Senior Partnerships Manager

• Feb 2022 - Present

Senior Partnerships Manager at WatchShop, Responsible for Building Branded Jewellery and Watch Assortments for Amazon UK and EU Marketplaces, Debenhams, Katchin, M&S, Next, Scotts Menswear, Tessuti and YOOX. Managing the Retail Partnerships team to deliver profitable ranges tailored to meet the retailer customer demographics and profile. Leading the Partnerships team of 3, Partnerships Manager, Partnerships Marketing Executive and Partnerships Product Executive.Key Skills and Responsibilities:Account Management and LeadBudget SettingMulti Retail Marketing Marketplace Strategy ManagementOTB ManagementRetailer Assortment Planning StrategySales AnalysisStakeholder ManagementTradingTeam ManagementTraining and DevelopmentWSSI Management

Merchandise Planning Manager

• Jul 2020 - Feb 2022

Merchandise Planning Manger for WatchShop working as the Online Partnerships Account Lead for Debenhams, Marks and Spencer and Amazon FBA & SFP UK and EU Markets.Creating and delivering profitable assortments across branded watches and jewellery for Debenhams, Marks and Spencer's and Amazon UK, DE, ES, FR & IT marketplaces. Responsible for creating and maintaining the WSSI for the Consignment Retailer Partnerships, ensuring that each retail partner has the right stock at the right time, keeping within the agreed OTB. Manage Key Retailer Relationships, acting as the first point of contact for each retailer, provide weekly trading reports with actionable insights, identify opportunities within the retailer trading and marketing calendars, aligning seasonal gifting periods to driving brands exposure with the retail partners to deliver the agreed sales targets. Increasing customer engagements and conversion of the categories.Utilising Retail Sales analysis for each retailer to drive the assortment strategy for the medium and long term to deliver growth and minimalise any risks to sales and profit. Ensuring that the seasonal newness ranges are launched on time, and linked with retailer New In activities.Amazon FBA, creating and maintain seasonal Brand Rooms and Stores for WatchShop Own Label Brands, creating targeted advertising campaigns that deliver the agreed ROAS, to drive brand awareness and sales. Delivering the agreed profit plans, maintaining the WSSI to ensure.Experience with working with Google Analytics, Mirakl, Nexiom, Netsuite, SAP ERP, SAP BW Report, SAP SCP/SCM.

Merchandise Planning Manager

• Jan 2019 - Jun 2020

Merchandise Planning Manager for watches, Jewellery, occasion accessories and Soft Accessories, reporting into the Head of Merchandise Planning. Working collaboratively with Buying teams to deliver a Commercial Plan to exceed sales & margin plans, through maximising profit, minimising markdown, through sales planning, range building, forecasting, reviewing and balancing stock and developing strategic promotions. Key responsibilities: Managing and directing the Merchandising teams within Occasion Accessories, Soft Accessories, Jewellery and Watches. Setting clear targets, deadlines and standards to deliver the department strategy. Responsible for the Markdown strategy across the 3 departments, ensuring the teams are focusing on clearing through the slowest selling categories to maximise OTB and manage the cash flow. Creating maintaining the WSSI sales, stock targets, intake phasing and promotional strategy for each department. Managing and maintaining Open-to-Buys. Optimising the OTB through the different categories, to maximise sales and profit. Increasing stock turn and reducing WOC to maximise cash flow Maximising profit and minimising markdown through accurate sales planning, range building, forecasting, reviewing and balancing stock intake and supporting strategic promotions. Creating and delivering the product strategy with Buying Manager, Setting/managing option counts, ensuring appropriate seasonal newness and product life cycle, planning product exit strategies. Analysing sales by classification (style, colour and size) and recommending percentage breakouts before each season to achieve increased sales and sell through %, making appropriate recommendations for replenishment buys in season, and for the future seasons ranging and buying strategy. Effective stakeholder management and relationship building with external suppliers to ensure continuity of stock availability throughout the Debenhams stores and Online estate.

