Vanquish Fitness
Senior Merchandiser / Merchandising Manager
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Senior Merchandiser / Merchandising Manager Maternity Cover - 15-18 months depending on start date
About the Company
Vanquish Fitness was created in 2015 by two school friends, Oliver Maloney and Ruben O’Brien, and is now, not just an apparel brand and online retailer, but one of the fastest growing fitness communities in the world! Our mission is to inspire our colleagues on their pursuit of self-defined greatness. Providing the time and resources that our employees need to strive for Better Than Yesterday.
About the Role
We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Senior Merchandiser / Merchandising Manager to join the Vanquish team on a maternity cover basis.
This is a senior individual contributor role, responsible for driving the commercial performance of the business through effective sales, stock and intake planning, trading and inventory management. You will be highly analytical, commercially minded and confident using data to identify opportunities, manage risk and make recommendations that support business growth and profitability.
Working closely with Product, Design, Finance, Operations and the wider business, you will play a key role in ensuring we have the right product, in the right quantities, at the right time and in the right markets. You will own the day-to-day merchandising process, from seasonal planning and forecasting through to purchase orders, supplier intake, shipping, stock management and trading performance.
You will regularly present trading performance, insights, risks and recommendations to senior leadership and the owners, and will be expected to challenge and influence stakeholders where the data indicates a different commercial approach is required.
Duties and Responsibilities
Trading
- Prepare weekly trading reports and present performance, key insights, risks and recommendations to senior leadership and the wider business.
- Maintain and manage the WSSI, updating sales, stock and intake forecasts on a weekly basis.
- Monitor trading performance against agreed sales, margin and stock targets, identifying opportunities and risks and recommending appropriate action.
- Manage stock and intake planning, working closely with Product and Finance to maximise availability and ensure stock is used effectively.
- Monitor Core/NOOS performance, reforecast demand and manage repeat orders and phased deliveries where required.
- Recommend promotional and markdown activity in line with the trading calendar, balancing sales performance with margin protection.
- Lead stock planning and trading strategy for key commercial events, including Black Friday and other major promotional periods.
- Identify underperforming and overperforming products and make recommendations to improve sell-through, stock availability and profitability.
- Proactively identify potential stock issues and develop recommendations to mitigate excess stock, stock-outs and missed sales opportunities.
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Planning
- Lead sales and stock planning for future seasons, making recommendations for sales, margin and stock targets in conjunction with senior leadership, Product and Finance.
- Review historical performance, customer behaviour, product performance and market trends to inform future planning and buying decisions.
- Work closely with Product and Design to develop commercially viable seasonal plans and ranges.
- Build and maintain seasonal buy plans, ensuring orders are placed in line with forecast demand, stock requirements and factory lead times.
- Plan stock requirements across all markets, ensuring inventory is appropriately allocated from the central warehouse.
- Develop and maintain detailed forecasts, continuously reviewing and reforecasting based on actual trading performance.
- Plan overall promotional and markdown activity in line with the wider trading and margin strategy.
- Provide commercial insight and challenge where proposed ranges, quantities, launch timings or stock commitments do not align with trading expectations.
Purchasing & Inventory
- Analyse historical sales, product performance and size curves to optimise future buys and stock levels.
- Raise and manage purchase orders, ensuring accuracy across product, quantity, pricing, delivery and supplier information.
- Create and manage ASNs and ensure all relevant shipment and intake information is accurate and communicated to the relevant stakeholders.
- Coordinate with suppliers and internal stakeholders to manage production, shipping and delivery timelines.
- Monitor supplier deliveries and intake, proactively identifying and managing delays or discrepancies.
- Work closely with Operations to ensure stock is received, allocated and made available in line with launch and trading requirements.
- Create new product records in Shopify, generate barcodes and ensure suppliers have all relevant product information.
- Ensure the release calendar is maintained accurately with range details, quantities, launch dates and ex-factory dates to support successful product launches.
- Maintain accurate stock information and proactively identify discrepancies between planned, ordered, shipped and received stock.
- Ensure inventory is planned effectively across all markets and that stock availability supports commercial priorities.
Systems & Operations
- Ensure all product, pricing, stock and inventory data is accurate, complete and maintained across relevant systems.
- Own merchandising processes within Shopify, ensuring products are set up correctly and information is accurate and up to date.
- Identify opportunities to improve Shopify functionality and merchandising processes, including the effective use of new and emerging AI tools.
- Develop, maintain and improve spreadsheets and merchandising tools used to monitor sales, stock, intake and forecasting.
- Continuously review and improve merchandising and operational processes to increase efficiency, accuracy and visibility across the business.
- Work cross-functionally with Product, Design, Finance, Operations and E-commerce to ensure commercial and operational priorities are aligned.
- Provide clear, commercially focused information and recommendations to stakeholders to support informed business decisions.
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About You
- Extensive experience within Merchandising, with experience at a similar level
- Strong experience within e-commerce fashion, apparel or a fast-paced retail environment.
- Highly analytical and commercially minded, with the ability to translate complex data into clear insights and actionable recommendations.
- Highly experienced in Excel/Google Sheets and comfortable working with large and complex datasets.
- Strong understanding of WSSI, sales forecasting, stock planning, intake management, sell-through, margin and markdowns.
- Experienced in managing purchase orders, supplier intake, shipping and inventory processes.
- Excellent attention to detail, with a strong understanding of the commercial impact of accurate product and stock data.
- Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines and projects simultaneously.
- Confident presenting commercial performance and recommendations to senior leadership and business owners.
- Comfortable challenging stakeholders and influencing commercial decisions using data and insight.
- Strong communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to work effectively across Product, Design, Finance, Operations and E-commerce.
- Proactive and solutions-focused, with the ability to identify problems before they become business-critical.
- Comfortable working independently and taking ownership of the merchandising function.
It would be great if you had…
- Previous experience within a similar fashion, fitness clothing or DTC e-commerce brand.
- Experience working with Shopify or a similar e-commerce platform.
- Experience with dedicated merchandising, planning, ERP or inventory management systems.
- Experience managing stock across multiple international markets.
- Experience within a high-growth or entrepreneurial business where processes are continually evolving.
- An interest in using AI and emerging technology to improve merchandising, planning and operational efficiency.
Benefits
- 25 days annual leave (Plus BH)
- Sick pay
- Annual apparel allowance
- Discounts on everything Vanquish
- Attendance to our community events
- Free drinks in the office
- Company Socials
- Hybrid working (2 days from home)
- 35 hour working week
- Free Parking
- Modern office in the grounds of beautiful House gardens, perfect for lunchtime walks to get your steps in
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