Job Description

Position summary
Industry: Wholesale & Retail Trade
Job category: Other: FMCG, Retail, Wholesale and Supply Chain
Location: Cape Town
Contract: Permanent
EE position: No
Introduction
To build a customer focused and profitable seasonal product strategy that aligns with the company strategy and brand filter, ensuring it is trend appropriate and commercially viable. Deliver on-brand product execution that appeals to our customer. Oversee the journey from product conception to in-store execution, ensuring a balanced range.
Job description
Develop and Execute a Departmental Seasonal Plan

• Collaborate with Planning, design and Sourcing to develop product, fabric and trading strategy to ensure the delivery of relevant KPI's.
• Utilise multiple data sources from design direction, global and local trend research, current trade and post-seasonal data, customer analytics, product and sourcing strategy, competitor intelligence and benchmarking, First Insights and EDITED to provide product direction for seasonal plan workshops in line with the overall Group Strategy.
• Present seasonal product plan inclusive of key strategic areas, must-win categories / items and channel-specific considerations.

Build a Profitable Balanced Range

• Conduct workshops to develop an on-brand product range that is trend appropriate and meets customer expectations, incorporating local and international comparative analysis, intelligence and benchmarking, with a clear intent of growth/exit product categories aligned with strategic goals.
• Collaborate with the Design team to deliver a balanced range (styling, fabric, colour) within agreed price architecture and ensuring alignment to critical path and merchandise cycle milestones.
• Collaborate with the Sourcing team on product development, including new concepts, supplier selection, costings, tech packs, packaging and quote approvals in line with the critical path milestones and merchandise cycle.
• Collaborate with the Technical Product Development (TPD) on all sample approvals and sign-off samples, product reviews, final product presentation and innovation opportunities in line with the critical path milestones and merchandise cycle
• Conduct product reviews and present the final product (concept, pre-production/production samples, packaging), taking into account display strategy (e.g. tables, ticketing)
• Collaborate with planning (financials, assortment plan) and reconcile with strategy by grade, channel (online, Edit, Africa).

Lead Customer Understanding and Competitive Intelligence

• Work closely with Marketing to understand the Woolworths customer, including incorporating quarterly updates from the customer team.
• Conduct market and trend research (EDITED, WGSN, competitor store visits) to understand the competitive landscape, range offering, product differentiation and merchandising strategies.
• Analyse customer ratings and reviews to understand online customer preferences and customer experience.
• Utilise supplier information and overseas travel to gain market insights.
• Develop a product marketing proposal to optimize the customer experience instore and online

Actively Trade Product Range

• Weekly sales trade analysis - analyse relevant reports (Monday trade, item report, style cards, Edited) to understand product and sales performance across channels to influence trade decisions, opportunities and actions to optimise sales.
• Communicate any changes from current trade that impact other departments e.g. marketing and visual merchandising.
• Weekly team standstill with Quad team to align on weekly tasks including production & shipment standstill, supplier communication and trade actions.

Minimum requirements

• Degree / Diploma with relevant
• Minimum 5 years buying experience within a fashion retailer
• Extensive Retail knowledge
• Computer literate with proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint, PLM & EDITED
• Integral understanding of the clothing retail cycle, trend and buying process
• Passion for keeping up to date with latest trends
• Understanding of business and buying processes and systems
• Retail market and industry knowledge
• Knowledge of markdown and mark up pricing, visibility to drive sales, sell-through