1. Nitin Kumar Mumbai, India.
Mobile: +91 9987247028
Email: nitinkumar.u@gmail.com
Add: A 702, Harmony Horizons, Ghodbunder Road, Owale, Thane (W) Mumbai – 400615. INDIA.
SUMMARY
 A Dedicated professional with over 15 Years of rich experience in Visual Merchandising, high-end sourcing and
procurement Store Design elements and fixtures, creating communication designs in Fashion, Lifestyle and
Luxury brands, CDIT, Food retail & special events. Experienced across PAN India markets with key focus on
the business and financial aspects related to procurement; managing budgets. Done diverse training and
research in design and trends. Travelled internationally, Advanced analytical and problem solving skills;
adaptability and flexibility; a multy-tasker suited for fast Paced environments.
 Head Visual Merchandising – Reliance Retail Limited, India’s Leading retailer that operates multiple retail
formats, Managing Visual merchandising for Trends, Fresh, Footprint, Upcoming 4G Telecommunication
services, Reliance Digital, Digital Xpress mini, & Reliance Brands ( Hemleys, Brook Brothers etc.)
 Graduate in Fashion Design from National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Gandhinagar.
 Specialities: Vendor Negotiations, High End Sourcing, Prop Sampling, Budget planning, Retail Designing &
Planograms
CAREER ABSTRACT
Reliance Retail Limited
Senior Manager Visual Merchandising & Procurement – (EPC) - Dec 2014 Onwards
(Engineering procurement & construction)
 To develop corporate procurement strategies, suppliers and procedures designed to create the
highest value (low cost/high quality) program in accordance with corporate policies and business
requirements. Executing the PAN India Procurement, collaborative sourcing model work closely
with internal stakeholders, across EPC function’s & all Reliance formats Trends, Fresh,
Footprint, upcoming 4G telecommunication services, Reliance Digital, Digital Xpress,
Digital Xpress Mini, & Reliance Brands, to analyse, develop and implement continuous
improvements. Directly lead strategic sourcing initiatives and conduct competitive RFX (RFI, RFP,
RFQ) process, supplier selection and contracting process.
 Ensures compliance with corporate procurement processes and procedures.
 Gather and analyse commodity relevant data such as spending’s, DPO, usage trends, etc. and
report to key stakeholders on a quarterly basis.
 Responsible for meeting several department KPIs, including, but not limited to, cost savings,
customer satisfaction and spend under management.
 Back up for Sr. Purchasing Manager / Purchasing Director.
 Responsible for managing, External Signages/Branding, Print – Visual Merchandising/Trade
Marketing, and other assigned supplier categories.
 Management of vendors contractors dedic ated to procurement for print/visual merchandising,
Sourcing & Supplier Management
OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES
 Facilitates and lead efforts to improve procurement systems and processes.
 Develops cost savings steps or programs as required.
COMMUNICATION WITH OTHERS
 INTERNAL - Finance & Accounting, Accounts Payable, Management, Operations, Legal, Store
Design, Communications, Marketing & IT
 EXTERNAL - Vendors, Consultants & Field Managements

2. WORK EXPERIENCE
Reliance Retail Limited
Manager Visual Merchandising – Reliance Digital July 2010 – Nov 2014 (4 years 4 months)
(Consumer Durable & Information Technology retail industry)
Key Responsibilities:
As the National Head -Visual merchandiser,
 Creating visual merchandising packs to communicate visual guidelines including layout principles,
visual dressings and signage.
 Conceptualize for seasonal and promotional offers, liaising and gathering information from various
sources to determine appropriate placement of display of products.
 Seeking feedback from Internal/External Customers on the visual impact of displays and
implementing changes.
 Analysing every aspect of bestsellers (for example, the bestselling price points, colours or styles)
and ensuring that they reach their full potential.
 Visiting branches to coach the in-store visual merchandising & sales teams to interpret the
guidelines and training them with the execution of the visual concepts.
 Conducting research on current/future trends in design and lifestyle, with associated target market
features to ideate and create commercial displays to entice and appeal to customers.
 Creating SOP’s for Visual Merchandising of Operational and New stores Openings.
 Responsible for launching new stores for Reliance Digital, Reliance Digital Xpress Reliance
Digital in Mart & Reliance Digital Xpress mini across the nation.
