Market Merchandiser - Softgoods

Pentland Brands Limited; Long Beach (CA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Discretionary bonus

Product discounts

Paid time off

Job summary

Pentland Brands, the parent behind Speedo, seeks a Market Merchandiser to optimize assortments across key markets. You will translate consumer insights into market-ready ranges, collaborate with brand, commercial, and supply chain teams, and drive profitability through lifecycle management and exclusive programs.

In a fast-paced, hybrid environment, you’ll shape 3-year range plans, analyze trends, and partner with distributors to capture growth while upholding the brand identity and value

Qualifications

• 5+ years experience in market merchandising, ideally within the retail, lifestyle, or consumer goods sector.
• Proven strategic planning and range management expertise, with a track record of tailoring product assortments to meet specific consumer demands and market nuances.
• Advanced analytical skills with a focus on using consumer insights and performance data to drive product decisions and maximize range performance.
• Proficiency in pricing strategy development and product lifecycle management, ensuring consistent alignment with brand positioning and commercial goals.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, with experience building alignment across product, sales, and supply chain teams to support cohesive go-to-market strategies.
• Demonstrated leadership abilities, with a passion for mentoring and developing talent within a high-performing team environment.
• Experience using Excel and Powerpoint, building executive summary product decks and experience with PLM is preferred.
• Thrives in a fast-paced, team-first, high-energy environment, with a positive, can-do, customer-focused attitude.

Responsibilities

• Support and execute the merchandising strategy for key markets, and channels balancing a mix of Core, NPD, and Exclusives to meet local consumer preferences and sales targets.
• Support the creation of 3-year range plans that are market-specific, aligning with brand and commercial objectives while supporting long‑term regional growth.
• Collaborate with brand and commercial teams to ensure that the product range resonates with the market positioning and consumer expectations, reinforcing the brand's identity and value proposition.
• Continuously gather and analyze consumer insights and competitive data to inform product selection, positioning, and promotional strategy.
• Use market intelligence to anticipate trends and adjust merchandising plans proactively, ensuring that the brand stays ahead in consumer relevance and appeal.
• Conduct post-season reviews to understand product performance, leveraging data to refine and optimize future assortments.
• Experts of the marketplace, understand the different Markets, Channels, Distribution routes for the region.
• Identify new growth opportunities, with Commercial teams.
• Create strong feedback loop and partner with Key accounts and distributors to gather relevant and valuable insights
• Filter and manage exclusive and SMU (Special Make‑Up) requests for strategic customers, ensuring alignment with customer needs, market demands, and brand direction.
• Partner with the commercial team in co‑creation sessions, pre‑line meetings, and sell‑in presentations to align product plans with customer and commercial goals.
• Consolidate and submit clear, well‑briefed SMU requests to Global Product Merchandising for alignment with the global strategy.

Skills

Market merchandising

Strategic planning

Analytical skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Excel

PowerPoint

PLM experience

Leadership

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

PLM

Job description

We’re Pentland Brands: a global family business behind some of the world’s most iconic active and lifestyle brands. We bring integrity, energy and ambition to our work, setting high standards and striving to deliver great outcomes without ego.

Design sport-inspired apparel built for style, movement and confidence.

At Speedo, product has to do more than look good. It has to move with the swimmer, feel comfortable in the water and support performance, confidence and freedom of movement, whether someone is training, competing, learning or simply enjoying the swim.

Key Purpose:

The Market Merchandiser supports market-specific merchandising strategies that optimize product assortments across core and emerging markets. By combining consumer insights, market intelligence, brand positioning, and financial objectives, this role ensures product offerings are relevant, profitable, and aligned with strategic business goals. The Market Merchandiser plays a key role in driving product performance, increasing market share, and supporting sustainable growth.

Primary Responsibilities:

Market Strategy and Range Planning

• Support and execute the merchandising strategy for key markets, and channels balancing a mix of Core, NPD, and Exclusives to meet local consumer preferences and sales targets.
• Support the creation of 3-year range plans that are market-specific, aligning with brand and commercial objectives while supporting long‑term regional growth.
• Collaborate with brand and commercial teams to ensure that the product range resonates with the market positioning and consumer expectations, reinforcing the brand's identity and value proposition.

