GRADUATION RESEARCH PROJECT

PANTALOONS FASHION & RETAIL LIMITED

Optimum development of option plan

BY
Brahmbhatt Raj
Batch 2013-2015
Master of Fashion Management
NIFT, Mumbai

Industry Mentor
Mr.Jatinder bassi Senior Buyer Menswear , PFRL

College Mentor
Mrs. Sonali R Saldanha, Asst. Professor, NIFT, Mumbai

ACKNOWLEGEMENT
I am highly grateful to Pantaloons Fashion & Retail ltd. for providing me the opportunity to
complete my Fashion Internship Training with them.
I express my whole hearted thanks to my mentor Mr Jatinder Bassi (Sr. Buyer) for his engagement
and support and constant guidance in organizing my work and giving me valuable inputs in my
learning.
I will be failing in my duty, If I do not mention the name of Mentor Mrs Sonali R. Saldanha for the
help she has extended in my Graduation Research Project.
Lastly, I am thankful to friends and families for providing me with great support in my entire
endeavor.

Brahmbhatt Raj
Master of Fashion Management
Department of Fashion Management Studies

II

DECLARATION

This is to certify the completion of the project on Working Under Category & Optimum
development of option plan, submitted towards the starting of semester IV of Masters Of Fashion
Management, NIFT, Mumbai By

Brahmbhatt Raj
MUM13MM24
Department Of Fashion Management Studies

This is his original work carried out during the period 15th Jan 2015 to 17th April 2015 under my
guidance and the project report is based on the research done by him.
Mrs Sonali R Saldanha
Asst. professor

Date: 14th May, 2015

Place: NIFT, Mumbai

III

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In the first 15 days of my internship I worked under Mens wear buying team in which there are two
brands SF jeans and Bare denim so I joined at the time of Range Presentation which is for AW 15
season. so I was assisting buyers. Making Visual merchandising sheet in which best style will go for
store wall , window displays so here I havent work with numbers as in Sales , margins , Sale through
purely buying so there Sir also asked me about my opinion for a particular style even I tried so many
clothes as how it looks like and then we decide accordingly whether to buy it or not ( it includes Past
year sales for that kind of fabric , what is in the market , what style do customer like ,
Also Designers give opinions (that this particular print is not looking nice on fabric it will look better
on different fabric) so this is how buyers select the product range. Apart from this buying Store zonal
Managers are also come for the range presentation and see how will be the next season range so they
can identify the best zone and they also give advice to the buyers and designers to produce or buy
more or less for the particular product. Also company CEO and Head of the Departments come and
see the range and make suggestions where needed.
Pantaloons go online so Trend in also came for buying according to their requirements and analysis of
Pantaloons online sales and data they also buy. So for that Buyers showcase their selected product
range to them so out of them they selected Perticular styles according to their requirements. ( nb
After Range Presentation I was shifted to Mens wear formal wear brand Lombard Sport brand
Byford and Party wear F-factor as well as Bare leisure and JM sport
In buying after Range presentation and selection of the product range there is order placement ( final
order sheet , vendor management ,negotiations, and close closure.)
Merchandise category code ( MCC ) which includes all the description about the product
classification. I collected the garment samples from designers put the pictures of that in the sheet also
cut the swatches for the same. This sheet also includes
I have done this for all the five brands Byford, Lombard , F-Factor, Bare leisure and JM sport so this
also includes collecting samples from sourcing team sometimes they dont have it I contacted
Vendors directly to get the samples for that I have to negotiate for the delivery dates.
This activity is to be done to know the product description and in this I also mentioned online website
Trendins Rating and quantity for the same which is discussed before. Taking a picture for the rest of
the garments and if the sample is not ready have to collect swatches for the same from sourcing team
or else from designers ( CAD ) and then take a picture and put it in the MCC which is very time
consuming process.
It almost took a month to complete this activity while doing this activity I also given a task from a
designer to do a research for a new brand for which I have to make a looks, styling (garments,
accessories, shoes etc.) so I was doing that also at the same time. So I mailed all the possible looks
which I found it would be better for the brand.
After that I started working for AW14 seasonal performances for all the five brands in which I did
analysis according to the data given which is as follows :

IV

Best sellers, Average sellers, slow movers of all the five brands in which I worked are Byford,
Lombard, F-Factor, Bare leisure, JM sport. by which buyer can identify the Perticular product that
which product did well in the last season and according to the data given he can categorized the same
and take the decision whether to repeat the style or to discontinue. So I made the presentation
accordingly and buyer gave it in front of all team of the brands which includes designer , head
designer , senior buyer , assistant buyer and I also attended the presentation. Where they have
discussed about brand portfolio also that this particular style is very good in business in the market so
it should be repeated.
While giving presentation we were showcasing the real sample also so that designer get to know
about the fabric also that this particular Fabric done well in the season or it should be done on another
fabric base.
After that I worked for PC MRP review ( COST review ) and a small project named Optimum
development of option plan.

