Senior Womenswear Merchandiser (Mat Cover)

Senior Womenswear Merchandiser (MAT Cover)

Kingston-Upon-Thames (4 days in office, 1 day from home)
Full-TIme

At Crew Clothing, we believe clothes are about so much more than “just clothes”. Designed with the spirit of the south coast in every stitch, our crossed oars are a mark of timeless British style. These are clothes for life’s best moments.
We believe in collaboration, kindness and creativity, in celebrating our successes and championing our customer at every step of the way. From ’93 to now, people have been at the heart of everything we do. It’s in our name – Crew.

Purpose of the role

Support the wider Merchandising team in all aspects of the Merchandising function. To maximise profit and cash sales through efficient stock management, potentializing sales and minimising markdown. To plan and trade each range ensuring that profits are potentialized, within agreed company objectives.

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
• To ensure that orders are placed in line with system forecasts and ordering cycles
• 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 & Responsibilities

Essential –

• Strong excel skills
• Experience within a Merchandiser role
• 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.
• 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

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