Branch Merchandiser

Brand MerchandiserFull-Time (4 days in office, 1 day from home)Kingston-on-Thames 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 To support the Branch Merchandiser in optimizing the stock packages by channel in order to deliver the channel sales plans and manage stock in the most profitable way. Responsible for supporting the Branch Merchandiser in the development of the MAA and allocators. Responsibilities Store Planning and Trading • Deliver an optimised, balanced range for retail that meets and exceed sales and MD targets. • Set commercial initial allocations by category aligned with planned store turnover, space, cover and implement and manage the seasonal allocation and replenishment strategy by department / category. • Potentialise sales and profit opportunities in stores by grade - Understanding store turnovers, size and commercial grading. • Manage store openings/modernisations/closures and space changes, working closely with B&M to deliver successful launches. • Optimise the trading of stock within the business, understanding the performance across all channels and ensuring delivery of the best return on stock investment. • Feed back market intelligence and analysis to the B&M teams. • Work with retail Heads of Retail, Area Managers and B&M to identify existing and new opportunities. • Manage specific projects, documenting and analysing information and formulating conclusions and recommendations to the business. • Move the business forward through trialling/proposing new ideas. • Analyse and review weekly / monthly / seasonal trade by store and grade versus budget and last year and propose short / medium / longer term actions. • Build relationships and work cross functionally with Retail, Buying and Merchandising and logistics teams. • Regular visits to stores to gather market intelligence and competitor analysis. Distribution • Work closely with Logistics to forecast retail short term dispatch and DC volumes • Work with supply chain/logistics to ensure best delivery day/method/frequency • Work closely with the merchandising to devise allocation best practice methods. • Plan store distribution ensuring each store receives the optimum number and volume of deliveries to ensure availability from a width and depth perspective • Optimise the allocation and replenishment system • Oversee the smooth flow of stock in stops maximising potential through initial allocation, re-assortments, and identify stock to be removed at the end of season for Outlet. • Manage store consolidations in line with Store requirements and budget Key Interfaces • Head of B&M • B&M Teams • Retail • Logistics • Finance People • Management of team of 2. Responsible for performance management and development plans. Key Skills • Strong commercial skills with an in-depth understanding of the High Street • Experience of working in a fast-paced merchandising / planning role • Able to talk knowledgeably about seasonal trends and comfortable discussing product, affinity with product • Collaborative approach – works in partnership with peers in key functions • Excellent communication and influencing skills – able to build effective relationship at all levels and gain buy-in at Senior Management level • Ability to think ‘big picture’ • Strong numerical/analytical skills • Excellent problem-solving skills – solution focused • High attention to detail • Confident decision maker • Flexibility to manage several activities simultaneously • Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines • Ability to work on own initiative and be proactive • Drive for results • Commercial focus • Ability to manage change positively • Commercial and business skills with an understanding of multi-channel retail