Stephen Murtagh Email & Phone Number

Oxford, Gb

Central Merchandiser for Forward Planning.Responsible for rolling up the company WSSI and identifying risks and opportunities. Leading positive action led conversations with merch managers and merchandisers to support meeting category/company metrics on stock holding/intake/cash flow. Reporting on FY and Quarter metrics to ensure budgeted plans can be achieved within categories mixes Identifying WSSI process improvements including re-design of 2024 WSSI to include integration with Forecasting & Replenishment system. Coordinating company wide clearance events to drive stock reduction and proper stock health. Working across all categories to create budgeting sales/margin/stock plans to exit unproductive stock in a profitable way.Proactively identifying stock reduction opportunities through proper range management.

Storage 2021-2022 Tiling 2018-2021Developing a category proposition to drive exceeding sales/margin/market share budgets. Completing a range hierarchy with buyer to drive newness across multiple channels incorporating space & assortment analysis. Bi annual budgeting process for 4 different subcategories. Working collaboratively with supply chain to drive availability, getting stock to the right place at the right time in the right quantity. Leading route to market and sourcing changes to deliver stock holding savings & working capital benefits. Owning clearance & stock health for the category, ensuring long stocks don't develop & stock budgets are achievable. Create a multi-channel trading plan, driving growth in retail/online & trade channels. Projecting managing small & medium range change activities within cost & time parameters. Leading tiling product category for B&Q.Responsible for sales & margin budget, conceptualising and delivering range change, creating category strategy and sourcing both range and promotional products.

Southampton, England, United Kingdom

Tiling Category Assisting merchandiser in delivering the category strategy and trading plan. Building allocation plans for supply chain, overseeing new range orders.Product creation & end to end product management with assistant buyer. Online product content collection

I was promoted from an allocator and joined one of the 2nd largest own bought casual brands in Debenhams womenswear. Working along a senior assistant merchandiser and a senior merchandiser I thrived on a quick learning curve to take responsibility for categories and the department WSSI. I built a solid foundation of merchandising theory in line cards, grading and promotional stance to become an asset to the team, being able to analyse data quickly and with accuracy. After 8 months on the team, in a divisional shake up I was paired with a merchandise manager to turn around one of the Debenhams brands. I quickly built up a working knowledge of the department product and re-made team processes to reduce duplication and increase communication to ensure that the department began reducing the impact of a bad season. I currently handle all supplier communication from a merchandising perspective and work with buying to reassess the critical path on a tightly managed WSSI.

As an allocator I worked to allocate stock efficiently, liaising with the merchandising team to get the right product in the right place at the right time.I worked across 4 different brands during my time as an allocator, gaining experience in both large casual departments with high rates of sale and occasionwear department where allocating was a very manual process. I worked collaboratively with the merchandising team to ensure store performance was closely reviewed every week and recommended different actions to change stores stock in line with performance. Near the end of my time as an allocator I worked closely with the merchandising manager on the department i was responsible for to implement a new type of grading not previously used in Womenswear. The resulted in grading at statement level to be able to make more permanent changes to store stock to boost performance at category level in a more efficient way. I also completed a final project on Internet stock requirements. This looked at sales per type (Full Price/POS/Clearence) to identify categories that could be increased to grow full price sales and others to tighten to reduce markdown and get better sell-thru's.

Brighton, United Kingdom

As a Trustee I sit on the management committee for the project and contribute to the strategic direction of the project, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in everything the project does. I use my specific skills and expertise to further youth participation and leadership, advancing use of social media, and campaigning on LGBTQ issues. As Youth President my duties involve helping with recruitment of trustee's, volunteers and paid staff. I assist with PR and social media work to ensure that the youth-led message of the project is heard on all platforms. I represent the project at public events and speak on behalf of the project and communicate the work that we do. Apart from these I actively engage with the young people at the project to make sure their views are heard and actioned. With this I also volunteer as part of the Peer Education team delivering workshops on understanding LGBT issues and combating homo/bi/transphobia in schools, youth groups, colleges and universities all around East Sussex. I also volunteer for the project's YPV (Young People's Voice) group, which campaigns for the rights and freedom's of LGBT youth in positive and empowering ways.

Brighton, United Kingdom

As a Specialist Associate I perform all the roles and duties of a normal associate but with enhanced character and efficiency. I keep track of store stock and fashion trends, specifically in the Ladies-wear department to give great customer service and product knowledge. I am trained in all associate roles including, delivery, maintenance, customer service, scamping, merchandising all performed with expediency and skill.

Brighton, United Kingdom

As a social media volunteer i work as part of a two-person team overseeing, communicating, posting and scheduling LGBT Switchboard's social media output. Co-ordinating with the project administrator and fundraising team about relevant events, I make sure that people know the work that Switchboard does and upcoming fundraising events. Output is mainly focused around the facebook fan page and official twitter

Brighton, United Kingdom

As Project Co-Director, I envisaged and successfully applied for funding from vInspired to set up an LGBT+ magazine for capture a more diverse and representative vision for LGBT+ youth. Based in Brighton, we provide volunteering opportunities for 15-25 LGBT+ identifying young people to apply their skills and knowledge to create and publish the magazine locally and online. The ideals of the magazine are to showcase grass-roots and local community LGBT+ work and to better represent the diverse and changing community around us.

Master Of Science (Msc), Applied Social And Community Research

Bachelor Of Arts (Ba), Sociology & Criminology, 2:1

A-Levels, Sociology, History, Drama & Theatre Studies, A, B, B