VICTOR THORNTON
Sportswear Specialist
Cape Town
Summary
Retail and Branded product specialist with more than 17 years of experience. Demonstrated leadership capabilities with direct and indirect employee groups. Employs tact, sound judgment and maintains professional demeanor in communication and relationships with others while striving to deliver best quality in daily work. Thorough team contributor with strong organizational capabilities. Experienced in handling numerous projects at once while ensuring accuracy. Effective at prioritizing tasks and meeting deadlines.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Buyer, Men’s Footwear
Totalsports: The Foschini Group
8 2023 - Current
- Build the department strategy within the overall business guidelines
- Range build and selection from 20 global sportswear brands and own brand product development
- Manage the supplier/brand relationship.
- Achieved cost savings by implementing strategic sourcing and supplier negotiations.
- Managed a diverse portfolio of products, ensuring timely delivery and quality control.
- Forecasted purchasing trends and improved merchandising strategies.
- Leveraged data-driven insights to make informed purchasing decisions that positively impacted the bottom line.
Category Manager
Reebok EM SOUTH
09.2019 - 07.2023
- Responsible for the selection and deployment of the footwear, apparel and accessories product ranges including setting forecasts, RRP, Intro dates and ABOs
- Drive a compelling range/concept selection within EM SOUTH (including Category assortment packages across channels, incl
- Analyze sell-in, sell-out ROI of categories and key articles, to ensure they meet the financial expectations set out in the short- and mid-term goals across all pricing, GIM, forecasting, etc
- Responsible for a complete GTM proposition to the sales team and drives the sell-in process to key wholesale accounts.
- Managed a diverse portfolio of products, ensuring optimal mix between high-margin items and cost-effective options for customers.
- Benchmarked category performance against industry standards, identifying areas for improvement and implementing targeted initiatives.
- Increased overall category sales by developing and executing strategic merchandising plans.
- Analyzed sales performance and adjusted marketing strategies to optimize revenue generation.
- Developed detailed sales forecasts based on historical data, allowing for proactive inventory management decisions.
Business Intelligence Manager
Adidas-Emerging Markets
08.2018 - 08.2019
- Business Intelligence (BI) function provides a Centre of Excellence which converts raw data into meaningful, actionable, and insightful information to enable improved decision making across strategic, tactical and operational process within the business
- Execute the Business Intelligence strategy to enhance Brand, Sales, DTC, GOPS and Customer insights.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to identify key performance indicators and develop relevant metrics.
- Implemented automation processes for routine data collection tasks, reducing manual effort and increasing efficiency.
- Performed ad-hoc analyses upon request from senior management or other departments requiring specialized support or insight into specific issues or challenges faced by the organization.
- Managed a team of BI analysts, fostering professional development and continuous learning opportunities.
Merchandise Planner
The Foschini Group
01.2016 - 01.2018
- Exact- Menswear
Merchandise Planner
Woolworths PTY LTD
01.2007 - 01.2016
- Homeware
- Menswear
- Footwear
- Predicted, analyzed and maintained Open to Buy (OTB) and supported [Type] team on audits and distribution plans.
- Utilized advanced analytics tools for more accurate demand forecasting and inventory optimization.
- Increased sales by strategically planning and managing merchandise assortments.
- Monitored key performance indicators, adjusting plans accordingly to maximize sales potential.
Education
Executive Development – Cape Town Management Development Program -
University of Stellenbosch Business School
Matric - undefined
Westerford High School
Skills
Retail Planning
Retail buying and Range Selection
Assortment building
Strategic Planning
Inventory Management
Stock allocation
Forecasting
Open to Buy management
Demand Planning
Direct Import order management
Consumer and Market Trends analytics
Production Management and Supplier Operations Management
Business Intelligence Analytics
Space Planning
Visual Merchandising
Key Account Sales Management
Marketing
Supplier Relationship Management
Trend assessment
Purchasing strategy
Supply Chain Optimization
Supplier Negotiations
References
- PJ Morilly, Head of Brand, Reebok South Africa, (+27) 71 885 3409, pj.morilly@reebok.co.za
- Brett Burgess, Export Director, Adidas EM South, (+27) 82 460 1336, Brett.burgess@adidas.com
- Shane Meder, Planning Manager, Woolworths PTY LTD, (+27) 83 437 1399
Timeline
Category Manager
Reebok EM SOUTH
09.2019 - 07.2023
Business Intelligence Manager
Adidas-Emerging Markets
08.2018 - 08.2019
Merchandise Planner
The Foschini Group
01.2016 - 01.2018
Merchandise Planner
Woolworths PTY LTD
01.2007 - 01.2016
Senior Buyer, Men’s Footwear
Totalsports: The Foschini Group
8 2023 - Current
Executive Development – Cape Town Management Development Program -
University of Stellenbosch Business School
Matric - undefined
Westerford High School