Merchandise Manager

Live Nation (Music) UK Limited; Greater London; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Tickets to events

Unlimited annual leave

In-office coffee bar

Gym access

Staff events

Job summary

Live Nation is seeking an ambitious Merchandise Manager to lead a best-in-class merchandising programme across our UK festival portfolio, including Download, Latitude, Reading and Leeds festivals. You will work closely with the SVP Marketing to turn merchandise into a meaningful revenue stream and a powerful expression of each festival’s identity.

You will define product and retail strategies, manage supplier relationships, and create festival-wide merchandising that extends beyond event

Qualifications

• Proven experience in merchandise, buying, retail, consumer products, licensing or e-commerce, ideally within live entertainment, music, fashion, sport or another brand-led environment.
• Experience managing suppliers, manufacturers, licensees and/or retail operators, with a practical understanding of production lead times, supply chain and quality control.
• The ability to take a creative idea through to a commercially viable product and a compelling fan experience.
• Excellent stakeholder-management skills and confidence working with senior leaders, external production partners, festival teams and brand partners.
• A highly organised, hands-on and calm approach, with the judgement to prioritise and solve problems in a fast-moving live-events environment.
• Deep affinity with music, festivals, fashion and culture, and an instinct for what fans will value and share.

Responsibilities

• Manage the merchandise vision and commercial strategy across UK festivals.
• Develop and deliver annual merchandise strategy to grow revenue, margin, fan engagement and brand equity.
• Create festival-specific merchandise propositions reflecting audience and brand identity.
• Build seasonal and event-led trading calendars across on-site retail, e-commerce and limited-edition drops.
• Identify new product categories, licensing opportunities and collaborations to year-round franchise.
• Set commercial targets, forecasts, and present plans to senior stakeholders.
• Partner with production and retail operators to deliver high-quality on-site experiences.
• Manage suppliers, manufacturers, licensees and fulfilment partners to meet quality and delivery standards.
• Establish robust critical paths and readiness plans for each festival.

Skills

Merchandise management

Supplier management

Retail strategy

Brand partnerships

Stakeholder management

Project management

Job description

Job Summary

Company: Live Nation Department: Marketing Location: Farringdon, London Reports to: SVP Marketing Working Hours: Full time Job Type: Permanent

Role Description

Live Nation is looking for an ambitious, commercially minded Merchandise Manager to build and lead a best‑in‑class merchandise programme across our UK festival portfolio including the likes of Download, Latitude, Reading and Leeds festivals. This is a high‑impact role at the intersection of brand, fan experience, retail and partnerships. You will work closely with the SVP Marketing, festival marketing and operations teams, production partners and each festival’s leadership team to turn merchandise into a meaningful revenue stream and a powerful expression of each festival’s identity. From defining product and retail strategies to leading partner and supplier relationships, you will create distinctive merchandise experiences that fans want to wear, collect and share. You will help extend each festival beyond the event weekend—building cultural relevance, strengthening loyalty and creating new opportunities for key brands to reach audiences authentically.

What we can offer you

Live Nation offers impressive employee benefits including tickets to shows and festivals and unlimited annual leave. The Farmiloe Building in Farringdon, London is a beautiful office to work in. Staff can enjoy use of arcade games in the basement games room, onsite gym equipment plus fitness and meditation classes. In addition to this, the office has a fully stocked complimentary coffee bar with barista to serve you your favourite coffee as you walk into the office and offers heavily subsidised lunch options. We hold regular staff events in our atrium stage space including hosting speakers and open mic nights to showcase Live Nation employee talent.

Who you are

• Proven experience in merchandise, buying, retail, consumer products, licensing or e-commerce, ideally within live entertainment, music, fashion, sport, youth culture or another brand‑led environment.
• Experience managing suppliers, manufacturers, licensees and/or retail operators, with a practical understanding of production lead times, supply chain and quality control.
• The ability to take a creative idea through to a commercially viable product and a compelling fan experience.
• Excellent stakeholder‑management skills and confidence working with senior leaders, external production partners, festival teams and brand partners.
• A highly organised, hands‑on and calm approach, with the judgement to prioritise and solve problems in a fast‑moving live‑events environment.
• Deep affinity with music, festivals, fashion and culture, and an instinct for what fans will value and share.

