Merchandiser

If you love beauty, you’re in the right place.

As the ultimate curator of over 100 of the most in-demand, highly innovative and boundary-pushing beauty brands, we are the go-to destination for worldwide beauty discovery.

Together through our neighbourhood stores, online presence and loyalty scheme, Space NK has built a flourishing community in which to discover beauty. The customer is at the heart of everything we do, and we will always endeavour to offer everything they need to help them explore, experiment, and enjoy our brands.

The Merchandiser is responsible for the planning and trading of the department, to ensure stock levels are maintained in line with department requirements to deliver sales and stock targets for their area of responsibility, maximising sales, and profit, whilst minimising markdown risk.

Key Skills and Areas of Responsibility:

• OTB
• Trading
• Promotions/markdowns
• Projects
• Brand & stakeholder relationships

OTB/Trade:

• Weekly management OTB to ensure intake flow into the business is in line with forecast requirement to drive sales and minimise markdown.
• In charge of the weekly order management process, reviewing stock requirements for the department for both replenishment of core and newness.
• Develop and nurture strong working relationship with Brands to maximise sales opportunities. Supporting the buyer with negotiation of RTVs, product swaps etc.
• Accountable for maintaining brand and department availability targets in line with business goals.
• Monday morning trade - Provide weekly trade summaries of key performance indicators within departments of responsibility to the B&M team and the wider business, relating to sales, profit, and markdown versus budget, forecast and last year
• Assessment of over/under performance and the impact on stock levels, proposing actions to mitigate risk and maximise opportunity
• Key contact for all analysis relating to departments of responsibility and the wider business
• Being a key contact for marketing/events and executing all deadlines with the support of the wider team

Planning:

• Work collaboratively with buying team drive sales and profitability and be aligned on category strategy and execution plan
• Drive Annual/ Quarterly feedback sessions to report on Cum & BTA performance based on Planned FY budgets and current run rate
• Set up and manage department WSSI and report back risks and opportunities to Merch Manager
• Plan and implement AGR forecasting to drive out accurate AGR Orders which align with top line business sales/ stock targets

• Produce lessons learnt analysis to feed into the development of the department strategy.
• Plan monthly newness considering sales and stock targets in department WSSI
• Providing brands with long term stock forecasts to guarantee fulfilment of orders.

Promotional/Markdown:

• Accountable for the overall Markdown and Promotional Management of the Department.
• Working with the buyer to select seasonal markdowns, model markdowns and implement to minimise margin erosion but optimise sell through.
• Provide analysis and summary of Markdown and Promotional activity for departments of responsibility and wider business
• Working with Trading, Retail, Buying and Marketing departments to deliver the promotional calendar, events and ensuring stock levels support such activity.

Projects:

• Ability to challenge current processes and implement new ways of working.
• Leading best practice across the merchandising team

Relationships:

• In conjunction with the Inventory Merchandiser lead Quarterly stock meeting with Brands
• Develop and build strong relationships with cross functional partners internally and externally.
• Management and development of an Assistant merchandiser and MAA.

Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience:

• Would suit an established Merchandiser looking for their first Senior Merch position
• Experience of managing brands; luxury and beauty brands desirable but not essential
• Proven track record in a retail business
• Advanced Excel skills

Competencies and Personal Attributes:

• Entrepreneurial mind set and self-motivated.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Enthusiastic and self-confident.
• Analytical with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail
• Ability to interpret large sets of data
• Adaptable, willing to take on new challenges and driven to continually improve.
• Constantly challenging the ways of working and developing best practice approach.
• Ability to demonstrate excellent planning and organisational skills.
• Resourceful and highly commercial.
• Able to handle large volume of workload and prioritise as required.
• Ability to manage upwards.

Please note that only successful candidates will be contacted.

All applicants must have the right to live and work in the UK.

If you want to find out more about us, what it is like to work for us, all about our benefits, and our pledges on Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, please visit our website.

Space NK are an equal opportunities employer.

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We will use the information you provide to us with your job application to help us process your application for the specific job you have applied for. If you apply speculatively, we will process your application for the job/relevant business area that you detail within your email.

Please note that our current system does not use an automated filtering system.

All applications made via the website, through a third-party website or in-store will be kept on file for a period of 12 months.

This information will be retained and used to assess your suitability to similar positions that may arise in the future, or if the initial vacancy becomes live again during the 12-month period. If you would prefer us to not hold your information on file/ you wish to be ‘forgotten’ if you are not offered a position with Space NK, please email your ‘right to be forgotten’ to our recruitment email address with RIGHT TO BE FORGOTTEN as the title of the email. We will always inform you when we have deleted your application details, otherwise we will treat your application as consent to us holding this information.