 Successfully launched 205 new stores of Reliance Digital, 50 Stores of Digital Express &
17 Digital SIS in Reliance Mart & 900+ Reliance Digital Xpress Mini across multiple
locations, spanning over 3 Lakh sqft, with innovative visual creative and communication, biggest
achievement being the opening of 7 stores on a single day & 900 mini stores in one year.
 Organizing and creating mock ups and tests, sourcing material, samples & props etc.
 Part of store design team to enhance space management of store by optimizing planogram and
identifying Space on Hire to generate additional revenue.
 Managing VM Budget, Create Visual Merchandising Calendar, Create Standard Store Display (look
and feel) - Effective conceptualization to communicate the seasonal thoughts.
 Arrange properties, furniture, merchandise, backdrops, or other accessories, as shown in prepared
sketches.
Central (Seamless Mall of Future Group) July 2009 - June 2010 (2 year)
Manager Visual Merchandising, Mumbai.
Key Responsibilities:
 Looking after the visual merchandising of Central Seamless Malls for Mumbai City.
 Single point of contact for all store queries relating to the visual merchandising of product ’s in
store
 Supervised the overall implementation of seasonal displays and launch setups for Mumbai
Centrals.
 Managed visual merchandising budgets, organized contractors, and control quality through
contractors and staff by getting random audits carried out
 Collaborated with suppliers, architects, graphic designers, and advertising specialists to develop
cost-effective concepts that meet marketing goals for events.
 Conducted training sessions to educate sales crews on the most effective ways of product displays,
resulting in consistent merchandising at the front lines, helping achieve sales numbers
 Attend category strategy reviews with the B&M team to build up an in-depth understanding of the
product and future season ranges.
 Present to store teams the new season layout’s and key season changes at Model store.
 Liaise and develop new featuring innovations in conjunction with the store development Concept
team.
 Measure and analyze competitors in the market place for merchandising and layouts and
recommend key actions to the business.
 Take ownership and communicates promotional and event based activities in store’s in accordance
to the Marketing plan, ensuring stores are briefed timely e.g. Mothers Day, Halloween, Xmas etc.)

3. Spencer’s Retail Limited (RPG Group) April 2008 - June 2009 (1 year 2 months)
Regional Manager -Visual Merchandising, North Zone.
Key Responsibilities:
 Responsible for the Visual Merchandising of different stores across the region.
 To plan and create effective visual merchandising displays that are in line with the seasonal design
& commercial needs of the business. Introduce visual excitement and theatre in all retail stores
supporting the brand positioning and strategy.
 Travel to local stores (weekly), Upcountry stores (bi-weekly and/or monthly) and to ensure that
standards are being maintained and displays are being rotated.
 Distribute directives seasonally and participate in weekly outlet conference calls.
 Proactively prepare feature presentations to highlight focal product and seasonal displays (working
in tandem with creative merchandising manager to coordinate with window displays).
 Implement styling and propping that complements each group and collection (working in tandem
with creative merchandising manager).
 Stimulate sales through feature product and display rotations.
 Coach store staff on new techniques and high VM standards & build confidence on VM techniques.
Support and mentor for succession planning.
 Work with creative merchandising manager on installation of seasonal Events & Windows.
 Work with marketing to bring synergy for all regional events. Create effective displays for regional
marketing events and communicate with suppliers on orders for event s managing budgets.
 Carrying out visual merchandising for new store launches.
Pantaloon Retail India Ltd. (Future Group) Jan 2006 – March 2008 (2 years 2 months)
As Cluster Head-Visual Merchandising
Key Responsibilities:
 Taking care of Store displays for Lucknow, Kanpur & Agara pantaloons, Gini & Jony Lucknow, Blue
Sky Lucknow & Lootmart Lucknow
 Developing new concepts & Design of Displays.
 Taking Care of the Merchandise presentation in terms of color, blocking stacking, Floor layouts,
Fixtures etc.
 Designing Signage and other display props.
 Coordinate with Departments Managers and floor staff for Smooth VM executions
 Also Train the staff about the merchandise presentation of the respective sections.
 Sourcing New Materials and Vendors.
