Head of Merchandising - Rochdale

Head of Merchandising jobs

Overseeing the merchandising department, this role often involves working with the UK and international function, where appropriate, to identify new market opportunities and partner relationships.

Head of Merchandising often works closely with Head of Buying in a business to deliver appropriate ranges that are seasonally focused, ensuring key international events and counter-seasonal markets are catered for.

Central to partner communications, Head of Merchandising roles are brand ambassadors in all meetings and negotiations and there is an emphasis on working with the senior leadership team to define and deliver a clear strategy for the future.

This role involves leading and motivating the team to ensure consistently high standards and best practice are maintained across all processes.

The role offers the opportunity to build and consolidate relationships with existing stores, wholesale and franchise partners through on-going communication and delivery of mutual objectives.

The skills required

As Head of Merchandising you will have experience of working within international wholesale and franchise models, with extensive knowledge of buying and merchandising principles and processes. An understanding of global markets is essential as well as the ability to translate customer insight into working practice.

As a skilled communicator you will be a confident negotiator and well versed in relationship building.

Commercial acumen is mandatory as Head of Merchandising as well as the ability to think strategically. In a fast-moving market, resilience is a valued quality as well as being an agile thinker and problem solver.

Head of Merchandising Jobs in Rochdale

Depending on your age and where you live, you might well associate Rochdale with Gracie Fields, Cyril Smith or Lisa Stansfield, all of whom have drawn attention to the town of the last century. Staff at Cast UK might well associate it with managing director Wayne Brophy - hopefully for all the right reasons! But for anyone in or around this town, it’s a fairly typical north-western market town that boomed during the milling and textile-making revolution of the 19th century. However, this industry did decline in the 20th century.

The town remains a large and thriving place, close enough to Manchester to be a commuter residence and trading partner, but far enough away to maintain its identity. It has excellent road and rail links with Manchester, with the M62 passing by Rochdale as is courses from the city to Leeds. The Metrolink tram line is due for completion in 2014. The town of Rochdale is home to about 100,000 people, but taking in all the settlements in the borough, the figure is over 200,000.

As with any large town, the population itself requires a large logistical effort to keep it fed, watered, clothed and stocked with life’s creature comforts. There’s a busy shopping area and a few trading estates dotted around the town. Many of the mill buildings are now used by small businesses or have been converted to living accommodation. Rochdale and Manchester do create Head of Merchandising positions, and both have important logistics, procurement and supply chain industries.

Popular locations

Search for Head of Merchandising opportunities with Cast UK

As market leading recruitment specialists for professional level merchandising roles, Cast UK is committed to building long-term relationships with our clients, enabling us to understand their business models and the positions they are recruiting.

We get to know the personalities and objectives of each candidate; understanding what motivates them, and the appropriate cultural fit for them. This attention to detail means that we are able to make excellent matches between applicants and employers, making placements that are lasting and mutually rewarding.

To find out more about how Cast UK can help you recruit a Head of Merchandising role for your business or find you a job as Head of Merchandising, contact one of our consultant team on 0333 121 3345

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