GAJENDRA Babu L

I’m a strategic, analytical Supply Chain professional with 18 years of retail experience, owning demand planning, merchandise planning, and inventory control. I focus on data-driven merchandise strategies that improve sales outcomes through accurate forecasting and disciplined working capital management.

In demand planning, I develop and own short- and long-term forecasts at SKU, category, and channel levels, using statistical models and market intelligence to improve forecast accuracy. I run the OTB planning process, track weeks of supply, stock cover, and fill rates, and continuously optimize inventory to reduce excess/ageing stock without creating stockouts.

I lead the monthly S&OP / IBP cycle, facilitate demand review meetings, and partner with buying and merchandising on pre-season range planning and OTB phasing. I also build real-time dashboards (Power BI / Tableau), publish weekly trading reports, and manage KPI frameworks like MAPE, bias, OTIF, stockout rate, weeks of cover, and inventory turns.

On the merchandising side, I drive availability targets, sell-through performance, RGM contribution, and space/store layout decisions. I’ve also owned core (replenishment) management end to end and handled procurement responsibilities like vendor development, rate contracts/AMCs, CAPEX tracking, and asset ledger updates to support reliable operations.