‘You have to think on your feet, innovate’

Saurabh Ray, 30, marketing manager for home décor and furnishings chain @Home, says the main function of a retail logistics manager is to coordinate with units through the supply chain to ensure the right product is available at the right time.

Saurabh Ray, 30, marketing manager for home décor and furnishings chain @Home, says the main function of a retail logistics manager is to coordinate with units through the supply chain to ensure the right product is available at the right time.

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What are the skills and educational qualifications required for this field?
A retail logistics manager must have a specialised educational background and must also have some experience in modern retail or the logistics industry. I have an MBA in Retail & Marketing

Is this a good career choice in Mumbai?
Mumbai has great potential for retail logistics, since it is a city with a large population and growing disposable incomes. This means more stores and more supply chains to manage for them.

What are the challenges of this job?
The main challenge is finding that balance between ensuring a continuous and uninterrupted supply of products to your stores and still remaining very flexible when it comes to making changes in a product as per a consumer’s demands. Retail logistics also involves carefully balancing resources to reduce wastage of products and maximise profitability.

What advice do you have for youngsters who want to enter the retail logistics sector?
Retail is detail. It goes beyond balance sheets and profit margins, and forces you to think on your feet and innovate. In retail logistics, where goods are moving all the time, there is no scope for error. Every day is a new learning experience, another opportunity to understand the consumer better and improve business processes.