Vice President - Wholesale & Offline Channels — USA

About Escape PlanEscape Plan is India's first and fastest-growing Premium Travel Accessories Retail House — the go-to destination for everything travel, from luggage and backpacks to duffles, neck pillows, packing cubes, passport covers, and beyond. Think Decathlon, but built exclusively for the modern traveler. You can refer more details here: www.myescplan.comOur model is built on long-term, exclusive brand licenses. We hold the travel category rights for iconic brands in India including HRX, Rare Rabbit, Snitch, and more. For every licensed brand, we own the full value chain: design, manufacturing, and retail — paying the brand partner a royalty while building the category from scratch.Backed by Jungle Ventures, Fireside Ventures, and Indigo Airlines, Escape Plan has raised $30M to date. Our flagship launch — HRX Travel — went live in May 2024 and crossed $30MM in annualised GMV within six months, a benchmark few travel brands have ever achieved at this pace.We are now building the leadership team that will take Escape Plan into the United States — the world's largest travel goods market. As Escape Plan enters the US physical retail market, we need a tenured wholesale leader who can open doors at America's most important brick-and-mortar retailers — and then build the machinery to win on shelf, season after season. This VP will be our most senior US-based offline commercial hire, reporting directly to the Business Head, with full P&L accountability for all wholesale and physical retail revenue.You will be the person who puts our US licensed brands into Walmart, Sam's Club, Macy's, Nordstrom, Target, Costco, and beyond. You'll negotiate the deals, design the assortment by account, build the in-store experience, and manage every link of the wholesale chain from sell-in to sell-through.Title: Vice President — Wholesale & Offline Channels - USAReports To: Business Head, Escape PlanLocation: USA — Hybrid (NYC / LA / Dallas preferred)Travel: ~45–50% (buyer meetings, trade shows, store visits, half yearly India HQ)Category Req. Minimum 15 years in luggage, travel bags, travel accessories in the USAP&L Scope: Full US wholesale revenue, gross margin, co-op, and returns managementTeam Scope: Build and lead the US wholesale sales function (0→team) WHAT YOU WILL OWN1. Major Account Strategy & Ownership•     Own and grow Escape Plan's strategic retail partnerships across all priority US accounts: Walmart, Sam's Club, Macy's, Nordstrom, Target, Costco, TJMaxx/Marshalls, Burlington, Kohl's, and specialty travel retailers.•     Lead annual buying negotiations per brand — covering cost, margin, terms, MAP policies, return allowances, markdown support, and co-op advertising — with the complexity of managing multiple licensed brand identities within one retail relationship.•     Develop and present brand-specific seasonal sell-in decks: each of our licensed brands has a distinct consumer and aesthetic profile — your pitches need to speak the language of each brand, not just the category.•     Conduct quarterly business reviews with senior buyers and merchant teams; track sell-through by door, identify replenishment opportunities, and proactively manage markdown risk before it becomes a buyer conversation.2. Channel Architecture & Distribution Strategy•     Define the 3-year wholesale distribution strategy — mapping which licensed brands belong in which channels, at what price points, and with what exclusivity arrangements.•     Build a tiered channel model: premium brands department and specialty; mass brands in Walmart/Target; club-exclusive configurations for Sam's Club and Costco; off-price management through TJMaxx and Burlington.•     Develop and enforce MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) and channel exclusivity policies that protect the equity of each licensed brand partner — our brand royalty partners expect their brand to be presented correctly.•     Evaluate and activate specialty retail: airport travel retail, hotel gift shops, destination resort retail, and travel specialty chains.3. Club Channel — Sam's Club & Costco•     Develop channel-exclusive pack configurations and value bundles for club buyers — understanding that club retail is a distinct commercial logic, not simply a larger version of mass retail.•     Plan and execute roadshow events and seasonal end-cap programs at Sam's Club and Costco with measurable sell-through KPIs.•     Manage the cost engineering required to hit club channel margin targets without compromising product quality standards.4. In-Store Excellence & Visual Merchandising•     Partner with our India-based design and brand teams to develop US-market in-store presentations, fixture programs, and POS materials that reflect each brand's identity.•     Build or manage a field sales and merchandising capability (in-house or broker network) to maintain planogram compliance, shelf health, and in-store brand standards across key accounts.