Role Overview:
Our Client a highly successful streetwear Brand is looking for a dynamic and proactive Junior Merchandiser or established Assistant Merchandiser to join the growing Buying and Merchandising team.
This is an exciting opportunity for a forward-thinking, ambitious individual to take ownership of their own departments departments, bringing key forecasting, planning, and trading skills to the role.
The successful candidate will report into the Head of Trading and contribute to the overall trading strategy of the Brand.
Focus on strong trade analysis, suggestions, and actions, managing these daily, weekly, and seasonally, collaborating closely with all departments to align product strategy across the business.
Key responsibilities include owning the WSSI, managing intake and OTB, driving and adapting product strategies in season with product-facing departments, and leading seasonal strategy plans and frameworks.
Excellent communication is essential to build strong relationships with all key stakeholders across internal departments and the external supply chain.
Looking for someone proactive, with a keen eye for detail and strong problem-solving ability.
What will you be doing?
* Accurately update and forecast WSSI and category WSSI’s, highlighting opportunities and risks to sales, stock, and intake. Complete monthly reforecasts, presenting key rationale and actions to the Head of Trading and Finance, filtering key actions for buying, merchandising, and production teams.
* Present Womenswear and Swimwear weekly trade meetings to wider teams, summarising highlights and lowlights with actionable insights for all departments.
* Maintain daily awareness of trading performance, especially around collection launches, adapting intake and stock management tasks. React quickly to new and campaign styles, independently drive analysis and areas of focus, bringing creative data presentation and actionable insights.
* Follow up on trade actions with key departments: Ecommerce, Social, Logistics, Production, Design, Suppliers. Feedback results and suggest future strategies and processes.
* Ownership of linecards and repeat forecasting, accurately forecasting and quantifying buys to ensure maximum availability and healthy cover on bestsellers.
* Forecast size ratios for new styles, providing accurate buy ratios for repeats, and complete regular sizing and returns analysis.
* Suggest price amendments for full price and markdown with clear rationale considering cover, margin, seasonality, and discount.
* Proactively manage bestsellers and slow sellers with quantity, date, and price amendments, negotiating with suppliers to achieve the best outcomes while linking actions to WSSI reforecast focuses.
* Develop Womenswear and Swimwear seasonal strategy packs and buy plans, presenting to founders and product teams, monitoring in-season trading, and making reactive amendments to maximise opportunities and manage risks.
* Demonstrate foresight and critical path management with awareness of company, internal, and supplier deadlines. Communicate priorities effectively, focusing on seasonal deadlines, key trading dates, and strategies for short shelf-life products.
* Build strong supplier relationships and understand supply chain capacities, freight method impacts, and key calendar dates.
* Monitor intake levels, manage expectations with warehouses and logistics, report potential lateness risks and opportunities, and suggest freight method amendments when necessary.
* Work closely with buying and design teams, making clear recommendations on new style risks and opportunities: assortment, categories, customer profiles, core/flow lines, quantities, RRP, margin, competitors, trends, and supplier capacity.
* Position and trade pop-up shops, collaborating with external partners, warehouse, and shop floor staff to maximise revenue.
* Build relationships with wholesale partners and the internal wholesale team, understanding trading climates and identifying areas to boost performance.
Candidate Requirements
* Proven track record as a Junior Merchandiser or established Assistant Merchandiser.
* Commercial awareness with a strong trading mindset, reactivity, and creative in-season ideas.
* Passion for the fashion industry.
* Consistently demonstrates foresight, strong organisational skills, and critical path management to maximise opportunities.
* Proven experience with WSSI, intake, OTB management, forecasting, and planning across range building, markdowns, and quantifying buys.
* A team player with a positive attitude and growth mindset.
* Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
* Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
* Proactive, adaptable, and capable of streamlining processes to maximise efficiency.
* Strong communication and negotiation skills, building excellent relationships with supply bases.
* Strong prioritisation and accuracy, with critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Benefits
* 50% Employee Discount
* 24 days holiday per year (plus bank holidays)
* Paid day off on your birthday
* Paid moving day per year
* Hybrid working after probabtion period (1 day/week WFH)
* Pension Scheme (3% employer, 4% employee)
* Bonus scheme
* Employee Assistance Programme for you and your family
* £500 employee referral bonus
* Local business discounts (cafés, fitness, beauty, etc.)
* North-West London office with good transport links
* Casual office dress code
* Fully-stocked kitchens and fridges
* Regular office social events