CHAPTER
NUMBER
1

TITLE

Company Profile
1.1 Introduction
1.2 PFRL
1.3 Company hierarchy
1.4 PFRL brands
1.5 Departments
1.6 Buying process

Range Presentation
2.1 Outline of project
2.2 Merchandise Category code
2.3 Seasonal performance
2.4 PC MRP review

Option plan
3.1 option plan
3.2 Optimum development of option plan

Conclusion
4.1 conclusion
4.2 key learnings

VI

Chapter 1
Company profile

1.1 Introduction
The India Retail Industry is the largest among all the industries, accounting for over 10 per cent of the
countrys GDP and around 8 per cent of the employment. The Retail Industry in India has come forth
as one of the most dynamic and fast paced industries with several players entering the market. But all
of them have not yet tasted success because of the heavy initial investments that are required to break
even with other companies and compete with them. The India Retail Industry is gradually inching its
way towards becoming the next boom industry.

ADITYA BIRLA GROUP

A US $40 billion corporation, the Aditya Birla Group is in the League of Fortune 500. It is anchored
by an extraordinary force of over 136,000 employees belonging to 42 different nationalities. The
Group has been ranked Number 4 in the global 'Top Companies for Leaders' survey and ranked
Number 1 in Asia Pacific for 2011. 'Top Companies for Leaders' is the most comprehensive study of
organisational leadership in the world conducted by Aon Hewitt, Fortune Magazine, and RBL (a
strategic HR and Leadership Advisory firm). The Group has topped the Nielsen's Corporate Image
Monitor 2012-13 and emerged as the Number 1 corporate, the 'Best in Class'

50 per cent of the Aditya Birla Group's revenues flow from its overseas operations. The Group
operates in 36 countries Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, France,
Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Korea, Laos, Luxembourg, Malaysia,
Myanmar, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden,
Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA, and Vietnam.
The Aditya Birla Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate named after Aditya Vikram Birla,
headquartered in the Aditya Birla Centre in Worli, Mumbai, India.
The Aditya Birla Group is the world's largest producer of Viscose Staple Fiber industry. It operates
from India, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and China. It owns the Birla Cellulose brand. Apart from
viscose staple fiber, the group also owns acrylic fiber businesses in Egypt and Thailand, viscose
filament yarn businesses and spinning mills in India and South East Asia. The group has pulp and
plantation interests in Canada and Laos. It's two companies i.e. Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd. and Grasim
Bhiwani Textiles Ltd. which is a subsidiary of Grasim Industries are in textile business.

VII

Our Vision
To be a premium global conglomerate, with a clear focus on each of the businesses.

Our Mission
To deliver superior value to our customers, shareholders, employees and society at large.

Values:

Integrity:
We believe in growth of the organization with the growth of our people.People are our
investors, partners (Vendors), employees, customers and stakeholders of the companies.
Commitment:

Aditya Birla is a name known for higher value and good quality. We do what we commit to
our people.

Passion:

Our excellence in every field of business and promise to provide the best shows the passion
of the organization.

Seamlessness:

We work beyond limits; we go one step ahead of others to serve and to benefit.

Speed:

Growth is important but timely growth is the key to success. We believe to act early.

VIII

Hindalco
Grasim
Aditya Birla Nuvo
Ultratech
Idea
Novelis

Aditya Birla nuvo Ltd.

Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd. (ABNL) is a US$ 4 billion premium conglomerate. It is part of the Aditya
Birla Group, a US$ 40 billion Indian multinational operating in 36 countries in six continents.

Vision
To be a premium conglomerate building leadership in businesses and creating value for all the
stakeholders.

Mission
Investing in promising sectors
Building leadership in businesses
A platform to drive synergy of resources
Delivering best value to all the stakeholders
To be a responsible corporate citizen

Over the years, Aditya Birla Nuvo has transformed itself from a manufacturing company to a
diversified conglomerate.
IX

The razor-sharp focus on each business has made it a leading player in most segments, including
viscose filament yarn, branded garments, agribusiness, textiles and insulators. Over the past few
years, Aditya Birla Nuvo, through its subsidiaries and joint ventures, has made successful forays into
life insurance, asset management and other financial services, telecom, business process outsourcing
(BPO) and IT services.

Financial
Services

Telecom

Fashion and
Lifestyle

IT-ITeS

Manufacturin
g

Asset
Management

Madura

Agri

Life Insurance

Pantaloons

Rayon

NBFC

Textiles

Insulators

Private Equity,
Broking, Wealth
Management,
General Insurance
Advisory

With an optimum mix of revenue and profit streams, the company is in a strong position to maximise
long-term shareholder gains.

Market Position:

Financial Services:

ABNL is among top 5 fund managers (excl. LIC)

Fashion & Lifestyle:

Largest premium branded apparel player, largest manufacturer of linen

Telecom:

Among top 3 cellular operators by revenue market share

IT-ITeS :

Among the top 10 BPO companies by revenue size

Agri business:

Second-best energy efficient urea plant

Rayon:

Second largest manufacturer of VFY

Insulators:

Largest manufacturer of insulators.

Among Aditya Birla Nuvos joint ventures and subsidiary companies are:

Idea Cellular Limited, which is among the top three cellular operators in India, in terms of
revenue market share.

Birla Sun Life Insurance Co. Ltd., which is among the top five private sector life insurance
companies in India, in terms of new business premium.

Birla Sun Life Asset Management Co. Ltd., which is the fourth largest asset management
company in India, in terms of assets under management.

Aditya Birla Minacs Worldwide Limited, which is the sixth largest Indian BPO company by
revenue size.

1.2. PANTALOONS FASHION AND RETAIL LTD.

Pantaloons Fashion & Retail Limited is an Indian premium clothing retail chain. The first
Pantaloons store was launched in Gariahat, Kolkata in 1997. As of November 2013, there are
76 Pantaloons stores in 44 cities. Pantaloons was previously controlled by the Future Group,
but has now been taken over by Aditya Birla Nuvo Limited (ABNL).
Spotlighting today's buoyant youth, Pantaloons Fashion Retail Ltd., India's premium lifestyle
apparel company offers chic and trendy fashion to meet their ever-changing needs. With
innovative designs, concepts and products, the company brings the latest trends in fashion
and clothing styles to the apparel market. Pantaloons reflect the ideology of always keeping
alive the 'newness factor' through fashion apparel and accessories that are visually appealing
and fashionably upbeat.
The first Pantaloons store was launched amidst much fanfare in Gariahat, Kolkata in 1997.
Over the years, the brand has undergone several transitions and re-invented itself to bring
XI

forth compelling trends and styles catering to the evolving fashion hub.

Since its inception, Pantaloons progressed from retailing just a mix of brands to its very own
popular private labels as well, designed by the in-house Design Studio. With a sharp focus on
bringing the latest in fashion, the Design Studio combines its prowess in design and
aesthetics to present styles that keep the consumer fashionably dressed each season.
Initially positioned as a store catering to the fashion needs of the entire family, Pantaloons
has now transitioned to a fashion and lifestyle brand with an emphasis on youth and a focus
on designs that are inherently in sync with current fashion trends. This compelling
combination has helped Pantaloons retain its place on the style radar of every consumer's
wardrobe.
Pantaloons stores have an abundance of choices across categories that range from western to
Indian wear, formal to party wear and active wear for men, women and kids. To further add
to the customer's innumerable choices that reflect style, attitude, and comfort, Pantaloons has
extended its horizons to fashion accessories like fragrances, footwear, handbags, watches,
sunglasses and much more.
With a chain of 81 fashion stores across 40 cities and towns, Pantaloons is constantly
extending its foot-prints into the rest of modern India.
Pantaloons which was previously controlled by the Future Group has now been taken over by
Aditya Birla Nuvo Limited ['ABNL']. ABNL is a part of the prestigious Aditya Birla Group,
a $40 billion Indian multinational, operating in 36 countries across the globe with over
136,000 employees.
The company offers an incredible and complete one-stop shopping experience to its buyers
through its vast collection of more than 100 prestigious brands for the discerning fashionista.
The 81 aesthetically designed stores spread across the country display a range of classy and
trendy merchandise that truly lives up to Pantaloons maxim of fresh fashion.
A typical Pantaloons store is spread across a sprawling retail space of about 28,000 sq. ft.,
comprising a brand portfolio that runs across a wide gamut of styles that spell class. The
collection includes ready-to-wear western and ethnic apparel for men, women and kids,
complemented by an exhaustive range of accessories.
The womens section houses the private labels Bare Denim, Bare Leisure, Rig, Annabelle,
Honey, and Ajile in western wear, as well as the choicest ethnic wear from RangManch,
Trishaa and Akkriti. Popular brands like Lee Cooper, Biba and W are also available.
The private labels for men in western wear include Lombard, Rig, Bare Denim, Bare Leisure
and JM Sport apart from trendy brands like Urbana, Scullers, John Miller, and Indigo Nation.
Akkriti provides a wide selection of ethnic wear.

XII

Kids can choose from private labels like Bare Denim, Bare Leisure, Rig, or indulge in
exclusive brands like Lee Cooper Juniors, Chalk exclusive, Chirpy Pie & Bare in addition to
international brands like Barbie and Disney. For the ethnic look, they can opt for traditional
wear from Akkriti.
Pantaloons offer much more than just apparel. Customers can shop from an assortment of
watches from renowned international brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Esprit, Kenneth Cole,
Citizen, Timex, and Titan, among other brands.
Trendy sunglasses from Polaroid, Guess, Police, Scott, I Dee and Allen Solly are also
available. The accessories and beauty segments display an attractive collection of ladys
handbags from Lavie, Caprese, Fiorelli and Fastrack. Also available are products from colour
cosmetic brands such as Bourjois, Chambor, Deborah, Faces, Revlon, Maybelline, and
Lakm, as well as a wide collection of exotic fragrances.
With its overwhelming repertoire of lifestyle apparel brands, Pantaloons is focused on growth
while continuing to create fresh fashion. Pantaloons isrecognized by its warm personalized
service that completes the core proposition of this trendy chain.
The Aditya Birla Group ranks high in the League of Fortune 500 Corporations of the world
with a strong mix of talented and capable personnel comprising of 42 different nationalities,
who are credited with anchoring the organization and scripting one brilliant success story
after another.
Backed by the giant conglomerates, ABNL and Future Group, both the entities will work in
tandem to derive operational synergies for back-end, supply chain and other crucial value
drivers of the business.
With its overwhelming repertoire of lifestyle apparel brands, Pantaloons is focused on growth
while continuing to create fresh fashion. Pantaloons is recognised by its warm personalised
service that completes the core proposition of this trendy chain.

