Merchandiser

As part of Hunkemoller’s transformation, we are building our merchandising capability and recruiting Merchandisers across levels, with both permanent and fixed-term opportunities available. Playing a key role in the acceleration of our strategic growth pillars, Merchandisers at Hunkemoller combine product strategy with full commercial ownership across sales, margin, inventory and WSSI.

Your Tasks

As a Merchandiser, you will play a critical role in translating customer insight and brand strategy into robust product strategies, commercial plans, forward-looking forecasts and confident in-season trading decisions, while leading and developing a high-performing merchandising team.

Key Responsibilities

Product Strategy & Range Planning

• Develop and own the Departmental product and assortment strategy in close collaboration with Buying and Design
• Build balanced, customer-relevant collections aligned to brand strategy, market insights and commercial objectives
• Define and own the Department’s merchandise framework, including option plan, width and depth, pricing, colour and trend direction

Financial Planning & WSSI Ownership

• Accountable for the commercial planning of the Department, including annual, half-year and quarterly plans
• Own and govern the WSSI, ensuring accurate forecasting, re-forecasting and forward visibility of sales, stock, intake, markdown and profitability
• Present clear, detailed insights, risks and opportunities to the Leadership Team as required

Stock, OTB & In-Season Trading

• Plan and manage departmental stock levels across all customer touchpoints: Own Stores, Own E-commerce and Concession partners
• Own Open to Buy management and in-season trading, proactively identifying and acting on risks and opportunities to maximize sales and margin
• Lead markdown, promotional and exit strategies, including identifying, costing and presenting recommendations to Senior Management
• Drive actions to reduce terminal stock and improve stock health

Range Architecture, Sizing & Distribution

• Own option, width and depth decisions, informed by historical performance, store space, channel needs and company strategy
• Optimise the Department’s sizing strategy, reflecting differences across countries, product shapes and market opportunities
• Collaborate closely with Branch Merchandising to ensure distribution strategies maximise opportunity across store formats, grades and segments

Trading, Analysis & Performance Management

• Lead weekly trading analysis, running and interpreting sales, stock and intake reports to drive clear trading actions
• Maintain a strong grip on commercial levers in all trading scenarios, balancing growth, stock risk and profitability
• Review forward commitments against current performance, taking decisive action to maximise opportunities and mitigate risk

Leadership, Development & Ways of Working

• Lead, coach and develop the Assistant Merchandiser and MAA, providing clear direction on daily, weekly and longer-term priorities
• Identify and drive individual development plans in partnership with L&D and your line manager
• Actively drive continuous improvement, introducing smarter ways of working, planning and reporting and seeing these through to implementation

Projects & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with key stakeholders across Buying, Design, Finance, Supply Chain, Branch Merchandising and E-commerce
• Participate in wider business projects as required

Our Ideal Candidate

• Has at least 5 years’ experience in Merchandising / Planning within a fast-paced fashion retail environment
• Demonstrates strong commercial acumen, with excellent analytical, communication and stakeholder management skills
• Confident working with commercial and BI tools (e.g. SAP BW, MicroStrategy, Business Objects), with intermediate/advanced Excel/Office skills
• Comfortable owning complex data, driving insight and influencing decisions at senior level
• Enjoys working collaboratively and building strong cross-functional relationships
• Passionate about fashion retail and thrives in a dynamic, energetic environment
• Fluent in English, written and spoken

What we offer

• 25 days of annual leave, with the option to buy or sell up to 4 additional days
• Hybrid work model, combining office and remote working
• Possibility to work from abroad for up to 2 weeks per year
• An international work environment, working with teams across different countries
• Travel allowance to support commuting costs
• Access to the Hunkemöller Academy for professional development
• 25% employee discount on all Hunkemöller products

By leveraging data-driven insights we build the ultimate product assortment that fully optimises sales and profit across all of our trading channels.