SENIOR RETAIL MERCHANDISER

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Senior Retail Merchandiser to join a successful and growing fashion retailer. This is a senior merchandising position responsible for delivering the merchandise strategy across the retail estate. Working closely with Buying, Planning and Supply Chain, you will ensure stores have the right product, in the right quantities, at the right time, maximising sales, availability and profitability. This is a highly commercial role where you will use data, insight and forecasting to drive trading decisions, optimise stock investment and continually improve store performance. As a senior member of the merchandising team, you will also play a key role in developing planning processes and identifying opportunities to improve efficiency through AI and modern technology. Key Responsibilities Merchandise Planning • Develop seasonal merchandise plans aligned with sales and margin targets. • Build accurate sales, stock and intake forecasts across product categories. • Manage WSSI and OTB to ensure stock investment is optimised throughout the season. • Monitor sell-through, stock cover and intake performance, recommending corrective actions where required. • Work closely with Buying to build commercially balanced product ranges. Retail Trading • Own weekly trading analysis, identifying opportunities and risks across the retail estate. • Drive actions to maximise sales, margin and stock productivity. • Analyse store performance, identifying regional trends and opportunities. • Recommend stock transfers, rebalancing and allocations to maximise availability. • Support promotional and markdown strategies to optimise stock turn while protecting profitability. • Produce regular trading reports and present recommendations to senior management. Stock Management • Manage store allocations and replenishment to ensure excellent product availability. • Monitor stock levels across the estate and take proactive action to resolve availability issues. • Optimise stock productivity and minimise aged inventory. • Support seasonal launch plans and end-of-season exit strategies. • Ensure merchandising data and product information remain accurate across planning systems. Continuous Improvement • Improve merchandising reports, forecasting tools and planning processes. • Use AI and analytical tools to enhance forecasting accuracy and reporting efficiency. • Work collaboratively across Buying, Retail Operations and Supply Chain to improve decision making and execution. About the Candidate The successful candidate will be an experienced Senior Merchandiser with a strong background in fashion or retail merchandising. They will have a proven ability to manage product categories, trade confidently using data and deliver strong commercial results within a fast-paced retail environment. Skills & Experience • Extensive experience in retail merchandising within a fashion or lifestyle retailer. • Strong knowledge of WSSI, OTB, forecasting, allocations and replenishment. • Proven experience managing seasonal product performance. • Excellent commercial awareness and strong analytical skills. • Advanced Excel skills with the ability to manipulate and interpret large data sets. • Experience using merchandising and ERP systems such as SAP or similar. • Confident presenting trading performance and recommendations to senior stakeholders. • Highly organised, detail-oriented and able to manage multiple priorities. • Passionate about continuous improvement and embracing AI and technology to enhance merchandising processes. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced merchandising professional looking to take ownership of a key retail merchandising function within a growing fashion business, where they can make a tangible commercial impact and help shape future merchandising strategy.