XIII

1.3. Company Hierarchy

XIV

1.4. Under the apparels section, PFRL is currently operating with Private labels in
different categories:Womens wear

Casual Wear : Honey

Ethnic Wear : Rang manch

XV

Akriti

Trishaa

XVI

Active wear : ajile

Formal Wear : annabelle

XVII

Evening Wear : annabelle

Mens wear :

Casual Wear : J M sport

XVIII

Ethnic Wear : Akriti

Active Wear : ajile

Evening Wear : F Factor

XIX

Kids wear
Boys wear : chalk
Girls wear : chalk & akriti
There are also some brands which are :
Mens wear
Private label : SF Jeans,Altomoda,Bare denim,bare leisure,byford,Lomabard, RIG , Ffactor
Non private label : Blackberry, Celio, Fifa, Lee, Levis, Manyavar, Pepe, Spykar, Turtle
Madura Fashion & Lifestyle: Allen Solly Men, Louis Philippe, LP Sport, PE Casual, PE
Traditions, Peter England, Van Heusen, Vdot, VH Sport
Womens wear
Private label : SF Jeans,Altomoda,Bare denim,RIG
Non Private label : 109f, And, Chemistry, Kraus, Levis, Pepe, Remanika, Spykar, Arha,
Biba, Fusion Beats, Global Desi, Miss Unique, Rain & Rainbow
Madura Fashion & Lifestyle : Allen Solly Women, Van Heusen
Kids wear
Private label : Bare, Chirpie Pie, Disney, Rig Kids
Non Private label : Barbie, Gini N Jony, LC Kids, Levis, Zero
Madura Fashion & Lifestyle : Allen Solly Kids

Accessories are also present in the stores for the customers to choose from various
brands. PFRL doesnt have any private label for accessories.

Non Apparels (Accessories) :

Cosmetics: Lakme, Loreal, Nautica, Revlon Etc.
XX

Diamond Jewellery: Manorama, Creation, Nakshatra, Sangini, Cygnus Etc.

Fashion Jewellery: 109F, Akkriti, Barbie, Biba, Disney, Gini N Jony, Kuber, Umm Etc.
Fragrances: Adidas, Ajmal, Benetton, Boss, Burberry's, Calvin Klein, Christian Dior,
Ck, D&G, Diesel, Dupont, Emporio Armani Etc
Handbags: 109f, Adidas, Ajile, Akkriti, Allen Solly, Annabelle, Baggit, Converse,
Fasttrack, Guess Etc.
Footwear: Action, Adidas, Allen Solly, Buffalo, Canvax, Cat, Clarks, Converse, Hush
Puppies Etc.
Sunglasses: Allen Solly, Calvin Klein, Casio, Converse, Creative, Dior, Fastrack, Hugo
Boss, Lens eye etc.
1.5. Departments of Pantaloons Fashion Retail Ltd:
There are following department in Pantaloons Fashion and Lifestyle Ltd

XXI

All the above departments work closely with each other to complete their task and achieve
their individual goals. Each department is interdependent with each other. The objective of
these departments is to accompolish mission and vision of the company.

Design Department: This department is basically developing sample of merchandise and

developing range of merchandise for upcoming season and work closely with buying
department. Designer attains fashion events and shows to keep tap on current and upcoming
trends.
Buying Department: This department is selecting what merchandise will be stocked in store
based on discussion happened with planning team. They work closely with design department
to approve sample and range of merchandise, attain fashion events and forecast the trends.
They also interact with other departments like marketing, sourcing, planning and quality
control to get appropriate advice that will help them in achieving companys ultimate target.
Apart from this, they frequently keep in touch with suppliers and vendors.
Sourcing Department: It is management of a supply market to ensure access to adequate
resources required for the long term needs of the firm: understand market characteristics,
identify relevant potential suppliers, define a strategy for the firm, and set the objectives for
any market shaping effort. Sourcing frames the agreement with the suppliers involved in the
strategy, without necessarily going into the details of the contract. Sourcing teams include
elements internal and external to the firm to reach their objectives, to include the eventual
optimization of specifications in coordination with engineering, marketing, and / or research.
Sourcing is the strategic management of external resources.
They have to figure out different vendors who can give them better value in terms of price,
production, lead time, shipment mode and other production aspect after the budget allocates
for range by other departments, coordinates with buying and design department.
Planning Department: This department is making OTB plan, Option plan, allocation, offers,
monitors day wise sells, end of season sell, stock in warehouse and store. They also
recommend buyer about which style is hitting the shopping floor, monitor sales, stock in
warehouse and shop floor, sell through, offer planning and do allocation of merchandise
according to requirement of particular merchandise in particular store. This is also known as
Inventory Management and Distribution Management. Planner are the backbone of any
company if there over stock or stock out its planner responsibility to control inventory and
coordinate with other team like buying and also do meeting with other senior people of
company.
Operation Department: They work to make sure that employers' businesses run effectively,
smoothly and professionally. This includes all those who work in the organisation from the
management to assembly line workers up to the guys loading and offloading trucks in
manufacturing and retail distribution centers.
XXII

