Assistant Merchandiser - Brands

The Role:

This is an exciting opportunity to join our growing Brands team and broaden your knowledge! 

Let’s talk quality… When it comes to UK retail, it’s hard to find a company with a bigger focus on quality. We sell thousands of items an hour and our repeat customer base comes back to us time and time again for our renowned quality products. For anyone in the Brands field - this is the place to learn. To grow. And to thrive.

What You'll Take on

Liaising with External Brands and Curating Collections: Act as the main point of contact for external brands and collaborate closely with these brands to curate commercial collections that align with customer preferences and market trends. Ensure timely communication and collaboration to facilitate smooth trading processes.

Driving Sales Profitability and Building Relationships: Develop strategies to grow sales and profitability for key brands while fostering excellent relationships. Proactively identify opportunities for revenue growth and margin improvement through effective merchandising and pricing strategies. Build rapport with brand representatives to strengthen partnerships and enhance collaboration.

Autonomous Management of Key Brands: Take ownership of the performance of key brands, including managing sales budgets and profit targets. 

Internal Collaboration and Business Knowledge: Liaise with internal departments to ensure alignment and support for brand initiatives and develop a comprehensive understanding of the company's business operations and objectives to inform decision-making and strategy development.

Managing Sales Budgets and Profit: Develop and manage sales budgets for key brands, ensuring alignment with overall financial goals. Monitor sales performance against targets and implement strategies to optimise profitability.

Preparing Packs and Conducting Brand Visits: Prepare comprehensive packs prior to selection meetings, providing insights into historical performance and future opportunities. Conduct brand visits to select future season ranges and review trading performance, gathering insights for decision-making.

In-Season Trading and Markdown Management: Monitor in-season sales performance to identify opportunities for maximising sales and minimising markdowns. Implement effective trading strategies to optimise inventory levels and pricing, ensuring alignment with sales targets.

Training and Nurturing Trainee Merchandisers: Take an active role in training and mentoring trainee merchandisers, providing guidance and support to facilitate their professional development.

What You’ll Bring

Great Communication Skills: Prepare clear and engaging presentations for internal meetings and brand partner discussions. Tailor your communication style to your audience, ensuring information is conveyed effectively and actively listen to feedback and respond thoughtfully to questions or concerns.

Solid Technical Merchandising Skills: Utilise your technical expertise to analyse data, forecast sales, and plan inventory effectively. Ensure accuracy in merchandise systems and contract negotiations to support successful trading relationships. Stay updated on industry best practices and trends to enhance your merchandising capabilities.

Energetic, Enthusiastic, and Self-Confident: Approach your role with energy and enthusiasm, inspiring others with your passion and positivity. Demonstrate confidence in your abilities and decisions, especially when presenting information or leading discussions.

Open-Mindedness to New Ways of Working: Embrace innovation and creativity, actively seeking out new ideas and solutions to challenges. Be receptive to feedback and different perspectives, recognizing that diverse viewpoints can lead to better outcomes. Encourage a culture of continuous improvement and experimentation within your team.

Enjoyment of the Product/Trend Side of the Role: Immerse yourself in the world of products and trends, staying informed about the latest developments and innovations. Use your passion for products and trends to drive creative merchandising strategies and inspire your team. Actively seek out opportunities to collaborate with design teams and brand partners to bring innovative products to market.

You know Next, but did you know we’re a FTSE-100 retail company employing over 35,000 people across the UK and Ireland. We’re the UK’s 2nd largest fashion retailer and for Kidswear we’re the market leader. At the last count we have over 500 stores, plus the Next Online and it’s now possible to buy on-line from over 70 countries around the world! So we’ve gone global!

• 25% off most NEXT, MADE*, Lipsy*, Gap* and Victoria's Secret* products (*when purchased through NEXT)
• Company performance based bonus
• Sharesave scheme
• On-site Nursery available; OFSTED outstanding in all areas
• 10% off most partner brands & up to 15% off Branded Beauty
• Early VIP access to sale stock
• Access to fantastic discounts at our Staff Shops
• Restaurants with great food at amazing prices
• Access a digital GP and other free health and wellbeing services
• Free on-site parking
• Financial Wellbeing - Save, track and enhance your financial wellbeing
• Apprenticeship - Grow and develop on the job whilst gaining a qualification
• Direct to Work - Discount online and instore, collect your items the next day for free from your place of work or local store
• Support Networks - Access to Network Groups to empower and celebrate each other
• Wellhub - Discounted flexible monthly gym memberships, with apps, PT sessions and more

Conditions apply to all benefits. These benefits are discretionary and subject to change. 

We aim to support all candidates during the application process and are happy to provide workplace adjustments when necessary. Should you need support with your application due to a disability or long-term condition, feel free to get in touch with us by email headoffice_careers@next.co.uk (please include 'Workplace Adjustments' in the subject line), or call us on 0116 284 2486 and leave a voicemail.