Cherish Uwakwe

Category Planning and Buying professional with 7+ years of experience across premium sportswear and fashion retail, combining commercial analytics, assortment planning, inventory strategy, supplier/brand partner coordination and executive reporting. Leads category planning and merchandising for adidas Originals and Sportswear across 12+ retail locations. Uses sales, demand, margin, sell-through and inventory data to shape buying decisions and translate performance insights into in-season actions.

Reported portfolio sales of ■33.9B across 471,076 units from 2023–2026. Experienced in supporting adidas retail expansion through product-level launch readiness, assortment planning and seasonal sell-ins with brand partners.

Category Planner & Merchandising Lead at BrandCo Nigeria Limited (2021 – Present)

adidas Originals & Sportswear; Skechers | 12+ retail locations

• Lead category planning and merchandising across adidas Originals, Sportswear and Skechers, translating commercial targets, customer demand and store performance into seasonal assortment and inventory decisions.
• Own seasonal buy planning for 200+ SKUs, including assortment architecture, size curves, budget recommendations, lifecycle mapping and rate-of-sale analysis.
• Use sales, demand, margin, sell-through and inventory data to identify underperformance, overstock, replenishment opportunities and assortment gaps, then convert findings into trading recommendations.
• Lead Open-to-Buy planning, forecasting and inventory analysis to support margin, turnover and stock productivity objectives.
• Developed store-profile replenishment approaches associated with a 24% year-on-year improvement in sell-through.
• Create weekly performance dashboards and executive-ready reports used by senior leadership and adidas brand partners to guide sales strategy, assortment adjustments and inventory actions.
• Contributed at product level to the launch of adidas Admiralty (1,359 sqm), supporting product readiness, assortment planning and launch execution; also supported product/assortment execution for Akin Adesola, Circle Mall, Novare Lekki Mall and Jabi Lake Mall.
• Travel and collaborate with adidas/brand partners during seasonal sell-ins, bringing market and category insights into product and assortment discussions.
• Partner with Marketing, Retail Operations and Supply Chain on product launches, allocations, campaigns and in-season execution.
• Manage supplier and brand-partner relationships and contribute to commercial requirements, product availability and execution.
• Identify aging inventory and support exit strategies to recover value while protecting margin and improving stock productivity.
• Strengthen operational governance through ERP accuracy initiatives, standardized size charts and improved pricing discipline.
• Mentor analysts on reporting accuracy, analytical thinking and consistent performance reporting.

Sales Associate & Client Growth Support at Skechers (2020 – 2021)

• Exceeded sales targets while using customer feedback and product observations to support planning, visual merchandising and store execution.
• Delivered personalized customer recommendations and supported a consistent in-store experience.

Sales Floor Associate at Havaianas (2019 – 2019)

• Supported customer service, stock accuracy and day-to-day retail operations.

B.Sc. in Applied Biochemistry – Nnamdi Azikiwe University

Master’s in Information Technology (Artificial Intelligence focus)