VM Department: This department coordinates with designer and buyer for the theme of
season and then they make visual of store accordingly. Their responsibility to change visual
of all store at the same time, this include display of merchandise and lighting. There are some
elements that are involved in visual merchandising are Window Displays, Interior Displays,
Signs, Cosmetic Productions and other Special Sales and Promotions. Team tries to combine
these element and covey their idea to customer.
Marketing Department: They basically communicate the value of product to the customers
for that this department is divided in three teams ATL (Above The Line), BTL (Below The
Line) and LOYALTY. In ATL they are covering large Geographical area by advertising from
Radio, TV and National news papers and in BTL they are covering particular targeted area by
organising fashion events and shows. In LOYALTY they are distributing Cards and coupons
to customer first to check loyal customer and then start analyse about loyal customers next
need and offer it to customer on discount. It is one of innovative department and generating
new idea.
Finance Department: Major roles of the finance department are to identify appropriate
financial information prior to communicating this information to managers and decisionmakers, in order that they may make informed judgments and decisions. This departments
responsibility for organising the financial and accounting affairs including the preparation
and presentation of appropriate accounts, and the provision of financial information for
manager.
Admin Department: They are managing and distributing information within office like
greeting clients and employees, answering the calls, maintaining files, record of expenditure,
stationary, printing, housekeeping, Administrative assistants are responsible for
communicating with clients, outside vendors and staff members on behalf of their employer.
They greet customers, answer the phone, take messages and set up meetings. This department
is interrelated to HR department.
HR Department: Human resource management (HRM) in organizations designed to
maximize employee performance in service of their employers strategic objectives. In
Pantaloons, HR is primarily concerned with how people are managed within organizations,
focusing on policies and systems. HR department is responsible for a number of activities,
including employee recruitment, training and development, performance appraisal, and
rewarding. Human resources assistants may process and regularly update personnel, payroll
and job applicant records.
Garment Technology Department: It is divided in three teams one is Construction /Fit
Team, another is Testing team and last is Inspection team. Construction team basically
checking the size measurement and its grading, Testing team are doing chemical like
crocking, bleeding, color fastness to light etc and physical test like pilling, abrasion
resistance etc and inspection team is visiting manufacturing unit to see the directed
production, there also checking for complete garment which is done in last by Testing team.

XXIII

Supply Chain Department: It is the management of the flow of goods. It includes the
movement and storage of raw materials, work-in-process inventory, and finished goods from
point of origin (Manufacturing Unit) to point of consumption (Store).
Main function of supply chain management are as follows: 1)inventory management
2)distribution management 3)channel management 4)payment management 5)financial
management 6)supplier management 7)transportation management 8)Customer service
management. Some of their work is already done by planning team only Inventory
Management and Distribution Management. They closely work with planning department
and interchange information regarding stock delivery from supplier to warehouse and
warehouse to store or if any stock is available for inter store transfer or vendor has to direct
supply to store SCM team take care of this things.

XXIV

1.6. BUYING PROCESS

BRAND
BRIEF

TREND FORECASTING
CONCEPT
PRESENTATION

BUY PLAN
SAMPLING

RANGE PRESENTATION
SELECTION
ORDER PLACEMENT, VENDOR
MANAGEMENT, NEGOTIATIONS
& COST CLOSURE
QUANTITY
FINALISATION,
ARTICLE
CREATION,
TEXT/ BARCODE
FILE CREATION,
PURCHASE
ORDERS,
PRODUCTION &
DELIVERY
STATUS,
COORDINATION
WITH
MARKETING
TEAM

PRE-PRODUCTION
PROCESS
SHIPMENT
SAMPLE
DISPATCHES (VENDORWAREHOUSE-STORE)
SALES
EVALUATION
EOSS
IMPLEMENTATION

XXV

Chapter 2
Range Presentation
2.1. Outline of the project
While Range presentation where designers showcases their collection of a particular season ( AW 15 )
in which they developed certain number of option ( shirts, bottoms etc.) for each brand to show so at
the end of the Presentation if you can check actual number of option then it Is lesser then it was.
Buyers select lesser number of option then it was developed due to Fabric problem, color outcomes ,
print outcomes etc. which incurred wasting of time money and manpower also. so this should be
avoided or minimized.
In Range presentation there is a space allocated for different brands in pantaloons. Range presentation
set up was on the ground floor of the building. Where they have allocated different brands with Visual
Merchandising props , accessories , Mannequin etc.
Designers and with help of Buying team they arranged all the range for the season which they have to
showcase while Range presentation. At the time of joining Pantaloons I was working under Casual
wear brands named SF jeans and bare denim

