SUMMARY

The Regional Business Development role will be responsible for driving profitable network expansion and New Store Openings (NSO) across Kerala, in alignment with the overall business plan and expansion strategy of the Brand.

The role will lead market identification, catchment development, property scouting, feasibility assessment, commercial negotiations and end-to-end closure of new store opportunities across High Street and Mall formats. The position will work closely with Operations, Finance, Projects, Legal and other stakeholders to ensure timely, commercially viable and profitable store openings.

The role will also be responsible for building a strong property pipeline, identifying emerging retail markets and growth clusters across Kerala, and continuously improving the quality, productivity and profitability of the regional store network.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Regional Market Strategy & Expansion Planning

- Drive the Kerala expansion strategy in line with the organization's Pan-India business plan and annual NSO targets.
- Identify and prioritize cities, towns, markets, retail clusters and catchments based on market potential, customer demographics, purchasing power, competition and business opportunity.
- Develop short-term and long-term market reach and penetration plans for Kerala.
- Conduct regular market and competition mapping to identify emerging retail destinations, consumption hubs and expansion opportunities.
- Develop and maintain a district-wise, city-wise and cluster-wise property pipeline covering High Streets, Malls and other relevant retail destinations.
- Identify white spaces and under-penetrated markets to support future network expansion.
- Evaluate opportunities across key Kerala markets, including Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Thrissur, Kottayam, Kollam, Kannur, Palakkad and other commercially viable towns.
- Assess opportunities in growing residential catchments, commercial hubs, transit-oriented locations and high-potential regional retail destinations.
- Provide market intelligence, competitor insights and expansion recommendations to the Head – Business Development.

2. Property Identification & Evaluation

- Generate, validate and evaluate property leads across Kerala.
- Identify suitable High Street and Mall properties based on catchment potential, visibility, accessibility, frontage, size, parking, competition and commercial viability.
- Evaluate properties in established retail hubs, emerging commercial corridors, shopping centres and developing residential catchments.
- Conduct property visits and site assessments in coordination with Operations and relevant stakeholders.
- Evaluate the suitability of buildings, locations and catchments against the required store formats, brand positioning and business requirements.
- Assess location-specific factors such as local consumer preferences, accessibility, traffic patterns, seasonality and competing retail developments.
- Build strong relationships with landlords, developers, mall management teams, property consultants and brokers to strengthen the property pipeline.
- Maintain an updated database of available, upcoming and potential properties across Kerala.
- Identify opportunities for relocation, upsizing, downsizing or network optimization wherever commercially justified.

3. Business Feasibility & Commercial Evaluation

- Lead the preparation of market feasibility studies and business cases for identified properties.
- Work closely with Finance to prepare and validate PFR, IRR, ROI and other financial feasibility parameters.
- Conduct catchment and cluster analysis to assess sales potential, customer profile, competitive intensity, occupancy cost, investment requirements and profitability.
- Evaluate store potential considering local purchasing power, population density, tourism-driven demand where relevant, and the strength of surrounding retail infrastructure.
- Assess rental affordability and revenue potential across major cities, secondary markets and emerging towns in Kerala.
- Ensure proposed locations meet approved business and financial thresholds before proceeding for final approval.
- Benchmark rentals, security deposits, CAM, revenue-sharing arrangements and other occupancy-related costs across comparable markets.
- Evaluate the commercial viability of High Street versus Mall locations based on brand requirements and store economics.
- Continuously identify opportunities to improve store economics, optimize capital investment and enhance profitability.

4. Commercial Negotiation & Property Closure

- Lead negotiations with landlords, developers and mall management teams for commercially viable property terms.
- Negotiate rent, lease tenure, escalation, security deposits, CAM, fit-out period, rent-free period, revenue-sharing terms and landlord scope to optimize store economics.
- Benchmark commercial terms across Kerala markets to secure competitive rental and lease structures.
- Drive negotiations to achieve the best possible commercial terms while maintaining strategic location quality and brand suitability.
- Assess the financial impact of lease terms,



escalation clauses, common-area charges and other occupancy-related commitments.
- Coordinate with Legal for title due diligence, property approvals, documentation and agreement closure.
- Ensure timely closure of Letters of Intent (LOIs), lease agreements and other required documentation.
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with key property stakeholders to create a sustainable regional property pipeline.
- Ensure all commercial commitments remain within approved financial parameters and organizational policies.

