and promotional support.
• Conduct vendor performance reviews and develop long-term supplier relationships.
• Explore direct sourcing, private-label opportunities, and alternative suppliers to improve margins.

C. Commercial Negotiation & Margin Management

• Negotiate the best purchase cost, trade margins, rebates, discounts, and other commercial benefits.
• Monitor category gross margins, markups, and profitability.
• Conduct competitor price benchmarking and market surveys.
• Identify cost-saving opportunities without compromising product quality.
• Support retail pricing decisions, promotional offers, and markdown strategies in coordination with the merchandising and sales teams.

D. Inventory & Stock Management

• Plan purchases based on sales forecasts, historical sales, seasonality, store requirements, and stock availability.
• Maintain optimum stock levels and ensure high product availability.
• Monitor stock cover, inventory turnover, sell-through, ageing stock, slow-moving and non-moving inventory.
• Minimize stock-outs, overstocking, excess inventory, and product obsolescence.
• Coordinate with the supply chain and warehouse teams for timely deliveries and efficient stock replenishment.

E. Purchase Planning & Order Management

• Prepare annual, quarterly, and monthly purchase plans and budgets.
• Raise and monitor purchase orders in accordance with approved budgets and procurement policies.
• Track order fulfilment, supplier lead times, delivery schedules, and pending purchase orders.
• Resolve issues related to shortages, delayed deliveries, damaged goods, and discrepancies.
• Ensure accurate documentation and timely coordination between vendors, warehouses, finance, and retail stores.

F. Quality Assurance & Compliance

• Ensure purchased products comply with company quality standards and applicable statutory requirements.
• Coordinate product inspections, sample approvals, packaging requirements, and quality checks.
• Ensure applicable labelling, MRP declarations, country-of-origin details, and product certifications are in place.
• Work with quality and compliance teams to address customer complaints, defective products, returns, and vendor non-compliance.

G. Cross-Functional Coordination

• Work closely with category merchandising, retail operations, supply chain, warehouse, finance, marketing, and quality teams.
• Coordinate product launches, seasonal campaigns, promotional activities, and store-level merchandise requirements.
• Review sales performance and take corrective action on underperforming categories.
• Ensure timely communication of product, pricing, and assortment changes to relevant stakeholders.

H. Reporting & Performance Monitoring

• Prepare regular reports on purchase value, sales, gross margin, inventory, stock ageing, vendor performance, and category profitability.
• Analyse sales trends and purchase performance to support business decisions.
• Track category budgets, purchase commitments, and working capital utilization.
• Present periodic business reviews and recommendations to senior management.

3. Educational Qualifications

• Graduate in Commerce, Business Administration, Retail Management, Supply Chain Management, or a related discipline.
• MBA/PGDM in Supply Chain, Procurement, Retail Management, or Marketing is preferred.

4. Experience Required

• 6–10 years of relevant experience in retail buying, procurement, or merchandising, preferably in General Merchandise and Non-Food categories.
• Prior experience in supermarkets, hypermarkets, department stores, or organized retail chains is preferred.
• Experience in vendor negotiations, category management, purchase planning, and inventory control is essential.

5. Skills & Competencies

• Strong negotiation and commercial acumen
• Category buying and merchandise planning
• Vendor sourcing and relationship management
• Cost analysis, margin management, and pricing
• Inventory planning and demand forecasting
• Market research and competitor analysis
• Advanced MS Excel and reporting skills
• Working knowledge of ERP/SAP or retail procurement systems
• Analytical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving
• Team management, communication, and stakeholder coordination
• Department Store: Home dcor, lifestyle accessories, gifting, storage, and premium household products.
• Value Retail/Discount Retail: High-volume sourcing, low-cost procurement, direct factory buying, private labels, and aggressive margin management.