Ed Hardy
₹1Cr
First store in India to reach INR 1 Cr average monthly sales, as a core member.
Retail Operations · Sales & Distribution · P&L Leadership
UmeshSwaroop
Retail operations leader with 23+ years across bridge-to-luxury, premium and mass apparel brands, experienced in P&L, franchisee development and channel expansion in all regions of India.
By the numbers
Results at a glance.
23+ years
Years in apparel retail, since 2003
INR 42 crore
Turnover managed against a 24% net growth plan
30,000+
Inventory options protected against pilferage
1,000 stores
Store pipeline for the LEBO channel, as a core project member
Brands across the career
- Marks & Spencer
- Esprit
- FCUK
- Ed Hardy
- Celio
- Forever 21
- Peter England
- Van Heusen
- Louis Philippe
- Allen Solly
- Planet Fashion
Profile
From the sales floor to the P&L.
Deputy General Manager – Retail Operations at Aditya Birla Lifestyle Brands Ltd., with 23+ years across bridge-to-luxury, premium and mass apparel brands including Marks & Spencer, FCUK, Ed Hardy, Celio, Forever 21 and Van Heusen. Experienced in P&L, KPIs, franchisee development and channel expansion across Exclusive Brand Outlets (EBO), Large Format Stores (LFS), Multi-Brand Outlets (MBO), online and institutional sales in all regions of India.
Core competencies
- P&L Management
- Franchisee Management
- Business Development
- KPI Management
- Retail Excellence
- MIS
- Inventory Management
- Audit & Compliance
- Shrinkage Control
- Budget Control
- Buying & Merchandising
- Visual Merchandising
- CRM
- Customer Experience
- Retail Marketing
- Recruitment
- Training
- Staff Incentives
Career highlights
What the work delivered.
- 01
Sales growth
Managed INR 42 Cr turnover against a 24% net growth plan, by opening new doors, growing existing doors and signing new Shop-in-Shop (SIS) and SAS partners.
- 02
Inventory control
Protected an inventory of 30,000+ options against pilferage, by running random global counts and surprise audits as regional authorized signatory for monthly stock-takes and quarterly audits.
- 03
Merchandising
Held optimum stock levels against sales targets, by tying planning, forecasting and ordering to the P&L and adjusting product flow and merchandise mix from group-wise and category-wise sales data.
- 04
People
Built performance-focused store teams, by hiring selectively from the industry, running customer service and operations workshops, and holding weekly performance reviews with Area and Store Managers.
- 05
Brand standards
Kept stores aligned to Brand Principal standards during principal visits, by implementing brand guidelines and SOPs and executing colour-, theme- and campaign-led visual merchandising.
Store records
Stores that set the benchmark.
FCUK
₹50lakh
First store in India to reach INR 50 lakh average monthly sales, as a core member.
Esprit
55SSPD
The brand’s first store in India at 55 sales per sq ft per day.
Marks & Spencer
No. 1
Store ranked best in North India for S&B sales.
Experience
Twenty-three years in apparel retail.
Sep 2016 – Present
Aditya Birla Lifestyle Brands Ltd.
Aditya Birla Group
Deputy General Manager – Retail Operations, Van Heusen (VH) Innerwear, Trade Sales & Distribution
- Drove the LEBO channel toward a 1,000-store pipeline as a core project member, by developing franchisee partners on terms profitable for both franchisee and company.
Peter England, Retail Sales & Distribution
- Contributed to Project Reignite as a core project member, while managing retail sales and distribution.
Central Trade Sales: Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Allen Solly, Planet Fashion
- Built the sales team and EBO pipeline across 4 brands as a core project member, by working with distributors.
Forever 21, Retail Sales
- Delivered the brand’s transition to ABFRL as a core project member, while managing retail sales.
Oct 2013 – Sep 2016
Retail Operations Manager
Celio
- Built a new Store Manager pipeline as core project member, through industry hiring and training workshops.
Dec 2012 – Aug 2013
Business Owner
Women’s Ethnic Wear, North India
Aug 2008 – Nov 2012
Area Manager & Store Manager
Ed Hardy
- Delivered the brand’s first store in India to reach INR 1 Cr average monthly sales (AMS) as a core member, by pairing the right stock mix and manpower plan with high customer service standards.
Jun 2007 – Jul 2008
Store Manager
FCUK
- Delivered the brand’s first store in India to reach INR 50 lakh AMS as a core member, by tracking fast- and slow-moving merchandise and holding optimum stock.
Oct 2005 – Mar 2007
Assistant Store Manager
Esprit
- Helped make the store Esprit’s first in India at 55 sales per sq ft per day (SSPD), by tuning merchandise mix.
Mar 2003 – Sep 2005
Sales Advisor
Marks & Spencer
- Helped the store rank best in North India for S&B sales, through high customer service standards.
Education
2003
Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com)
Chaudhary Charan Singh University