Interim Global Merchandiser

• Jan 2019 - Jan 2019

Responsible for Planning & Forecasting, Reporting & Analysis for Soft Accessories Product Category. RESPONSIBILITIES • Detailed category sales, margin & inventory plans. • Reporting & analysis for Soft Accessories category, supporting all Divisional reporting & analytics. • Drive medium & long term forecasts at sku and category level. • Partner with Regional Teams to manage Global Inventory Optimisation through re-balancing/ transfers/risk management. • Manage capacity planning and flow of intake with vendor, supply chain & sourcing teams. Pre Season • Develop category plans aligned with Merchandising strategies/initiatives and reconciled with Regional Seasonal Plan to deliver the Global Seasonal Plan - including global review of KPI’s • Sign off Seasonal Plans with CMO and VP of Planning for sign off, and presenting plans to Global & Regional leads of Planning and Merchandising. • Responsible for detailed analysis, forecasting demand planning (production capacity forecasts & RM pre-commitment) driving profitability and mitigating investment risk. • RM forecasts and to make pre-buy proposals based on Global Sourcing critical path for the product category. • Manage all FG unit forecasts or forecast consolidation at each level of the product hierarchy to material & SKU level. • Responsibe for assortment size, price point & flow, and recommendations related to the development of seasonal range plan and Brand Buy for the product category. • Drive replenishment sales and inventory • Report on product category margin analysis and target setting. • Financial analysis and strategic input to pricing architecture for the product category. In Season • Leads in-season inventory reaction proposals (investment & exit) based on retail and wholesale forecasts & in collaboration with the cross-functional team to maximise sell in/out opportunities. • Responsible for proposing product category markdown & delist content & timing.

Supply Chain Manager

• May 2017 - Nov 2018

As BUILT/ Supply Chain Manager I manage the supply chain team and report directly into the Managing Director of BUILT/, and form part of the Senior Leadership team. Providing insights on Supply Chain and Merchandising functions reporting, sharing weekly at risk products based on the forward forecast. Supporting the Operations & Sales teams with identifying best practice to maximize space capacity, stock allocation and sales optimization. Key Responsibilities: WSSI Maintained the WSSI, working within 7 WOS goals Demand Planning, Forecasting & Performance Management o Update & Review weekly sku forecast based, identify sales opportunities and risks. o Identify enhancement opportunities within NetSuite Demand Planning ERP System. Supplier Management o Provide suppliers with a rolling 18 month sku forecasts With Top Line 3 year roll out plans by Branch. Review stock and sales Promotional support Availability vs forward intake demand • Address any stock availability issues and best win/win solution for both BUILT/ & the supplier to maintain supply. Assortment Planning o Weekly/Monthly Category/Sub-Category reviews to identify growth areas and risk areas. o Working with the Category team to use promotional activity to drive footfall and sales to penetrate slow moving categories. o Sharing stock and sales performance with suppliers to identify common trends within the market place and identify any products not selling at comparable rates of sale in comparison to the local competition. o Review range with the suppliers to ensure that BUILT/ has the best performing range available. o Where required agree the phase out plan of the slow moving products and phase in the replacements based on space capacity and lead time to set up within the system for launch. o Use Google analytics to identity sales opportunities and risks, working with the category manager and Ecommerce Manager to increase the number of sku’s sold and seen.

Senior Merchandise Manager UK Concessions

• Jun 2014 - May 2017

Reporting to the Head of Concessions, responsible for managing the Concessions Merchandising team. Responsible for delivering growth through driving availability in store, maximising profit margins for Non Fossil Group brands. Leading the merchandising team providing support, direction, development and coaching. Working alongside the Head of Concessions to support the growth of the Concessions model, helping to translate the company and departmental strategy whilst working together to maximise the teams performance and employee engagement. Key Responsibilities...Manage and develop the supply base to maximise profitability through accurate stock planning, stock phasing and delivery schedule management. Identifying the key suppliers for each area, developing strong relationships to strengthen the business.Managing and maintaining the WSSI for the 65 concessions, across all categories (handbags, purses, wallets, gents bags, phone cases, Fragrance, watches & jewellery) Manage the line and stock phasing to maximise the departmental profitability by having the right stock in the right place at the right timeWorking closely with the buyer to review the performance of the category against plan, set sales targets for range reviews, range plans, stock flow, margins and processForecast trends and monitor performanceResponsible for setting the budgets for the UK Concessions, work with the team to coordinate the seasonal trading calendar, combining planned promotional activity with seasonally relevant products.Manage supplier performance and KPI’s ensuring effective flow of stock and maximising availability in store and for the website. Contract Management, negotiate/set supplier trading terms.Responsible for driving sales in store and on the website, reviewing and monitoring assortments and stock targets with the buying and merchandising teams to deliver year on year growth.

