Merchandising Lead

At Sanderson Design Group, we are always looking for talented, ambitious and motivated people to join our team. Merchandising Lead Reports to: Head of Merchandising & Product Strategy Location: Chiswick (Travel is required) Department: Merchandising & Product Strategy Role Overview: As Merchandising Lead, you’ll own merchandise planning for Sanderson Design Group – planning sales, margin, stock and intake across all our brands, regions and channels to maximise profitability, availability and return on investment, working alongside the Product Strategy Lead, who owns range direction and product selection.

This is a foundational role: you’ll build the forecasting model and reporting that don’t yet exist, establish the weekly trade and monthly review cycle, and become the single point of contact for Finance, Operations and Digital on sales, stock and margin. It’s a chance to stand up a new discipline within the business and shape how Sanderson Design Group plans and trades, working closely with Purchasing and Product Strategy along the way.

About Us

Sanderson Design Group plc is a luxury interior design house, home to six iconic brands with over 165 years of history: Sanderson, Morris & Co., Harlequin, Zoffany, Clarke & Clarke, and Scion. Our portfolio spans fabric, wallpaper, and paint, with manufacturing capabilities through Anstey and Standfast & Barracks. Our purpose is to ‘bring the beautiful into people’s homes and lives’ and we are the proud owner of one of Europe’s largest design archives, with over 75,000 historical documents and artworks.

We also have a growing international licensing programme which supports our strategic global expansion.

Responsibilities

Forecasting & Trading Own the weekly merchandise plan (WSSI) for sales, stock and intake – planned and reforecast by brand, product group, region, channel, season and supplier, and reconciled to the business’s sales and margin numbers. Plan sales first, then flow that plan through to cost of sales, intake and stock cover, owning the weekly reforecast cycle and the in-season trading position.

Produce and present the weekly and monthly trading position, with clear recommendations on risks, opportunities and the actions needed to protect sales and margin. Provide volume plans for the warehouse (flow planning), and support our internal factories with volume forecasts. Stock, Availability & Intake Own open-to-buy and intake phasing, making sure stock lands in line with demand, launch dates and marketing activity, and that working capital is used effectively.

Set, monitor and drive product availability targets – including sales-weighted availability on our most important lines – agreeing corrective action with Purchasing and Supply Chain. Manage terminal and slow-moving stock: spot exposure early, plan clearance and exit routes, and quantify the margin impact of markdown activity.

Work with Purchasing to set replenishment parameters, minimum order quantities and lead-time assumptions so the plan is genuinely deliverable. Grow sales per SKU while maintaining range discipline, keeping new product and collections within the agreed product plan. Range & Collection Planning Forecast sales at collection, design and SKU level, working with the Product Strategy Lead to set initial buy quantities, colourway depth and phasing for new collections.

Own the New Collection ROI process end to end – from forecast through to post-launch attainment – tracking performance against plan and recommending repeat, develop or exit decisions. Support the seasonal budget process and review targets for sales, SKU count, product mix, intake margin and stock, feeding into the annual plan and long-range forecast.

Provide the analysis behind pricing architecture, discount structure and margin improvement, including how discount and channel mix affect realised margin. Reporting, Systems & Continuous Improvement Build and own the merchandising reporting toolset – Qlik Sense apps, dashboards and automated weekly reporting – cutting manual preparation and making sure everything ties back to business-level numbers.

Keep product and planning data accurate across the systems the business relies on, and drive improvement at source wherever data gaps show up. Implement and explore new systems and processes, championing merchandising as a new discipline within the business and constantly looking for ways to remove manual effort and raise quality.

Track performance regularly – spotting bottlenecks, diagnosing root causes, and proposing improvements before they become problems. Stakeholders & Team Build strong relationships with Design, Marketing, Sales, Finance, Supply Chain, Customer Services and Digital Trading, acting as the go-to contact for line-level performance and planning.

Support the Digital Trading team with product insight and performance for our D2C websites. Deputise for the Head of Merchandising & Product Strategy as required, take on other reasonable duties as they arise, and uphold the Group’s health and safety standards, leading by example. Skills & Experience: Experience & Know-How Proven merchandising experience at senior merchandiser or lead level, gained in retail, wholesale or a branded product business.

Demonstrable ownership of a WSSI, open-to-buy and forecasting process, with the confidence to plan sales, stock and intake. Advanced working knowledge of MS Excel, including complex formulas and large data sets. Working knowledge of a BI tool (Qlik Sense preferred), with SQL or similar data skills desirable, and a genuine appetite to develop reporting and automation.

How You Work Strong commercial judgement – able to turn analysis into a recommendation and defend it confidently with Directors. Strong numerical, analytical and interpretive skills, with a logical, structured approach to problem-solving. Strong organisational skills and the ability to think strategically while managing a weekly trading rhythm.

Excellent written and spoken communication, with the credibility to influence senior stakeholders. Confident building relationships across Design, Marketing, Sales, Purchasing, Customer Services and Finance. Comfortable establishing a new function – setting the process and ways of working where none currently exist. A genuine feel for the product, and an understanding of Sanderson Design Group and our end consumers.

Qualifications

Degree-level educated, or equivalent experience gained on the job. Values & Behaviours: Intrepid: Provide clarity, encouragement and meaningful feedback to help us move forward with purpose and positivity. Imaginative: Lead with curiosity, coach and encourage teams to be resourceful and think beyond the obvious to drive meaningful, creative outcomes.

Respectful: Proactively consider and take responsibility for how decisions and leadership approach impact the team, the wider Group dynamics and performance. We are committed to providing equal opportunities to all and we welcome applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds.