Clients include;Gordon BrothersEquithreadFinal Pitch TV Series Label LabsBrand Booster

Leading a team to deliver the merchandise strategy of Mothercare with full P&L accountability. Engaging with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that the correct brand/product assortment is made available to the Mothercare customer across all the omni-channel outlets to drive profitable sales. Responsible for aligning inventory plans to tie back to, and support sales plans, as aligned with all stakeholders.• Accountable for an annual turnover of cKWD80m, across 8 MENA markets and 140 stores.• Full P&L accountability for Store & Product performance.• Buying & selecting from both the host brand and external branded suppliers.• Influencing the strategic direction of the product range with the host brand.• Taking a strategic role in deciding the branded offer.• Planning the marketing and promotion calendar.• Working with corporate property division on store openings & closures.• Hosting key period P&L meetings with the corporate board.• Third party own buy & concession contract negotiations and range selection.• Store layout and brand adjacency planning.• Directing operations & marketing to effectively plan future store activities.• Provide strategic direction on inventory focusing on quality and quantity.• Clear focus on stock holding, availability, receipts, weeks of supply, aged/liquidation planning as well as damaged and unavailable inventory resolution.• Delivering the timely introduction of new brands & SKU's to ensure first to market.• Guiding and motivating the teams to enhance performance and produce quality work.• Driving the team to deliver accurate inventory planning projections with measurable forecast accuracy.• Leading the planning teams in timely creation and execution of merchandise budgets, forecasts and open-to-buy (OTB) plans in line with agreed financial, sales and profit margin expectation.• Developing strong capability within the team, promoting a culture of inclusivity, empowerment and accountability.

• Partner with Finance, Commercial and Digital business stakeholders to develop the merchandise and OTB strategy, using data-driven input from sales trends, customer analytics, market conditions and supplier demands to drive profitable decision making.• Provide strategic direction on inventory focusing on quality and quantity.• Delivering the timely introduction of new brands & SKU’s to ensure first to market.• Guiding and motivating the teams to enhance performance and produce quality work. • Assessing talent via performance evaluation and appraisal of direct reports.• Building collaborative relationships internally and externally to maintain seamless processes needed for effective product planning, procurement, replenishment and sell-through.• Leading the strategic direction for all pricing activities in order to drive profitable sales and value to the customer.• Leading the teams to build quality merchandise assortment plans taking into account key KPI’s, trend, customer behaviour, and omni-channel landscape and brand/product strategies.• Communicating any organizational changes and mitigate risks through effective change management.

• Planning & forecasting Divisional/Market/Store Plans identifying Risks & opportunities to deliver Sales & Margin plans.• Key stakeholder in the launch of Mothercare MENA online store.• Buying & selecting from both the host brand and external branded suppliers.• Influencing the strategic direction of the product range with the host brand.• Taking a strategic role in deciding the branded offer.• Range building via store profiling, market localisation and Good/Better/Best. • Seasonal Product Reviews.• Forecasting/Planning Divisional & Departmental WSSI’s.• Managing Total Brand & Departmental OTB’s.• Pricing & Markdown Management.• Planning the marketing and promotion calendar.• Strategic/Reactive Promotional Planning to maximize sales & margin by Market in line with licensing laws.• Feeding into Period Key Financial Reports.• Trade & Product reviews with the Host Brand to maximize sales potential by increasing/decreasing category mixes.• Third party Own Buy & Concession contract negotiations and range selection.• Store Layout and Brand adjacency planning.• Working with Operations & Marketing to effectively plan future store activities.• Deputising for VP.• Team training, development and succession planning.

• Responsible and accountable for planning, management and performance of all aspects of the Duvetco business to deliver the business KPI’s.• Development of range and brands which meet the corporate objectives of brand image and marketing positioning.• Production, critical path and intake management to achieve sales and stock targets.• Margin management and planning to business required levels on both intake and trading margins.• Accountability for cash flow management.• Lead, train and develop the Buying & Merchandising team at Duvetco.• Reporting directly to the EWM Group Board.

• The development of key Own Brand areas with an annual turnover of c£100m.• Shaping the merchandise strategy for the largest trading area within Clothing & Footwear, in line with the business strategy.• Clear accountability for the planning, selecting and sourcing of the range.• Working with the Head Of Buying to formulate the product strategy aligned to sales budget, OTB and profit targets.• Develop and adopt best practise product management that focuses on both top and bottom line performance.• Manage in season trading, balancing maximisation of profit with minimum of risk.• Understand and maintain knowledge of market trends and emerging risks.• Manage, lead and develop a team of 20 Merchandisers.• Introduced key brands to the business plus access to higher tier products of existing brands.• Take ownership of supplier and brand relationships.• Regular Far East travel to visit factories plus our own Far East officers.• Key stake holder of the successful new customer brand launched by the business.• Manage all product launches via internet, catalogue, leaflets and press.• Working closely with the Marketing function to formulate a profitable trading calendar.• Deputise for the Trading Director.• Developed an in depth knowledge of the customer and the competition