XXVI

Here designer giving description about his Brand ( showing Board Design , theme concept print
Description )named SF jeans which is very edgy young youth oriented brand which targets the
customers age group of 20 30 people who loves Jack n Jones can definately go for SF .
So while giving Range presentation Designers Made particular number of garment ex. In t-shirt CAD
designers made 70 Sample designs out of which designer selects only 60 then he showcases this 60
styles to the buyers then at the end of the Range Presentation buyers selects somewhere around 30 to
40 so here this 30 excess sample is become waste in which so much man power, Money, time,
everything was used which is wasted somehow. So how to reduce this excess is my project here and I
came up with some findings while interacting with each responsible departments.
I also want to showcase what work I have done in this period of time while doing my Internship
In the first 15 days of my internship I worked under Mens wear buying team in which there are two
brands SF jeans and Bare denim so I joined at the time of Range Presentation which is for AW 15
season. so I was assisting buyers there making Visual merchandising sheet in which best style will go
for store wall , window displays so here I havent work with numbers as in Sales , margins , Sale
through purely buying so there Sir also asked me about my opinion for a particular style even I tried
so many clothes as how it looks like and then we decide accordingly whether to buy it or not ( it
includes Past year sales for that kind of fabric , what is in the market , what style do customer like ,
Also Designers give opinions (that this particular print is not looking nice on fabric it will look better
on different fabric) so this is how buyers select the product range. Apart from this buying Store zonal
Managers are also come for the range presentation and see how will be the next season range so they
can identify the best zone and they also give advice to the buyers and designers to produce or buy
more or less for the particular product. Also company CEO and Head of the Departments come and
see the range and make suggestions where needed.
Pantaloons go online so Trend in also came for buying according to their requirements and analysis of
Pantaloons online sales and data they also buy. So for that Buyers showcase their selected product

XXVII

range to them so out of them they selected Perticular styles according to their requirements. (
According to Online sales and data basis)

Buyers Must have consider this when developing the Range :

the right depth and width of range ensuring sufficient choice and range completeness
the right price architecture guiding the customer through the options available
the right quality and value ensuring the brand and product propositions fit your business
great on shelf availability (with minimal stock investment) ensuring you maximise your sales
potential off the lowest possible cost base
Also some of the important things which needs to be done
a flexible, responsive, agile supply base to ensure you can follow consumer trends quickly
a better return per square foot than the last range to mitigate the ever increasing cost of property
a better shopping experience for the customer to secure their loyalty, repeat business and increased
basket size
After Range Presentation I was shifted to Mens wear formal wear brand Lombard Sport brand
Byford and Party wear F-factor as well as Bare leisure and JM sport
In buying after Range presentation and selection of the product range there is order placement ( final
order sheet , vendor management ,negotiations, and close closure.)
2.2. Merchandise Category code ( MCC )
So I started working for Initial MCC for the shortlisted samples in which are as follows :

ADHAR LINE NO
Brand

MENS
Bare Leisure

PRODUCT

SHIRT

SUB CLASSIFICATION

SHIRT

OPTION

MENS
Bare Leisure
SHIRT
SHIRT
1

MC CODE

MC NAME

BARELEISURESHIRTS BARELEISURESHIRTS

PRODUCT CATEGORY

XXVIII

SOURCING
BLOCK(COLLECTION)

FASHION

FASHION

ADHAR LINE NO
PHOTO SHOOT

SEASON

1
AW15

AW15

Fabric Indent No

AW15/BLM/WYD/SH06

AW15/BLM/WYD/SH14

Count

LTL
Arvind
Navy
40*40

LTL
Arvind
Navy
40*40

Construction

122*76

122*76

CONTENT

DESIGN

100% COTTON
Normal
Plain
CHECKS

100% COTTON
Normal
Plain
CHECKS

YD, PD, Print

YD

YD

BUYER REF
NAME/POS/COLLECTION

URBAN CHECKS

URBAN CHECKS

A
C
700

C
A
1100

20
720
899
HS

16
1116
999
FS

Hit

PICTURE
PRODUCT LIKE
Mill Name
Colour

Finish
Weave

TRENDIN GRADING
PT Grading
PT QTY
TRENDIN QTY
MCC QTY
MRP
Sleeve

This is Merchandise category code ( MCC ) which includes all the description about the product
classification. I collected the garment samples from designers put the pictures of that in the sheet also
cut the swatches for the same. This sheet also includes
I have done this for all the five brands Byford, Lombard , F-Factor, Bare leisure and JM sport so this
also includes collecting samples from sourcing team sometimes they dont have it I contacted
Vendors directly to get the samples for that I have to negotiate for the delivery dates.
This activity is to be done to know the product description and in this I also mentioned online website
Trendins Rating and quantity for the same which is discussed before. Taking a picture for the rest of
XXIX

the garments and if the sample is not ready have to collect swatches for the same from sourcing team
or else from designers ( CAD ) and then take a picture and put it in the MCC which is very time
consuming process.
It almost took a month to complete this activity while doing this activity I also given a task from a
designer to do a research for a new brand for which I have to make a looks, styling (garments,
accessories, shoes etc.) so I was doing that also at the same time. So I mailed all the possible looks
which I found it would be better for the brand.
2.3 AW 14 Seasonal Performance
After that I started working for AW14 seasonal performances for all the five brands in which I did
analysis according to the data given which is as follows :
1.

