Buying & Merchandising Director - Outdoors
Responsible to:
CEO of Outdoors
Department:
Outdoors Buying & Merchandising
Hours:
40 Hours
Location:
Bury HQ with Travel Required
Role Overview
The JD Outdoors Group is the UK’s leading outdoor retail group, encompassing iconic brands including GO Outdoors, Blacks and Millets. With a focus on inspiring and equipping customers for outdoor adventure, we are committed to offering quality products, exceptional value, and expert advice. As part of the JD Group PLC family, we are poised for strategic growth, innovation, and market leadership.
We are seeking a dynamic and commercially astute Buying and Merchandising Director to lead our end-to-end product strategy across all brands within the JD Outdoors Group. This executive role will be responsible for driving product performance, shaping the seasonal and multi-channel merchandise strategies, and leading a high-performing team across buying, merchandising, and planning.
The ideal candidate will bring a strong retail trading mindset, deep market knowledge in outdoor or lifestyle sectors, and a proven ability to balance creativity with commercial execution.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
* Lead the Buying and Merchandising function across all JD Outdoors Group brands.
* Develop and deliver the overarching buying and merchandising strategy to meet commercial, brand, and customer objectives.
* Translate customer insight, market trends, and financial data into actionable product strategies.
* Partner with senior stakeholders (Marketing, Retail, Digital and Supply Chain) to align seasonal and promotional plans across all channels.
Buying & Product Management
* Oversee product range development across categories including outdoor apparel, footwear, equipment, and accessories.
* Identify and manage supplier and brand partnerships (national and exclusive).
* Ensure the product offering is aligned with market trends, brand positioning, and customer expectations.
* Drive product innovation, exclusivity, and differentiation in the outdoor retail market.
Merchandising & Planning
* Lead range planning, forecasting, and stock management to maximise availability and sell-through.
* Deliver margin, stock turn, and intake targets while managing markdown and promotional strategy.
* Optimise space, assortment, and pricing strategies across retail and online channels.
* Support agile trading decisions based on trading performance and insight.
Own Brand Product Development
* Lead the strategic growth of own brand product lines across all relevant categories.
* Work closely with internal design, sourcing, and technical teams to develop high-quality, value-driven own brand ranges.
* Ensure own brand products align with customer needs, sustainability goals, and brand identity across JD Outdoors Group.
* Monitor competitor and market trends to identify gaps and opportunities for exclusive product development.
* Maximise margin, speed-to-market, and brand equity through agile and innovative own brand development.
* Uphold quality, compliance, and ethical sourcing standards across all own brand products.
Team & Culture
* Inspire, mentor, and grow high-performing teams across buying, merchandising, and procategory management.
* Foster a culture of accountability, commercial excellence, and cross-functional collaboration.
* Champion diversity, sustainability, and inclusion within the product and supplier base.
Key Skills & Experience Required
* Significant leadership experience in a multi-channel, multi-category retail environment.
* Strong background in Buying, Merchandising, and Trading at Director or Head-of level.
* Outdoor, sports, fashion, or lifestyle retail experience preferred but not essential.
* Proven success in building commercially successful product ranges.
* Deep understanding of product lifecycle management, merchandising systems, and trading metrics.
* Excellent leadership, negotiation, and supplier relationship management skills.
* Commercial acumen with a data-driven and customer-first mindset.
* Skilled in finding commercial opportunities to achieve profit in any situation, with a trading mentality to support and develop product areas
* Strong interpersonal skills to build strong working relationships throughout the organisation and work effectively with all levels
* Proven leadership experience and ability to provide clear business goals for teams to support and develop skills base.
* Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel
* Current UK Driving license holder, with the willingness to travel across retail stores, head office and brand meetings.
* Experience navigating a complex group structure or PLC environment is a plus.