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Director, Merchandising
Puma
Westford, MA, United States
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Westford, United States
The Director, Athletic Specialty Channel Footwear Merchandising is responsible for developing and managing the successful execution of Wholesale merchandising strategies for the Athletic Specialty Channel by combining consumer insights and business acumen to reach productivity and financial goals, while aligning to brand direction and objectives. In this role, the Merchandising Director serves as the expert on Footwear within the Athletic Specialty Channel, including its consumers, business performance and product needs. The Merchandising Director serves as critical partner to Sales, Marketing and PUMA�s key accounts in developing growth-driving merchandising strategies to increase sales and profitability for the brand and its customers.
Merchandising Strategy
• Create momentum across the channel, while constantly seeking new opportunities to drive growth and brand heat
• Develop and execute a channel product strategy that maximizes profits, provides a consistent consumer experience and demonstrates the highest quality of product offering possible
• Conceive and create new thoughts and ideas pertaining to maximizing revenue and resources, presenting products and reaching the consumer
Product Ranging
• Create and manage retail-focused seasonal line architecture, assortment plans and lifecycle plans
• Execute the assortment construction in a way that maximizes profitability for the brand and the customer, including relevant and feasible flow and pricing
• Partner with Global Business Units/Product Line Management to ensure the creation of product that meets channel needs/targeted line architecture and pricing requirements. Present seasonal architecture to global product teams along with insights and commercial input that align to brand positioning and vision.
• Identify opportunities to supplement the seasonal product assortment via the North American Regional Creation Center. Address opportunities by briefing margin appropriate products and/or special programs based on specific market needs that incorporate customer insights, consumer trends, competitive activities, market intelligence and the North American distribution strategy
• Manage all information related to products, including but not limited to price points, forecasts, introduction/launch dates and distribution plans
• Plan, forecast and review channel assortments regularly to assure appropriate product positioning, margin targets and segmentation needs are met
Analysis and Insight
• Perform ongoing sell-through analysis for the overall channel and key accounts to assess trends and needs while ensuring fast decision making
• Deliver channel/marketplace insights to all relevant stakeholders (Wholesale, Retail, Global Business Units, Global Merchandising, Marketing and Finance) to ensure that product needs are met and proper go-to-market activities can be executed
• Travel the market to gain insight on current trends, consumer behaviors and channel opportunities
Planning and Forecasting
• Perform on/off-cycle product forecasting for the channel
• Submit required internal and sales sample orders to Planning team while adhering to budget parameters
Account Partnership
• Serve as key product resource for customers within the channel
• Deliver impactful presentations that influence financial performance
• Own and execute seasonal pre-line process for the channel to collect customer insight, brief additional needs and adjust seasonal assortment plans as needed
Management
• Manage and train direct reports to properly manage dedicated areas of focus within the channel, including Women�s Footwear, Champs and Finish Line
• Develop, empower and grow direct reports to own and become an expert on their business, take risks, have fact-based conversations and take on increasing levels of responsibility
Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Collaborate with Sales counterparts to identify account-specific needs as related to assortment plans and product flow to maximize wins for the PUMA brand and the customer
• Educate Merchandising counterparts on the Footwear direction and align on key brand concepts by ensuring cohesive collections and deliveries
• Educate the Salesforce on seasonal merchandising strategies and product
• Work closely with Planning and Operations counterparts to share information regarding financial targets, functional milestones and account planning, forecasting and performance
• Collaborate with Marketing to align on seasonal stories and go-to-market plans
• Learn from interaction with our internal teammates, customers, and consumers to build market conquering assortments within the channel
• Work cross-functionally to ensure that the go-to-market process runs smoothly. Duties include but are not limited to:
• Participation and/or Merchandising leadership in account meetings and presentations
• Account meeting product set up and break down
• Seasonal sales meeting/launch participation, presentation and set up
• Development of necessary sales and account meeting presentation materials
• Trade show participation, presentation and set up
• Quickly execute agreed upon post-meeting action items including product briefs, forecasting, preparing meeting notes for merchandising team