Byford good seller

XXX

Average seller

Slow movers

Criteria for Byford

Min 60 stores
Min inward of 1000 Pcs.
Min 16 weeks full value shelf life
Min 0.5 ROS on full price _ good sellers
XXXI

Less than 0.2 ROS on full price _ slow movers ( even on discount rate of sale is bad )
ROS of 0.3 and above on full price & during EOSS where _ average
2. F-factor Good seller

Average seller

XXXII

Slow movers

3. Lombard Good seller

XXXIII

Average Seller

Slow movers

For another two Brands JM sport and Bare leisure I also did the same Examined all the data
given and find the solution from the criteria given and categorized respectively.
This are the Seasonal Performances for the different five brands by which buyer can identify
the Perticular product that which product did well in the last season and according to the data
XXXIV

given he can categorized the same and take the decision whether to repeat the style or to
discontinue. So I made the presentation accordingly and buyer gave it in front of all team of
the brands which includes designer , head designer , senior buyer , assistant buyer and I also
attended the presentation. Where they have discussed about brand portfolio also that this
particular style is very good in business in the market so it should be repeated.
While giving presentation we were showcasing the real sample also so that designer get to
know about the fabric also that this particular Fabric done well in the season or it should be
done on another fabric base.
2.4 PC MRP REVIEW ( COST REVIEW )
After completing Seasonal Performance of AW14 was given a task of completing Cost review
PC MRP review which includes all products Cost, MRP, Margin so Cost of all styles was
given to Category team from sourcing department which is finally updated and then Category
decides according to the data base of product Range.
Byford

XXXV

F-Factor

Lombard

Bare leisure

XXXVI

JM sport

XXXVII

Chapter 3
3.1 Option Plan
As an assortment planner, you use options to help you plan the optimal assortment breadth
(the number of different products carried by the retailer) and product depth (the number of
variations (options) of each product sold). Based on the selected option-relevant product
attributes for each category, you determine the number of options required for the different
location clusters.
You typically carry out the option planning process well in advance of determining the final
product mix, using historical sales data to help you decide what to sell in the upcoming
assortment season. The process is subject to constraints such as approved purchase budgets.
Category planning
In a multi-channel world, retailers should think about having a single, joined-up category plan
irrespective of the number of channels in order to tie back to the single trading strategy to
align channels towards a common objective. Category roles (e.g. fresh fruits and vegetables
as a destination / impulse category and newspapers and magazines as a convenience / impulse
category) should be applied consistently across channels so that they are aligned to consumer
demands.
Types of option plan
1>
20 crore budget

50% denim
30% T-shirt
20% Shirts

Value

Avgas MRP

10 cr.
6 cr.
4 cr.

1200
500
1000

10*3
20*2
70*1

10*3*10
20*2*10
70*1*10
Prepack
Eaches

Qty ( value/Avgas
MRP)
80000
120000
40000
300
400
700
1400
600

Total Order 100

70% Prepack total 1400
30% Eaches order 600
Total
2000
No. of options = 40000/2000
= 20 option

XXXVIII

2> Capacity wise

Area

480
No of Wall Profiles (2ft
Standard)

A
stores

B
stores
8

8
2

Hanging Options Per Fixture

Stacking Options Per Fixture

Total Options

64

4
Wall

48

No of "I" Browser
Hanging Options
0
Total Options

No of Two Way Browsers

Hanging Options

Total Options

32

No of Table

Stacking Options

28

Table

Total Options

56

Total

Display Options

152

4
4
Browser

16
2
24
48
112

3.2 Optimum Development of Option Plan

Objectives :
To reduce the excess sampling - While Range presentation where designers showcases
their collection of a particular season ( AW 15 ) in which they developed certain number
of option ( shirts, bottoms etc.) for each brand to show so at the end of the Presentation if
you can check actual number of option then it Is lesser then it was. Buyers select lesser
number of option then it was developed due to Fabric problem, color outcomes , print
outcomes etc. which incurred wasting of time money and manpower also. so this should
be avoided or minimized.

XXXIX

To bring the transparency between all the departments roles and their inter department
communication

To take new point of all concerned department. & roll out the conclusion on how to
implement the same on the option plan