5. New Store Opening (NSO) Execution

- Drive the end-to-end NSO process from property identification and approval through store opening and Operational Commencement (OC).
- Establish clear timelines, milestones and accountability for each approved new store.
- Coordinate with Projects, Design, Operations, IT, Finance, Legal and other stakeholders to ensure timely execution.
- Monitor fit-out progress, landlord commitments, statutory requirements and project milestones.
- Track site handover, design approvals, civil and interior works, utilities, signage, IT infrastructure and operational readiness.
- Coordinate with relevant teams to address local property-related approvals and documentation requirements.
- Ensure stores achieve OC within approved timelines, budgets and business case parameters.
- Proactively identify and resolve delays, commercial issues, landlord-related dependencies and execution challenges impacting NSO.
- Conduct regular reviews of ongoing projects and maintain an updated NSO tracker for leadership.
- Ensure all stores are delivered in accordance with approved business cases, brand standards and organizational requirements.

6. Post-Opening Performance & Expansion Effectiveness

- Track the performance of newly opened stores against approved PFR, IRR and sales projections.
- Analyze variances between projected and actual store performance and identify corrective actions.
- Work with Operations and Finance to assess sales productivity, occupancy cost, investment recovery and profitability.
- Capture learnings from new store openings and incorporate them into future site selection and feasibility assessments.
- Monitor the performance of new markets and clusters to identify opportunities for further expansion.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of different store formats and property types across Kerala.
- Support the identification of locations that can strengthen overall network productivity and profitability.
- Recommend corrective actions, network optimization or further investment based on actual store performance and market potential.

7. Stakeholder & Cross-Functional Management

- Work closely with the Head – Business Development on regional expansion strategy, property pipeline and NSO delivery.
- Partner with Operations for market assessment, catchment validation, store suitability and operational readiness.
- Partner with Finance for business case preparation, PFR/IRR validation, budgeting and investment approvals.
- Partner with Projects and Design for store planning, fit-out execution, cost control and handover.
- Coordinate with Legal for title due diligence, property documentation, LOIs, lease agreements and closure.
- Work with IT and other support functions to ensure complete pre-opening readiness.
- Collaborate with Group Real Estate and relevant Business Development teams wherever opportunities for joint negotiations, portfolio synergies or property sharing exist.
- Build a strong external network of landlords, mall developers, property consultants, brokers and local market stakeholders across Kerala.
- Provide regular regional expansion MIS, property pipeline reports, feasibility updates and NSO dashboards to leadership.
- Ensure timely escalation of risks, delays, commercial deviations and market challenges.

KEY RESULT AREAS (KRAs)

Focus AreaKey DeliverablesRegional ExpansionAchievement of Kerala NSO and network expansion targetsMarket DevelopmentIdentification and development of new cities, towns, markets and retail clustersProperty PipelineStrong pipeline of quality High Street and Mall properties across KeralaBusiness ViabilityNew stores meeting approved PFR, IRR and profitability parametersCommercial EffectivenessOptimized rentals, occupancy costs, deposits and landlord scopeNSO ExecutionTimely store openings within approved budgets and business timelinesPost-Opening PerformanceNew stores performing in line with approved business projectionsMarket IntelligenceRegular competition, rental benchmarking and market opportunity insightsNetwork ProductivityIdentification of white spaces and opportunities for profitable network optimizationStakeholder ManagementEffective coordination with landlords, developers,



consultants and internal functions

KEY COMPETENCIES

1. Knowledge

- Strong knowledge of Kerala retail markets and the state's commercial real estate landscape.
- Understanding of High Street and Mall ecosystems across Kerala.
- Knowledge of retail expansion strategy, market development and location planning.
- Understanding of Kerala's consumer demographics, regional buying patterns and emerging retail catchments.
- Knowledge of financial feasibility, business case evaluation and retail economics.
- Understanding of PFR, IRR, ROI, occupancy costs and investment appraisal.
- Knowledge of lease commercials, landlord scope and property documentation.
- Familiarity with relevant local property approvals and statutory requirements.