•     Drive sell-through with strategic promotional programming aligned to travel peaks: Back to School, Spring Break, Holiday, and summer travel season.5. Off-Price & Inventory Governance•     Develop a disciplined off-price channel strategy to manage excess inventory responsibly through TJMaxx, Ross, Burlington, and similar, without cannibalising full-price retail or damaging licensed brand equity.•     Set clear SKU tiering and markdown governance protocols — the brands we license have earned significant equity in India; protecting that equity in the US is a non-negotiable part of this role.6. Forecasting, Compliance & Operations•     Own the US wholesale demand forecast in close collaboration with Escape Plan's India supply chain team — your seasonal order commitments drive manufacturing decisions 6–9 months in advance.•     Manage order book, cancellation risk, shipping compliance, and on-time delivery performance across all accounts.•     Drive EDI compliance, ASN accuracy, and chargeback reduction — operational excellence is a competitive advantage in US retail.•     Manage vendor portal relationships: Walmart Retail Link, Target POL, Nordstrom NuOrder, and others as relevant.7. Trade Marketing & Industry Presence•     Represent Escape Plan at key US trade shows: the Travel Goods Show (TGA), NY NOW, ATA Marketplace, and relevant lifestyle/fashion trade events.•     Coordinate trade promotion and co-op ad programs with the marketing team to align in-store activations with our licensed brands' national marketing calendars.•     Build Escape Plan's reputation in the US travel goods trade as a best-in-class licensed brand operator — a vendor partner that brings global brand cachet and executes with operational precision.8. Team Leadership•     Recruit and lead the US wholesale team: regional sales directors, key account managers, and field merchandising capability. WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR Non-Negotiables•     15+ years of progressive wholesale sales and key account management in luggage, travel bags, travel accessories in the USA•     Direct, senior-level buying relationships with two or more of: Walmart, Sam's Club, Macy's, Nordstrom, Target, Costco, TJMaxx — you know the merchants by name and they know you.•     Proven track record growing a wholesale business from $100M+ with structured account management discipline and measurable sell-through outcomes.•     Deep knowledge of US retail buying cycles, planogram processes, seasonal markdown structures, and vendor compliance requirements.•     Full wholesale P&L ownership: gross margin management, co-op budgeting, cost negotiation, and chargeback management.•     Experience building and managing field sales teams and/or independent rep networks across multiple US regions.•     Bachelor's degree required; MBA preferred.Strongly Preferred•     Prior VP, SVP, or Director-level experience at a recognised luggage or travel brand — Samsonite, Tumi, Briggs & Riley, American Tourister, Delsey, IT Luggage, or comparable.•     Club channel experience (Costco, Sam's Club): pack configuration, roadshow planning, and the commercial logic of club retail.•     Off-price channel expertise and experience managing brand-protective markdown governance frameworks.•     Existing relationships within airport/travel retail and specialty luggage retail.•     Comfort working with a global, founder-led business headquartered in India — cross-cultural agility and async communication discipline are essential.•     Experience managing a multi-brand licensed portfolio with different brand equity levels in a single channel relationship. LEADERSHIP PROFILEThe right person for this role will be:•     A relationship builder — you have built genuine long-term retail partnerships, not just transactional buyer contacts. Buyers pick up when you call.•     Brand-protective — you understand that consumer brands have equity far beyond their luggage collections, and you guard that equity on every shelf they touch.•     Operationally rigorous — US retail is unforgiving on compliance, chargebacks, and in-stock. You've built the systems to manage this across a large account book.•     A deal-maker and a builder — you're as comfortable closing a new Nordstrom door as you are setting up the team process that manages it every week thereafter. COMPENSATION & BENEFITS•     Base salary: $200,000 – $270,000 commensurate with experience.•     Performance bonus: Significant upside tied to wholesale revenue growth, account activation milestones, and gross margin targets.•     Full US benefits: health, dental, vision, and 401(k).•     Generous T&E budget for account meetings, trade shows, and store visits.How to ApplySend your CV and a short cover note (3–5 sentences) on the single most significant wholesale account you've opened or grown in the luggage or travel accessories category to:rahul@enchantebrands.com | Subject: VP Wholesale USA — [Your Name]We review applications on a rolling basis. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted within 10 business days.