Empanelled Designer in the Textile Crafts in the Office of Development Commissioner
(Handicrafts) Ministry Of Textile, Government of India. Oct 2003 - Dec 2006 (3 years 2 months)
Providing designs and consultancy to the cluster of artisans of Societies / Corporations / Non
Government Organizations to whom financial assistance for conducting design development
workshop/projects under different schemes will be given by the Office of the Development Commissioner
(handicrafts) Ministry of Textiles, Government of India on the below mentioned crafts:
The main aim of these workshops is to protect these vanishing crafts by providing them the
technical support and designs by which they can compete in today’s market.
Graffiti Exports (Gurgaon, Haryana) March 2002 – Sep 2003 (1 year 6 months)
As Merchandiser & Designer
Key Responsibilities:
 Following up with the buying houses like AMC, KSP INDIA, FRENCH RIVERA, CASCADE & LINMARK
as merchandiser
 Working with the buyers like ANTHROPLOGIE, URBAN OUTFITTERS, TOM TAILOR & CK
 Done sampling for men’s, women’s & junior style from proto to sales stage in both Woven &
Knitted fabrics including the print development like discharge and pigment from the mills like SGL
Faridabad.
 Following up with the production department and printing mills.
 Ordering the fabric and trims required for both sampling and production also helping in screen
development for prints.
 Sourcing of the fabric and trims and printing mills for new buyers from local market

4. Fibers and Fabrics International, Bangalore May 2000 - Feb 2002 (1 year 10 months)
As Assistant Merchandiser & Designer
 Handling prestigious accounts like ITC, O’Neill and Dunne’s under supervision of senior
Merchandisers.
 Done complete sample for protos to sales stage
 Updating the sales forecast, establishing ideal vendor configuration for trims and fabrics, both local
and imported for manufacture of the products.
 To develop catalogues, mood boards and assisted in the in-house collections
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATION
3 Year Under Graduate course in Fashion Design from National Institute of Fashion Technology.
(1997 – 2000)
OTHER PROJECTS
 Internship: Designed a range of casual menswear for the European market in 8 weeks of
internship at (F F I), Fibers and fabrics international, Bangalore also undergone a detailed
study of merchandising, sampling, styling, production & CAD.
 Designed, developed and constructed a street wear ensemble for the client Bharat Vijay Mills -
(Kalol, GUJARAT).
 3 weeks craft documentation on traditional crafts of Orissa (appliqué & patachitra)
S.S.Enterprises (New Delhi)
Worked on the project as designer
 Designed utility bags and scarves with surface ornamentation for to showcase in the Texstyles fair
2001 held at Pragati Maidan New Delhi. (30-01-2001 to 2-02-2001)
 Designed the interior of the stall to showcase the products.
 Design their company catalogue including the photography of the products.
ACHIEVEMENTS
 Successfully launched 205 new stores of Reliance Digital, 50 Stores of Digital Express &
17 Digital SIS in Reliance Mart & 900 Reliance Digital Xpress Mini in multiple locations,
spanning over 3 Lakh sqft, with innovative visual creative and communication, biggest challenge
being the opening of 7 stores on a single day & 900 mini stores in one year.
 Distinguished Contribution Award in Reliance Digital 3rd Quarter in Year 2012 & 2nd Quarter in year
2013
 Certificate of Recognition for significant contribution to the company (Reliance Digital) in year 2011
 Selected among the 10 finalists for the International designer night (Best Designer Award)
organized by CIAe (Confederation of Indian Apparel Exporters), held in Mumbai on 24th
Nov’2k. Showcased my collection on the fashion event. Received Certificate from honorable Textile
Minister (Mr. Kashiram Rana)
 Selected among the designer in dsyn’04 (A Fashion event organized by the National Institute Of
Fashion Technology (Ministry Of Textile) in association with AFI ‘ Australian Fashion Innovators) at
Pragati Maidan New Delhi from 28th – 30th March 2004
DIPLOMA PROJECT
Brand Creation (Sponsored by Arvind Mills, Ahmedabad, GUJARAT) January till May 2000
 Worked on the brief given by the company to create a Brand for Domestic market for young
professionals.
 Designed, Developed and constructed a range of semiformal menswear in lightweight denims &
knits, as my Graduating collection which is showcased in the final years Fashion event of NIFT on
May 2000.
GRAPHIC SKILS - Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Corel Draw, Auto CAD
IT SKILS - SAP, MS Word, Worked on online ERP system and customized XL on a FoxPro.
PERSONAL DETAILS
Date of Birth : August 08, 1979
Languages : Hindi Native or bilingual proficiency
English Limited Working Proficiency