Planning Manager

• Jun 2008 - Jun 2014

Managing a team of 5 Planners and 1 Planning Supervisor, I report directly into the Operations Director. Responsible for the following:Setting budgets for the wholesale business, ensuring quarterly reforecasts are accurate and can be justified with supporting data, using the retail selling information from every account. Responsible for maintaining WOS goals for all categories and brands.Ensuring availability across all brands and categories is above 90% to maximise sales whilst staying within the OTB and hitting the WOS goals. Weekly meetings reviews to discuss action points on availability, how to improve availability and to communicate the results to the relevant stakeholders.Implementing target range sizes for all categories and introduction of new products for each quarter without overloading the retailers with high sku counts whilst maintaining the correct visual merchandising guidelines at retail. Considering the retailers range for all of their store gradings. Also ensuring that there is a strategy for the discontinued products i.e. sale period with MD or a stock return and how this will impact our WSSI/OTB and the retailer WSSI.Creating and approving Monthly Replenishment buys for the UK, approving 23 brands. Working with the Global Planning team to ensure that Factory MOQ's are met and factory loading is managed inline with the factory capacities.Identifying any risks to the retailers on slow selling products that will impact their OTB situation. Working with the retailers that provide stock and sales information to ensure that they place new orders on the relevant styles to maintain their weeks cover, also highlighting all styles that should be considered to be rolled out to more stores or have the store count reduced and agree how to deal with the inventory flow for increased/decreased sku forecast.

Senior Planner

• Jun 2005 - Jun 2008

Managing a team of 5 PlannersApproving all monthly replenishment buys from the factories within OTB.Ensuring all Brands/Categories are kept within OTB whilst maintain WOS goals.Ensuring discontinued inventory is less than 5% of the total on hand inventory mix.Responsible for ensuring that all budgets are completed and can be justified to the Planning Manager and MD for quarterly reforecasts and monthly checks.Responsible for the Assortment Planning and Inventory buying for Armani jewellery, Armani watches and DKNY watches. All range plans were agreed with the sales team and new products selected taking into consideration the market needs based on retail selling information, looking at the different attributes to make the final decisions.• Selected to implement the Merchandising Systems for the Launch of the House of Fraser Concessions run by the Fossil Group in 2006. When the concessions business was acquired by the Fossil Group, I was selected to learn the replenishment system used by the Fossil Retail stores and implement the same process for the House of Fraser Concessions Stores. This was done alongside my role as a Senior Planner.• Reduction of EOY WOS. When I took over as Senior Planner the overall inventory was too high and I tasked with implementing best practice for the other planners to ensure that everyone was buying and analysing retail sales data in the same way to prevent over buying. Within my first two years I managed to get the WOS down by 2 weeks whilst maintaining the sales grow of the company and back in line with our WOS targets

Planner

• Jan 2003 - Jun 2005

Working as a Planner for Armani Jewellery, Fossil Jewellery and Diesel Jewellery, reporting into the Planning Manager.Responsibilities:Setting the sales plans with the sales manager.Range Selections for new products and selecting discontinuations.Maintaining WOS and keeping within OTB.Completing the monthly buys to ensure maximum availability on the bestsellers to drive sales.Analysing retail sales to get additional sales and justify range development and sales plans.Ensuring discontinued product was less than 10% of the total inventory mix.

Office & Warehouse Temporary roles

• Sep 2001 - Jan 2003