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SAI KISHAN
Commercial Merchandise Strategist Senior Merchandiser · H&M

Leading buying, pricing, allocation, and inventory strategy to drive profitable omni-channel growth.

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0% Unit Growth
0+ Stores Overseen
0%+ Clearance Sell-Through
0%+ Stock Availability
About Me

The Person
Behind the
Numbers.

With 5+ years in fashion retail and a technical foundation in apparel production, I adapt global assortments to local market demand across diverse trading environments. I structure the assortment and price positioning to balance customer demand and margin performance, ensuring commercial relevance and sustained profitability.

At H&M – Alshaya Group, I lead category performance across MENA markets, driving end-to-end commercial outcomes through strategic trading, financial ownership, and operational execution.

Price Positioning Allocation Optimization Reduction Management Inventory Flow Local Relevance In-Season Trade Demand Planning Revenue Growth Price Positioning Allocation Optimization Reduction Management Inventory Flow Local Relevance In-Season Trade Demand Planning Revenue Growth
Kidswear
Pricing
Strategy
01 Problem
Price–Value
Misalignment

Customer price perception in Kidswear was misaligned with value delivery, suppressing units sold and overall sales value — the range was positioned above competitive benchmarks, constraining commercial performance.

02 Action
Redefined
Pricing Strategy

Designed and executed a structured pricing roadmap across short, mid, and long-term horizons. Recalibrated entry price points and range architecture in alignment with franchise buying, financial targets, and market dynamics.

03 Result
120%
Unit Growth

Delivered 120% unit growth, 27% sales uplift, and a 2% margin expansion while reducing overall reduction rate by 1 percentage point. Recognized with the H&M President's Award, the highest commercial distinction within the business.

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Impact

Moments That
Mattered.

Scroll to Reveal
01

Drove 7% LFL growth across 9 MENA markets by sharpening weekly trade decisions, recalibrating store depth, and aligning promotions with real-time sell-through performance.

H&M – Alshaya Group · Commercial Trading
02

Delivered 70%+ sell-through across ISR, MSS, and ESS campaigns by controlling markdown timing and optimizing assortment mix for each sale phase.

H&M – Alshaya Group · Markdown Strategy
03

Led brand-side commercial design in the build of allocation, forecasting, and replenishment systems from scratch, defining trading logic to align system behavior with commercial strategy.

H&M – Alshaya Group · Commercial Systems
04

Designed and scaled advanced Power BI trading infrastructure, eliminating 90% of manual reporting and enabling real-time visibility into margin, sell-through, and stock risk.

H&M – Alshaya Group · Data & Reporting
05

Improved stock availability to 90% and reduced stockouts by 30% through demand-led allocation models and dynamic replenishment triggers by store profile.

H&M – Alshaya Group · Allocation Strategy
06

Led price architecture and range segmentation strategy across markets, aligning entry price ladders with customer value perception to strengthen full-price sell-through.

H&M – Alshaya Group · Pricing Strategy
Career Timeline

Work
Experience.

