National Accounts Manager - Maternity Cover

Job purpose Summary

To provide up to date, accurate and timely short-term and long-term wholesale forecasts to support the planned growth of the business effectively in conjunction with the Sales and Marketing management team. To work closely with the Supply Chain and Warehouse teams to enable Operations teams to execute this plan. To work with the Sales and Marketing teams to implement strategic range plans by brand and retailer and make recommendations for stock par levels with all retailer groups. To monitor retailer stock levels, meet regularly with their merchandising teams and ensure that they have sufficient supply to meet promotional demands and proposed retail sales forecasts for key selling periods.

Work closely with the Head of Commercial & Operations to ensure that the retail sales forecasts are in line with planned wholesale levels and advise of discrepancies. Always identifying opportunities to actively increase company wholesales and ensure targets are met through liaising with merchandising teams with key customers.

Scope

Responsible for supporting the wholesale forecasting process for CREED as well as Core and Emerging brands in the current OS portfolio.

Strategy and Planning

• Under the direction of Head of Commercial & Operations plan and implement wholesale targets for all key Store Groups (Harrods, Selfridges, John Lewis, Frasers, Harvey Nichols, Fortnum and Mason, Liberty and Fenwick Group) and develop specific plans where necessary.
• Contributing to bi-annual strategy meetings by assisting in the creation of powerful sales presentations.
• Together with the Sales and Marketing team make recommendations and track national and key account exclusive brand launches, liaising with brand marketing teams to ensure all activity calendars are communicated to retailers adjusting stock levels as appropriate.

Commercial

• Work with Head of Commercial & Operations to become familiar with brand margins.
• Responsible for Wholesale and Retail Price implementation in internal systems including Annual Price increase/alignment. Provide three months’ notice to all retailers in advance of any change in prices.
• Work closely with the Brand teams to ensure brand forecasts accurately reflect any planned promotional activity and that all activity is included in the Wholesale forecast sheet well in advance for optimum supply.

Merchandising

• Conduct regular meetings with key retailers to maximise opportunities to align forecasts, inform retailers of key selling lines, negotiate par levels and communicate potential stock ordering issues in advance.
• Build relationships with key buying and merchandising teams and keep up to date with strategic issues.
• Ensure information from the retail teams regarding stock positions are accommodated quickly and conduct regular store visits/contact with Sales & Education Managers.
• Ensuring stores are equipped with sufficient stock to accommodate all promotional activity and projected brand growth:

1. Working with digital to ensure correct stock levels are allocated for DTC online sales
2. Working with retailers to increase open to buy budgets to pre-empt increase in sales in newly staffed accounts
3. Sell-in stock packages in line with increased counter space
4. Ensuring stock availability for key periods – post Ramadan/ Valentine’s/ Xmas etc.

• Complete quarterly Merchandising reports and share with wider team in S&OP meetings
• Complete Activity Planning sheets to reflect WS forward forecasts for NPD
• Ad-hoc business analysis and reporting.

Wholesale Management

• In conjunction with the Head of Commercial & Operations forecasting wholesale figures in line with marketing/trends and NPD
• Build value and SKU level forecast by month by brand
• Reviewing actual wholesale SLS vs forecast on a monthly basis
• Actively pushing slow moving stocks with marketing / retail / online
• Feeding back wholesale performance in weekly sales meetings and at the end of the month
• Provide regular feedback and review stock orders and inventory with the Supply Chain Manager
• Monitoring wholesale orders to make sure maximum fulfilment is achieved by informing retailers of OOS and BIS lines weekly. Working closely with orders team and DC on order dispatch timelines

Range Planning

• Selling in NPD to retailers and coordinating with marketing activity
• Monitoring NPD sell through to review demand with Supply Chain
• Work closely with the Brand marketing teams to regularly input to range plan review for all stores across all brands with sales trend analysis and data
• Reviewing stock concerns with Sales & Education Managers and consultants to collate and feedback to retailers.

Team

Work with Merchandising Assistant to ensure

• Weekly Retail SLS data is populated and collated by door by brand
• Stock issues and due dates are communicated to customers and internal sales teams
• Sales team stock issues are collated and flagged to key customers
• NPD information is collated and shared in advance of new launches, coordinating delivery of NPD stock to ensure OCD is met.
• Track NPD and promotional sales and circulate to internal teams

Manage the Sales Order Processor in relation to non-sales value orders.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Knowledge and Skills

• Core understanding of the relationship between Sales & Marketing and Supply Chain as well as in store sales team.
• Strong administrative skills to ensure all sales assets are up to date at all times
• Adaptable, working across a portfolio of brands spanning differing volumes of sales
• Proficiency in MS Office programs: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook
• Advanced MS excel
• Knowledge of ERP system

Key Competencies

• Strong analytic approach to identify trends and pre-empt potential shortages
• Strong verbal and written communicator with great presentation and influencing skills
• Highly organised team player, flexible and able to handle multiple activities, establish priorities, meet deadlines and work efficiently and effectively
• Ability to build relationships to support team members and collaborate with others to achieve goals
• Dynamic confident and assertive with ability to work with people at all levels.

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