Role Purpose
The Head of Visual Merchandising will own the end-to-end store experience charter across grocery formats and brandsdriving commercial VM, in-store brand storytelling, space productivity, and scalable design systems. This role will also oversee NSO (New Store Opening) design execution, ensuring consistency, speed, and differentiation across neighborhood, premium, and large-format stores. This role will require the candidate to rollout campaigns nationally in 1000+ stores.
The role sits at the intersection of design, retail operations, marketing, and commercial performance.
Experience - 18+ Years ( 15+ year in Visual Merchandising)
Education - MBA in Marketing or Relevant Design Degree
Job Location - Ghansoli Navi Mumbai ( WFO )
Key Responsibilities
1. Visual Merchandising & Brand Experience
Define and evolve VM strategy and guidelines for each brand, aligned to distinct CVPs (value-led, premium neighborhood, fresh-first).
- Own store zoning, planogram principles, sightlines, adjacencies, and traffic flow to maximize conversion and basket value.
- Drive seasonal, festive, and campaign-led VM storytelling across windows, entrances, power aisles, and focal bays.
- Ensure execution excellence across categoriesfresh, FMCG, staples, private labels, and impulse.
2. NSO (New Store Opening) Ownership
- Lead end-to-end VM & experience readiness for NSOs, from concept to launch.
- Partner with projects, architects, and store planning teams on spatial layouts, structural elements, and customer journey design.
- Oversee fixtures, props, graphics, signage, in-store communication, and navigation systems.
- Build repeatable NSO playbooks to enable faster rollout with consistent quality across cities and formats.
3. Technical & Design Leadership
- Strong command over store layouts, bay logic, fixture design, materials, lighting basics, colour theory, and typography.
- Ability to read and influence GFCs, CAD drawings, elevation plans, and mockups.
- Own VM cost optimization, material standardization, and vendor rationalization without compromising brand experience.
- Leverage data (sales density, heat maps, category productivity) to refine VM decisions.
4. People, Capability & Governance
- Lead, mentor, and scale a central VM COE and regional VM teams.
- Build strong cross-functional alignment with marketing, category, supply chain, operations, and projects.
- Establish VM audit frameworks, SOPs, and training modules for store teams.
- Drive a culture of design thinking, experimentation, and commercial accountability.
Leadership & Behavioral Expectations
- Strategic thinker with hands-on biascomfortable both defining vision and walking stores.
- Strong influence without authority across multiple brands and formats.
- High aesthetic sensitivity combined with commercial acumen.
- Ability to manage scale, speed, and ambiguity in a high-growth retail environment.
- Inspires teams, vendors, and partners through clarity, high standards, and creative confidence.