2. Functional Competencies

- Property identification, site scouting and evaluation.
- Commercial and lease negotiation.
- Market, catchment and cluster analysis.
- Retail real estate relationship management.
- New Store Opening and expansion project management.
- Financial analysis and business feasibility assessment.
- Rental benchmarking and occupancy cost optimization.
- Pipeline management, MIS reporting and expansion forecasting.
- Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional coordination.

3. Managerial Competencies

- Business acumen.
- Strategic thinking and market development orientation.
- Results orientation and target achievement.
- Planning, prioritization and execution.
- Influencing and negotiation.
- Collaboration and relationship building.
- Problem solving and decision making.
- Ownership and accountability.
- Commercial judgment and profitability orientation.
- Ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities.

TEAM STRUCTURE & KEY INTERFACES

Reporting Structure

Reports to: Head – Business Development (Network Expansion)

Key Team Interfaces:

- Regional / Cluster Operations Teams
- Projects & Design
- Finance
- Legal
- IT
- Group Real Estate / Business Development

Internal Interfaces

- Head – Business Development: Regional strategy, expansion targets, pipeline review, feasibility approvals and NSO governance.
- Operations: Catchment assessment, store suitability, sales potential and operational readiness.
- Finance: PFR/IRR validation, business cases, budgets and investment approvals.
- Projects & Design: Store planning, fit-out execution, cost control, project timelines and OC readiness.
- Legal: Title due diligence, LOI, lease documentation, agreement closure and compliance.
- IT: Technology infrastructure, systems readiness and pre-opening requirements.
- Group Real Estate / Business Development: Property opportunities, market intelligence, joint negotiations and commercial synergies.

External Interfaces

- Landlords and property owners across Kerala.
- Mall developers and mall management teams.
- Real estate consultants and property brokers.
- Commercial property developers and retail infrastructure stakeholders.
- Local market partners and business networks.
- Relevant property and statutory authorities, in coordination with internal teams.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

- MBA / Postgraduate qualification in Business Management, Retail, Real Estate or a related discipline preferred.
- 10–15+ years of experience in Retail Business Development, Real Estate, Expansion or Current Store Development.
- Strong experience in Kerala retail markets, preferably across multiple cities and districts.
- Proven experience in High Street and Mall property acquisition, commercial negotiation and end-to-end NSO execution.
- Experience in handling large-scale retail expansion programs and managing multiple projects simultaneously.
- Strong understanding of retail real estate economics, market feasibility, lease structures and commercial negotiations.
- Demonstrated ability to build and manage a robust property pipeline and deliver expansion targets.
- Experience working with cross-functional teams to deliver new stores within approved timelines, budgets and profitability thresholds.
- Strong analytical, negotiation, communication and stakeholder management skills.
- Willingness to travel extensively across Kerala for property scouting, market visits, negotiations and NSO monitoring.

Preferred Regional Exposure

Experience across key Kerala markets, including Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Thrissur, Kottayam, Kollam, Kannur, Palakkad, Alappuzha, Malappuram and other commercially viable towns, with flexibility to manage expansion across the entire state.

Candidates with established relationships across Kerala's landlord, developer, mall management and real estate consultant networks will have an added advantage.

SUCCESS PROFILE

The ideal candidate will be a commercially driven retail real estate professional with strong knowledge of Kerala's markets, proven property acquisition and negotiation capabilities, and the ability to deliver profitable network expansion. The individual should combine strategic market development with hands-on site identification, financial evaluation, stakeholder management and end-to-end NSO execution, ensuring sustainable growth and improved network productivity across Kerala.

📌 Easybuy-Business Development-Regional Office-Kerala EB-Regional BD (Kochi)
🏢 Landmark Group
📍 Kochi