Option plan for

Lombard Shirts
AW'14
MCC

Remarks

Mrp

Optn
count

Optn
mix

Volume

volume
mix

PCMRP

Intake
margin

Avg
Mrp

Avg
PC

Lombard Shirts

1099

Lombard Shirts

1199

2%

2000

3%

28.36%

71.6%

1199

340

Lombard Shirts

1299

19

30%

19183

29%

31.56%

68.4%

1299

410

Lombard Shirts

1399

27

42%

29021

44%

31.24%

68.8%

1399

437

Lombard Shirts

1499

13

20%

12044

18%

28.49%

71.5%

1499

427

Lombard Shirts

1599

6%

4014

6%

29.33%

70.7%

1599

469

64

100%

66262

86%

30.77%

69.23%

1394

429

LMSH Total

AW15

MCC

Remarks

Mrp

OPT
PLAN

OPT
MIX

VOLUME
MIX

VOL

Avg
MRP

Avg
CP

Margin

Lombard Shirts

1099

Lombard Shirts

1199

23

35%

32%

23000

1199

350

70.8%

Lombard Shirts

1299

26

40%

40%

28600

1299

410

68.4%

Lombard Shirts

1399

16

25%

27%

19200

1399

445

68.2%

Lombard Shirts

1499

Lombard Shirts

1599
65

100%

100%

70800

1294

400

69.08%

LMSH Total

XL

30

25
20
15

AW 14
AW 15

10
5
0
1099

1199

1299

1399

1499

1599

F-Factor shirts
AW14
F factor shirts

699

F factor shirts

799

F factor shirts

899

10%

14108

25%

31.48%

68.52%

899

283

F factor shirts

999

13%

7465

13%

29.83%

70.17%

999

298

F factor shirts

1099

F factor shirts

1199

21

34%

18460

33%

30.44%

69.56%

1199

365

F factor shirts

1299

14

23%

9375

17%

30.18%

69.82%

1299

392

F factor shirts

1399

10

16%

5769

10%

30.24%

69.76%

1399

423

F factor shirts

1499

5%

1050

2%

31.82%

68.18%

1499

477

62

100%

56227

73%

30.54%

69.46%

1140

348.2

F SH-Total

AW15
OPT PLAN

OPT MIX

VOLUME MIX

VOL

Avg MRP

Avg CP

Margin

15%

25%

13125

899

283

68.5%

F factor shirts

699

F factor shirts

799

F factor shirts

899

F factor shirts

999

F factor shirts

1099

F factor shirts

1199

12%

11%

5500

1199

365

69.6%

F factor shirts

1299

10

24%

21%

11000

1299

392

69.8%

F factor shirts

1399

12

29%

26%

13200

1399

423

69.8%

F factor shirts

1499

20%

17%

8800

1499

477

68.2%

41

100%

100%

51625

1246

384

69.20%

F SH-Total

XLI

25

20

15
AW 14
AW 15

10

0
699

799

899

999

1099

1199

1299

1399

1499

Byford shirts
AW14
AW'14
MCC

Remarks

Mrp

Optn
count

Optn
mix

Volume

volume
mix

PCMRP

Intake
margin

Avg
Mrp

Avg
PC

Byford Shirts

1199

Byford Shirts

1299

2%

1014

2%

29.64%

70.36%

1299

385

Byford Shirts

1399

8%

4339

7%

32.24%

67.76%

1399

451

Byford Shirts

1499

19

40%

27706

46%

30.89%

69.11%

1499

463

Byford Shirts

1599

24

50%

27829

46%

24.14%

75.86%

1599

386

48

100%

60888

100%

30.83%

69.17%

1534

473

BYSH Total

AW15

Mrp

OPT
PLAN

OPT
MIX

VOLUME
MIX

VOL

Avg
MRP

Avg
CP

Margin

Byford Shirts

1199

10

21%

21%

12000

1199

380

68.3%

Byford Shirts

1299

14

29%

29%

16800

1299

385

70.4%

Byford Shirts

1399

14

29%

29%

16800

1399

430

69.3%

Byford Shirts

1499

10

21%

21%

12000

1499

440

70.6%

Byford Shirts

1599
48

100%

100%

57600

1349

409

69.7%

MCC

BYSH Total

Remarks

XLII

30

25
20
15

AW 14
AW 15

10
5
0
1199

1299

1399

1499

1599

Interaction between the departments

1> Sourcing Department
Fabric Sourcing
Following are the reasons which I found while interacting with the fabric Sourcing Team
Incorrect Fabric being Inhoused
Colour outcome , Print outcome or delayed delivery dates

Garment Sourcing
2> Planning Department
Planning team give the option plan they can suggest that particular style can be repeated
through sales (SSPD) of style but basically they give option plan on the basis of Store
(display) Area. Repeating previous best sellers to avoid new development so that
Allocation become smooth.
3> Design Department & Category Department
While introducing the New season theme based collection CAD designer make 130%
options which they have to show to the designers for that they have to make 140% so out
of that Designers developed 120% options out of which finally 100% option is being
finalized.
Category person must have vision of a final product which comes out after development
which is lacking apart from having the knowledge of sales analysis, sale through, buying
XLIII

skills , numbers buyer must have knowledge about the product which is a core thing for a
designer. for buyer it is also needed.

Flow chart representing Interaction between the Departments

Planning

Design

Sourcing

Buying

Give option plan to the category according to store space & budget they have
Should repeat the best sellers to avoid new development

Designers Developed 20 % more options

Cad designers Developed 10% more than that

fabric sourcing incorrect fabric , colour outcome, print outcome

Garment sourcing delivery dates ( vendor selection )

Byford is a new brand so experimenting is the only key to know the

performance

XLIV

Chapter 4
4.1 Conclusion

I think to Reduce the excess of option plan every person from Category, Design,
Planning, Sourcing Team have to sit together and list down the things which can be
removed or reduce which is lacking to develop the option plan.

4.2 Key Learning

Getting a wonderful Team to be interact with and working under Arivu sir is like doing a Real
Job I sometimes feels like I am an employee. I think Employees are the soul of the company
Punctuality
how to maintain a relation with a co-team
good hand in excel
Even in hard situation here people talks like team mates to solve the companys
problem/issues
Patience word I really learn from this organization

XLV