Head of Merchandising - General Merchandise
A leading UK retail business is seeking an experienced and commercially driven Head of Merchandising to lead the team through a significant period of transformation and play a key role in shaping future growth.
Reporting into the Trading Director, this senior leadership position will be responsible for developing and executing the merchandising strategy across multiple categories, ensuring stock, sales, margin, and availability objectives are achieved while delivering an outstanding customer proposition.
The Role
* Lead and develop a high-performing merchandising team, creating a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
* Define and implement merchandising strategies that support business growth, profitability and customer satisfaction.
* Drive sales, margin, stock turn and inventory optimisation through effective planning and forecasting.
* Oversee range planning, assortment architecture and seasonal trading strategies.
* Partner closely with Buying, Supply Chain, Finance and Ecommerce teams to deliver commercial objectives.
* Utilise customer, market and performance data to identify opportunities and mitigate risks.
* Manage inventory investment, availability and markdown strategies to maximise return on stock.
* Present trading performance, forecasts and strategic recommendations to senior stakeholders.
* Lead the development of merchandising processes, systems and reporting capabilities.
About You
You will be an experienced merchandising leader with a strong track record of delivering commercial results within a fast-paced retail environment.
Key requirements include:
* Significant experience in senior merchandising leadership roles.
* Proven ability to take the team with you on a transformation.
* Strong commercial acumen with a deep understanding of sales, margin, inventory and supply chain dynamics.
* Exceptional analytical and forecasting capabilities.
* Experience leading, coaching and developing sizeable merchandising teams.
* Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence at executive level.
* A strategic thinker who remains highly focused on execution and delivery.
* Experience within general merchandise categories, including - Home, Electrical, DIY, Seasonal, Toys, Leisure, etc
The Opportunity
This is a rare opportunity to join a successful and growing retail organisation at a pivotal stage of its development. The successful candidate will have significant influence over trading performance, customer proposition and long-term business strategy while leading a talented merchandising function.
For a confidential discussion and further information, please submit your application in confidence.