Consumer and Competitor Insights

• Continuously gather and analyze consumer insights and competitive data to inform product selection, positioning, and promotional strategy.
• Use market intelligence to anticipate trends and adjust merchandising plans proactively, ensuring that the brand stays ahead in consumer relevance and appeal.
• Conduct post-season reviews to understand product performance, leveraging data to refine and optimize future assortments.
• Experts of the marketplace, understand the different Markets, Channels, Distribution routes for the region.
• Identify new growth opportunities, with Commercial teams.
• Create strong feedback loop and partner with Key accounts and distributors to gather relevant and valuable insights

Pricing and Lifecycle Management

• Support market-specific pricing strategies, ensuring competitiveness while maintaining alignment with overall brand positioning and financial objectives.
• Manage the product lifecycle process for each market, ensuring seamless transitions between product launches, seasonal updates, and end‑of‑life phases to maximize profitability and minimize markdowns.
• Lead and support initiatives to optimize SKU productivity, ensuring an efficient and effective assortment that meets market demand without overstock or underperformance issues.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Partner with product development, commercial sales, and marketing teams, ensuring that market merchandising plans align with broader brand campaigns and business priorities.
• Work closely with supply chain and inventory management teams to ensure optimal stock levels, timely replenishments, and minimal stock‑outs, supporting market demand and promotional activities.
• Partner in cross‑functional alignment meetings to share insights, present merchandising strategies, and secure buy‑in from stakeholders for product and promotional initiatives.

Management of Exclusive and SMU Requests

• Filter and manage exclusive and SMU (Special Make‑Up) requests for strategic customers, ensuring alignment with customer needs, market demands, and brand direction.
• Partner with the commercial team in co‑creation sessions, pre‑line meetings, and sell‑in presentations to align product plans with customer and commercial goals.
• Consolidate and submit clear, well‑briefed SMU requests to Global Product Merchandising for alignment with the global strategy.

Qualifications & Experience:

• 5+ years experience in market merchandising, ideally within the retail, lifestyle, or consumer goods sector, with a strong understanding of regional and global market dynamics.
• Proven strategic planning and range management expertise, with a track record of tailoring product assortments to meet specific consumer demands and market nuances.
• Advanced analytical skills with a focus on using consumer insights and performance data to drive product decisions and maximize range performance.
• Proficiency in pricing strategy development and product lifecycle management, ensuring consistent alignment with brand positioning and commercial goals.
• Strong cross‑functional collaboration skills, with experience building alignment across product, sales, and supply chain teams to support cohesive go‑to‑market strategies.
• Demonstrated leadership abilities, with a passion for mentoring and developing talent within a high‑performing team environment.
• Experience using Excel and Powerpoint, building executive summary product decks and experience with PLM is preferred.
• Thrives in a fast‑paced, team‑first, high‑energy environment, with a positive, can‑do, customer‑focused attitude.

Why Speedo?

Speedo is one of the world’s most iconic swimwear brands, built on a heritage of innovation, performance and a lifelong love of swimming.

From elite competition to everyday fitness, leisure and learning, Speedo creates product for every type of swimmer. It is a brand trusted in the water because it understands what matters: fit, movement, comfort, durability, confidence and performance.

Joining Speedo means becoming part of a team that cares deeply about helping people feel at home in the water, whether they are chasing a personal best, building confidence, training regularly or discovering the joy of swimming for the first time.

Perks & Benefits

We offer a competitive salary, discretionary bonus, hybrid working, flexible start and finish times, generous paid time off, product discounts, sample sales, medical and healthcare support plus additional benefits designed to support you at work and beyond.

You can find full details of our benefits and perks on our US Benefits page.

Pentland Brands and Speedo are equal opportunity employers and considers all applicants for employment on the basis of their individual capabilities and qualifications, consistent with applicable law and without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, age, religion, creed, national origin, citizenship status, sexual orientation, genetic information, physical or mental disability, military status or any other characteristic protected under federal, state or local law. In addition to complying with all applicable laws, we have a strong corporate commitment to inclusion, diversity and to ensuring that all current and future associates are compensated solely on job‑related factors such as skill, ability, educational background, work quality, experience and potential. To achieve these goals, applicants are asked not to disclose salary history information.