Brand Manager

**Who we are**:
GMG is a global well-being company retailing, distributing and manufacturing a portfolio of leading international and home-grown brands across sport, everyday goods, health and beauty, properties and logistics sectors. Under the ownership and management of the Baker family for over 45 years, GMG is a valued partner of choice for the world's most successful and respected brands in the well-being sector. Working across the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia, GMG has introduced more than 120 brands across 12 countries. These include notable home-grown brands such as Sun & Sand Sports, Dropkick, Supercare Pharmacy, Farm Fresh, Klassic, and international brands like Nike, Columbia, Converse, Timberland, Vans, Mama Sita's, and McCain.

**What you'll be doing**:
The role holder will be responsible for growing brand market share by providing an effective and innovative product portfolio at the right price and quality to drive sales. This role is responsible for contributing to the Business Unit’s overall brand strategy, partnering with and maintaining key relationships with principals for the brands/categories managed, and maximizing sales and profitability.
- Drive sales for the assigned brand by developing comprehensive business plans.
- Study trends using historical data on brand sales and market research to support the overall planning process.
- Manage consumer mapping and oversee brand consumer segmentation and differentiation.
- Ensure optimal utilization of customer research information to guide brand management decisions, including the introduction of new products, product assortment, promotions, and pricing in stores.
- Collaborate with Retail Operations to understand consumer trends and sales figures, and incorporate these insights into the business plan for the brand/category.
- Maintain access to market intelligence through various sources, analyzing competition pricing, business trends, and other factors that may impact the Business Unit.
- Monitor and analyze business performance metrics, including brand sales, sell-out rates, gross margins, and turnover, translating insights into actionable opportunities.
- Manage and track brand sales planning and forecasting processes.
- Ensure effective in-season management of products within the brand, including stock balancing, markdown management, and stock vs. sales performance analysis.
- Lead and oversee buying requirements, formulating buying plans and budgets for the brand, and ensure proper monitoring of orders and timely merchandise delivery according to the plan.
- Manage relationships with principals/suppliers, including price negotiations, product launches, marketing campaigns, and upcoming events.
- Coordinate regular meetings with Area Managers/Store Managers to share insights on market dynamics and brand performance.
- Collaborate with the Visual Merchandising team to provide brand guidelines and ensure their implementation across all retail outlets.
- Work with the Retail Marketing team to maximize category visibility through marketing initiatives.
- Analyze sales data for products within the brand portfolio, providing insights to enhance potential sales opportunities.

**Requirements**:

- Bachelor’s degree in Business Management/ Marketing or equivalent.
- 5 - 7 years of relevant experience with at least 4 years in managing brand of products.
- Proven track record in developing and implementing successful brand strategies, including product portfolio management and category planning.
- Strong ability to analyze market trends, consumer behavior, and sales data to inform business decisions and drive brand performance.
- Skilled in building and maintaining relationships with principals, suppliers, and key stakeholders for negotiations, product launches, and marketing campaigns.
- Proficiency in budgeting, forecasting, and analyzing key performance metrics such as sales, gross margins, and turnover.
- Experience collaborating with retail teams to understand consumer trends, optimize pricing, and enhance in-store brand visibility.