Merchandiser

Urban Outfitters, Inc.; Ilford; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 40,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Work-life balance: Flexible start and/

Wellbeing: Employee Assistance Program

Employee Discount: Up to 40% off URBN

Community: One paid day to volunteer

Travel: Cycle to work scheme

Continued Development: LearningOpport

Job summary

Urban Outfitters in Ilford is seeking an experienced Merchandiser with a strong trading mentality to lead planning and trading across multiple categories. You will partner with Buying to build cohesive product ranges and strengthen market position.

You will own seasonal strategy, forecasts, and in-season trading, monitor intake, margins and MD planning, and work in a fast-paced environment to drive profitability.

Qualifications

• Experienced Merchandiser with commercial, trading mindset and ability to work at pace.
• Ability to plan and trade multiple categories and develop cohesive product ranges.
• Strong collaboration with Buying to align departmental strategy and market positioning.

Responsibilities

• Create seasonal strategy for product areas with Buying to tie learning to future opportunities.
• Provide seasonal plans and reforecasts based on sales history and brand strategy.
• Submit monthly sales, stock and markdown forecasts for department plans.
• Own in-season trading by analysing patterns and optimizing speed to market with Buying.
• Monitor weekly intake targets and flag risks to senior management.
• Manage department OTB, identifying risks and opportunities to stay flexible.
• Manage intake margins with Buying to meet targets.
• Plan best-fit product mix by market type and store type.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Retail systems

Prioritization

Flexible / adaptable

Communication skills

Analytical thinking

Decision making

Financial awareness

Partnerships

Trading mentality

Job description

Responsibilities

• Create Seasonal strategy for product areas, alongside Buying, combining lessons learnt and future opportunity
• Provide Seasonal Plans and Re-forecasts for all categories of responsibility driven from sales history and Brand Strategy
• Submit monthly sales, stock and markdown forecasts relating to department plans/forecasts
• Take ownership for in-season trading - analyse trading patterns and identify opportunity for repeats, work with Buying to optimize speed to market.
• Closely monitor intake on a weekly basis. Ensure intake targets are being met on all product areas and are in line with Brand targets. Highlight intake risk to Senior Management team
• Management of Dept's OTB- continually identify risks/ opportunities to maintain flexible OTB
• Manage intake margin alongside Buying counterparts. Agree target margins with
• Merchandising Director and ensure these are met
• Plan best-fit product mix by market type and store type recognizing diverse needs of Brand
• Manage MD and Promotional planning for product areas - strive to minimize MD and drive profitability
• Work within a clear critical path to operate an effective/timely product sign off process, appropriate for product lead-time
• Ensures effective distribution of stock to potentialise store and product performance
• Displays an in-depth, customer-focused knowledge of market and trends and store performance
• Ensures that the correct level of newness is present, and that correct mix of end use is phased in at the appropriate time.

Job Overview

This role is suitable for an experienced Merchandiser who is highly commercial with a strong trading mentality and has the ability to work at pace. Accountable for Planning and Trading multiple categories and will need to partner with Buying to build departmental strategy and develop commercial and cohesive product ranges to strengthen market position.

Key Skills

• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel
• Strong understanding of Retail systems
• Ability to organize and prioritize workload to meet deadlines
• Flexible and adaptable to changing priorities
• Strong communication skills
• Demonstrate logical analysis and positive problem solving skills
• Ability to analyze, present and communicate information in a manner that allows informed decision-making
• Possess an ability to understand financial measurements and how to impact them
• Ability to build and maintain productive partnerships and demonstrate strong listening, oral and written communication skills
• Trading Mentality; ability to work at pace, challenge results and information to identify challenges, drive for results and track record of success.

Company About

Urban Outfitters started out as a single boutique in 1970s Philadelphia with creativity and uniqueness at its core. 50 years on, and over 60 stores across Europe later, we've become a destination for emerging design, unexpected styling, One-Of-A-Kind vintage and homeware that makes you want to hit the share button.

We speak to a social community of over 10 million forward-thinking individuals, bringing together a nostalgia for the past with an enthusiasm to shape the future. The UO community are culturally aware, they shape the music scene, they live a digitally native life and they wear style trends before anyone else. At our core, we empower our customers and staff to express themselves, unapologetically, living life in a way that's truly authentic to them. We are always excited to bring new talent into the room, especially if you share our values:

Values

• Progressive - we move with the mood
• Creative - we champion limitless minds
• Inclusive - we open our platforms to all communities
• Responsible - we work to reduce our impact on the environment
• Compassionate - we care for each other beyond the 9 to 5

Urban Outfitters Perks:

• Work-life balance: Flexible start and finish times, bring your dog to work.
• Wellbeing: Employee Assistance Program, free gym, private medical insurance.
• Employee Discount: Up to 40% off at all URBN Brands.
• Community: One paid day to volunteer or fundraise for a charity.
• Travel: Cycle to work scheme, season ticket loan.
• Continued Development: Structured support and ongoing learning opportunities