09/2025 — Present
(01)
H&M – Alshaya Group
Senior Merchandiser / Planner
Kuwait · MENA Region
+ Open
  • Kidswear Pricing Strategy: Developed and executed a comprehensive short, mid, and long-term pricing roadmap, delivering a 120% uplift in units sold and 27% increase in sales value.
  • Buying & Assortment Strategy: Liaised directly with the H&M Sweden franchise team to influence assortments, aligning with reference market and bottom-up sales plans.
  • MENA Region Accountability: Led planning across 9 markets, 90+ retail stores, and 5 e-com sites, ensuring alignment with global strategies and financial KPIs.
  • Markdown & Clearance Management: Directed ISR, MSS, and ESS sale campaigns, reducing ageing stock from 15% to 6%.
  • Commercial Leadership: Drove weekly commercial focuses and initiated stock and sales development actions to strengthen the customer offer.
  • Tool Development: Partnered with IT to design and launch an in-house allocation, replenishment, and forecasting tool.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborated with supply chain, VM, operations, and marketing, resulting in a 7% increase in LFL growth.
10/2022 — 09/2025
(02)
H&M – Alshaya Group
Merchandiser / Planner
Kuwait
+ Open
  • Stock Availability & Replenishment: Optimized allocation tools, achieving 90% product availability and reducing stockouts by 30%.
  • Trend Analysis & Assortment Planning: Analyzed historical data and market trends, improving units sold by 12% and sales value by 5%.
  • Advanced Data & Reporting: Built advanced Power BI dashboards, reducing reporting time by 90%.
02/2020 — 10/2020
(03)
Puca Global
Product Developer
Dubai, UAE
+ Open
  • Product Development: Led assortment planning for activewear and footwear, ensuring alignment with market trends and sales targets.
  • Supplier Negotiations: Secured favorable supplier terms, contributing to a 25% reduction in lead times.
  • E-Commerce Strategy: Enhanced product visibility, driving a 20% increase in online sales.
  • Market Leadership: Spearheaded the launch of the first-ever hemp products in the Middle East, growing category sales by 30%.
01/2019 — 01/2020
(04)
Cocachi
Co-Founder
India
+ Open
  • Sustainable Brand Development: Co-founded an eco-friendly kidswear brand, driving product innovation from concept to market.
  • Merchandising & Buying: Led end-to-end merchandising and buying plans with emphasis on organic and sustainable products.
  • Supplier Optimization: Negotiated supplier contracts for favorable pricing and lead times.
  • Market Research: Leveraged trend analysis to position the brand in the growing sustainable fashion market.
Recognition

Awards &
Honours.

🏆
H&M · 2025
President's Award
Awarded for architecting a pricing transformation that repositioned the category competitively and unlocked sustainable growth across MENA.
H&M · 2023 · 2025
Employee of the Quarter
Multiple awards for exceptional contribution to sales growth and reporting efficiency through advanced data tools and Power BI dashboards.
🎖
Alshaya Group · 2024
Alshaya Recognition Club
Recognized for exceptional demand planning expertise, optimizing inventory flow and product availability across markets.
Commercial Toolkit

Skills &
Tools.

Commercial Capabilities
  • Merchandise Planning & StrategyRevenue Acceleration
  • Financial & Performance KPI ManagementMargin Protection
  • Cross-Functional CollaborationExecution Alignment
  • Markdown Optimization & PricingProfit Optimization
  • Buying & Sourcing StrategyAssortment Precision
  • Supplier & Vendor ManagementCost Efficiency
  • Data Analysis & ForecastingGrowth Visibility
Systems & Analytics
  • Microsoft ExcelFinancial Modelling
  • Microsoft PowerPointDecision Influence
  • Power BIReal-Time Insights
  • Blue YonderDemand Intelligence
  • Oracle MerchandisingSystem Governance
  • Allocation & Replenishment SystemsInventory Efficiency
Education
Bachelor of
Fashion Technology (Apparel Production)
National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT)
📍 India
2015 — 2019
Professional Development

Licenses &
Certifications.

📜
Franklin Covey
Trust & Inspire
Issued December 2025
+More certifications
coming soon
+More certifications
coming soon
LinkedIn Recommendations

What People
Are Saying.

Sai is the kind of leader who doesn't wait to be asked — he steps in, takes charge, and delivers results. When our replenishment system was retired, Sai led the rebuild from the ground up, restoring a critical process with zero disruption. His pricing insights reshaped Kidswear strategy, and his self-taught Power BI expertise brought new efficiency to planning and reporting. His recognition with the President's Award is well deserved.
D
Divisional Leadership Team
H&M – Alshaya Group
Sai is definitely one of the smartest people I know at H&M. In the first 6 months of joining, he automated reports which took people almost 5 hours to work on manually. He has always been quick to analyze tasks holding the team back and tackling them through creative thinking. He would be a huge asset to any team he joins.
A
Anrea Dsouza
Merchandising · Zalando · formerly H&M
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