Senior Merchandiser

Senior Merchandiser - Outlets
Full-time - Hybrid Working
South West London

Crew Clothing Company was founded in Salcombe in 1993.  Today Crew is a great British brand, and our success lies in our authentic passion for producing great looking, well made clothes.  We now have more than 70 stores and a thriving website, and the business continues to grow.

Our people are at the heart of our company.  With a passion for exceptional service, and a love for our product, our team is dedicated to offering the best customer experience – nothing is too much trouble.

Purpose of the role:

Support the Head of Merchandising in all aspects of the Merchandising function.  To maximise profit and cash sales through efficient stock management, potentialising sales and minimising markdown. To plan and trade each range ensuring that profits are potentialised, within agreed company objectives, under the guidance of the Head of Merchandising.

 To ensure that there is a coherent communication strategy for both performance and product issues relating to the rest of the Business.

Responsibilities:

Planning:

• To review historical performance and determine future product strategy, working closely with the Product team.
• To present in commercial sign off and trade meetings to senior management.
• To provide regular performance reviews across all Business channels.
• To review Competitor activity with the Buyer to challenge future product strategy.
• To plan internet and retail requirements, to propose ranging. To ensure that planning is reflected to best meet commercial needs.
• To plan new season buy in line with both range, category and segment planning across all Business channels.
• To determine optimum stock targets, bearing in mind buffer stocks, retail requirements and lead times.
• To plan pricing strategy, working closely with the Product Team to secure overall margin targets.
• To provide regular intake planning details to enable operations to plan resources effectively.
• To manage WSSI to plan and trade department in line with KPI budgets.

Trading

• To ensure that the Monday management pack is reconciled effectively, including validation of stock and sales forecasting.
• To establish an ordering critical path, reflecting catalogue schedules and core seasonal issues.
• To fully potentialise peak trading periods and develop well rounded plans to protect critical trading issues such as August shut down, Xmas and the sale periods.
• To ensure that orders are placed in line with system forecasts and ordering cycles, to validate all forecasts and keep plan in line.
• To plan promotional activity to keep obsolete stocks in line and potentialise sales.
• To understand and trade the MTO side of the business.

Commercial Awareness

• To undertake regular store visits - ideally store visits should be undertaken at least every month.
• To produce appropriate business reports after each visit and follow up action plans.
• To undertake competitor visits on a regular basis, feedback any relevant points and put into place any required action plans.
• To understand, prioritise and work to the critical dates and deadlines in both the planning and trading process.
• To consistently deliver excellent standards of customer service.

Merchandising Systems

• To develop an excellent working knowledge of all Merchandising systems including Wssi tool
• To identify and propose improved working practices and updates to systems.
• To action detailed integrity checks as necessary to ensure the efficient running of the department
• To ensure the team maximise use of the Sales Reactive Allocation System and use to maximise retail sales and profit.

Management, training and development of team and self

• To take responsibility for own personal development and to foster good working relationships across the Business.
• To continually review processes and controls, initiating improvements in best practise as necessary.
• To assist in the development and training of the merchandising team.
• To manage the team on a day to day basis

Key Skills and Experience:

Essential –

• Strong excel skills.
• Highly numerate
• Good presentation skills
• Knowledge of critical path and product lifecycle of similar category
• Commercially aware with interest in fashion retail industry
• Able to work both independently and within a small team.
• Ability to manage heavy workload and meet tight deadlines.
• Experience in a head office Merchandising environment
• Be proactive and self-motivated
• Experience in people management.
• Excellent organisational and problem solving skills.
• Be flexible, enthusiastic and confident

Desirable –

• Experienced in multi channel retailing.
• Previous experience in relevant category.
• Enjoy working in a small/medium sized company.
• Experience with Futura system