General Merchandise Trading Director

lotus's malaysia

15-17 Years

Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur

Posted 8 hours ago
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Job Description

Role Summary

The General Merchandise (GM) Trading Director is responsible for leading the commercial strategy, trading performance, profitability, and growth of the General Merchandise business across all channels. This role drives category strategy, merchandising, pricing, promotions, supplier partnerships, inventory optimization, and digital commerce to deliver sustainable sales and profit growth.

A key focus of the role is accelerating omnichannel and e-commerce performance by creating a seamless customer experience across physical stores and digital platforms.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial & Trading Strategy

Develop and execute the overall trading strategy for General Merchandise.
Deliver sales, gross margin, market share, and profitability targets.
Drive category growth through customer-led assortment and merchandising strategies.
Identify emerging consumer trends and new business opportunities.

Category & Supplier Management

Lead buying and category teams to develop compelling product ranges.
Build strategic partnerships with local and international suppliers.
Negotiate commercial terms, rebates, promotions, and exclusive products.
Drive innovation, own-brand development, product differentiation, and private-label growth opportunities.
Develop and execute international sourcing strategies to improve product quality, innovation, cost competitiveness, and access to global trends.
Identify, evaluate, and manage global supplier networks to support commercial objectives and supply continuity.

E-Commerce & Omnichannel

Develop and execute the GM e-commerce growth strategy.
Optimize product assortment, pricing, promotions, and content for digital channels.
Improve online conversion, basket size, customer acquisition, and retention.
Work closely with Digital, Marketplace, Marketing, and Supply Chain teams to improve fulfilment, availability, and customer experience.
Leverage data analytics to drive digital trading decisions.
Expand marketplace and online-exclusive offerings.
Accelerate online growth of own-brand products and exclusive internationally sourced ranges.

Financial Performance

Own the trading P&L for the GM business.
Deliver sales, margin, stock turn, and inventory productivity targets.
Optimize promotional investment and return on investment.
Ensure effective working capital and inventory management.

Customer & Market Insights

Use customer analytics to shape assortment and promotional strategies.
Monitor competitor activity and pricing.
Enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty through differentiated propositions.

People & Leadership

Lead, coach, and develop high-performing commercial teams.
Build succession pipelines and organizational capability.
Foster collaboration across Commercial, Operations, Marketing, Digital, Finance, and Supply Chain.

Governance & Compliance

Ensure compliance with company policies, regulatory requirements, and ethical sourcing standards.
Drive continuous improvement in trading processes and governance.

Qualifications & Experience

Bachelor's Degree in Business, Commerce, Marketing, or related field.
MBA is an advantage.
15+ years experience in retail commercial/trading leadership.
Strong experience in General Merchandise buying and category management.
Proven success leading e-commerce and omnichannel retail businesses.
Experience managing large commercial P&Ls.
Strong negotiation and supplier management skills.
Advanced analytical and commercial acumen.
Proven experience in own-brand/private-label development and portfolio management.
Strong experience in international sourcing, supplier development, and global procurement strategy.
Experience working with international manufacturers and sourcing markets across Asia, Europe, and/or other key global regions will be an added advantage.

Competencies