What the role includes

• Manage the merchandise vision and commercial strategy
• Help develop and deliver the annual merchandise strategy across Live Nation’s UK festivals, with clear plans to grow revenue, margin, fan engagement and brand equity.
• Create festival‑specific merchandise propositions that reflect each brand’s audience, cultural position and creative identity, while identifying opportunities for portfolio‑wide scale and efficiency.
• Build integrated seasonal and event‑led trading calendars across on‑site retail, e‑commerce, pre‑order, limited‑edition drops and relevant third‑party channels.
• Identify new product categories, licensing opportunities and collaborations that can grow each festival into a year‑round franchise.
• Set commercial targets, own forecasts and present clear performance plans and recommendations to senior stakeholders.
• Partner with production companies and retail operators to deliver high‑quality, commercially effective on‑site retail experiences.
• Manage suppliers, manufacturers, licensees and fulfilment partners, ensuring product quality, sustainability, delivery timelines, cost control and service levels meet Live Nation’s standards.
• Establish robust critical paths and readiness plans for every festival, resolving issues quickly in a live‑event environment where timing and execution are everything.
• Undertake post‑event reconciliation, using learnings to improve future ranges, buys and customer experience.
• Act as the central merchandise lead between the SVP Marketing, festival stakeholders, production companies, Finance, Partnerships, Legal, Operations, e‑commerce and external retail partners.
• Translate festival marketing plans and audience insight into product stories, launch moments and retail activations that amplify campaign objectives.
• Build trusted relationships with festival teams, balancing shared standards and commercial discipline with the individuality of each festival brand.
• Ensure all activity is aligned with licensing, brand governance, rights, health and safety, sustainability and responsible sourcing requirements.
• Turn audience, trend and commercial insight into clear actions—improving product selection, pricing, retail layout, creative treatment, marketing support and partner strategy.
• Monitor youth culture, fashion, music, festivals and retail innovation to ensure Live Nation’s merchandise remains current, differentiated and culturally relevant.
• Build repeatable ways of working, templates and best practices that raise the standard of merchandise delivery across the UK festival portfolio.

Success in This Role Looks Like

Merchandise is recognised as a material, growing revenue stream across the UK festival portfolio. Every festival has a distinctive, fan‑relevant product offer and retail experience that strengthens its brand. On‑site execution is smooth, stock is well managed and product availability supports demand at the moments that matter. Brand collaborations feel additive and credible, creating greater reach and value for partners and fans. Festival teams and senior stakeholders have clear visibility of performance, priorities and opportunities for growth.

Equal Opportunities

We are passionate and committed to our people and go beyond the rhetoric of diversity and inclusion. You will be working in an inclusive environment and be encouraged to bring your whole self to work. We will do all that we can to help you successfully balance your work and homelife. As a growing business we will encourage you to develop your professional and personal aspirations, enjoy new experiences, and learn from the talented people you will be working with. It’s talent that matters to us and we encourage applications from people irrespective of their gender identity, race, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability status or caring responsibilities.

The Company

The Company Live Nation Entertainment is the world’s leading live entertainment company, comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Media & Sponsorship. Ticketmaster is the global leader in event ticketing with over 500 million tickets sold annually and more than 12,000 clients worldwide. Live Nation Concerts is the largest provider of live entertainment in the world promoting more than 40,000 shows and 100+ festivals annually for nearly 4,000 artists in over 40 countries. These businesses allow Live Nation Media & Sponsorship to create strategic music marketing programs that connect over 1,000 brands with the 98 million fans that attend Live Nation Entertainment events each year. For additional information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com.

Our world‑class teams specialise in all aspects of the live entertainment industry, from ground‑breaking innovations in ticketing, global venue development and operations, concert promotion and production, sales and brand partnerships, and unparalleled artist management supported by professionals in all facets of corporate operations. We believe in taking care of the countless employees helping artists bring live music to fans all around the world. Our many unique benefit programs are designed to help our teams live life to the fullest including generous vacation, healthcare, retirement benefits, student loan repayment, tuition reimbursement, six months of paid caregiver leave for new parents including fostering and perks like Roadie Babies helping new parents care for their babies on work trips. And of course, access to free live events through our exclusive employee ticketing program. There is no bigger stage for your career. See what your future looks like at Live Nation Entertainment.