Assistant Merchandiser - Brands

The Role Joining the Brands Team at Next during this period of growth is an incredible opportunity to make a significant impact at the UK's leading fashion platform! As an Assistant Trading Manager, you'll play a vital role in fostering relationships with external brands across Womenwear, Menswear and Kidswear, including River Island, Monsoon, AllSaints, Hush and Mint Velvet. As an Assistant Trading Manager you will be the face of our business to our partners, someone who can navigate the entire commercial lifecycle, from weekly trade performance to long-term seasonal strategy. Ensure our brands thrive on our platform, stock stays fluid, and every season outperforms the last. What You'll Take On 1. Supplier Management  As the face of Next, you will build influential working relationships with brands, ensuring new partners are seamlessly onboarded and fully aligned with our operational processes. You will take accountability for KPIs across your assigned commission brands while partnering with the Trading Manager and Commercial Product Manager to support the negotiation of mutually beneficial commercial terms. 2. Strategic Planning You will provide strategic phasing advice and sales projections for the season along with "Good/Better/Best" quantity guidelines, optimum option width and phasing advice to maximise full-price sell-through and minimise terminal stock.Through leading weekly reviews of commission trade, you will proactively identify risks to targets and pinpoint sudden growth opportunities. This culminates in your management of the Seasonal Review process where you will present performance summaries and outline future guidelines.    3. Insight & Product opportunity By leveraging market research, competitor shopping, and internal data, you will identify distinct product-level opportunities. You will then translate these top-line insights into actionable guidance for our partner brands, influencing their future range builds to ensure they align with our customers' needs. 4. Financial Forecastng & Stock Management To maintain the integrity of internal forecasts, you are responsible for ensuring all sales, profit, intake, markdown, and RTB figures are realistic, achievable, and strategically aligned with the wider business. You will take full ownership of the RTB and markdown processes by ensuring rule sets are accurate, timelines are strictly met, and that commission brands maintain the correct level of intake relative to sales generated / forecast. Additionally, you will guarantee that all LABEL+ volumes provided to logistics are accurate to facilitate efficient vehicle planning. What You’ll Bring Great Communication Skills: Prepare clear and engaging presentations for internal meetings and brand partner discussions. Tailor your communication style to your audience, ensuring information is conveyed effectively. Actively listen to feedback and respond thoughtfully to questions or concerns. Solid Technical Merchandising Skills: Utilise your technical expertise to analyse data and forecast sales. Ensure accuracy in merchandise systems and contract negotiations to support successful trading relationships. Stay updated on industry best practices and trends to enhance your merchandising capabilities. Energetic, Enthusiastic, and Self-Confident: Approach your role with energy and enthusiasm, inspiring others with your passion and positivity. Demonstrate confidence in your abilities and decisions, especially when presenting information or leading discussions. Open-Mindedness to New Ways of Working: Embrace innovation and creativity, actively seeking out new ideas and solutions to challenges. Be receptive to feedback and different perspectives, recognizing that diverse viewpoints can lead to better outcomes. Encourage a culture of continuous improvement and experimentation within your team. Enjoyment of the Product and Trend Side of the Role: Immerse yourself in the world of product and trends, staying informed about the latest developments and innovations. Use your passion for product and trends to drive creative merchandising strategies and inspire your team. Actively seek out opportunities to collaborate with brand partners to bring innovative products to market. Sponsorship Candidates wishing to apply who would require sponsorship for this role will be required to meet the Home Office sponsorship requirements. For further information please see: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa. We encourage early applications for our roles, as our recruitment process begins as soon as the role is advertised. If we successfully fill the position, this advert may close earlier than planned. At NEXT, we believe the best work happens when there are no barriers to collaboration. That’s why we are a Google-powered workspace. From your very first day, you’ll be using the full Google Workspace suite; Docs, Drive, and Meet, to stay connected and move fast. If your previous experience is rooted in other software suites, don’t worry! We’ll point you to a digital Google toolkit the moment you join, packed with handy guides and insider tips to help you transition smoothly and hit the ground running. #LI-Onsite You know Next, but did you know we’re a FTSE-100 retail company employing over 44,000 people across the Next group. We’re the UK’s 2nd largest fashion retailer and for Kidswear we’re the market leader. At the last count we have over 450 stores, plus the Next Online and it’s now possible to buy on-line from over 80 countries around the world! So we’ve gone global! * 25 days holiday plus bank holidays • Profit-related bonus - based on company performance • Private health insurance- surgery choices • Sharesave scheme - make savings from your net pay to buy NEXT shares at a discount • Pension - fixed contribution rates from both an employer and employee perspective, but you're also able to make additional voluntary contributions (AVCs) if you wish to save more. * 25% staff discount on most NEXT products - plus discount on other products • Wagestream - helping you make the most out of your money • Salary finance - offers access to affordable loans repaid through salary, simple savings and free financial education. • Life assurance • Direct to work • NEXT orders delivered free to the office for collection • VIP sale - early access to the NEXT sale • Access to NEXT staff shops • Octopus energy - like cycle-to-work, but for electric vehicles • Free parking (excluding London locations) • Travel2NEXT - bus services dependent on location • On site dining facilities (excluding London locations) • National and local discounts on goods and services - this includes things like discounted cinema tickets • Wellhub - includes access to discounted gym membership • Simply health - a healthcare subscription service • Aviva Digicare Workplace+ healthcare service - 7 Free services including Digital GP appointments and an annual health check. • Onsite GP • Leicester Head Office • Onsite Physio • Leicester Head Office • A range of dedicated 3rd party wellbeing partners • Free eye testing - voucher to use at specific locations Conditions apply to all benefits. These benefits are discretionary and subject to change. We aim to support all candidates during the application process and are happy to provide workplace adjustments when necessary. Should you need support with your application due to a disability or long-term condition, feel free to get in touch with us by email headoffice_careers@next.co.uk (please include 'Workplace Adjustments' in the subject line), or call us on 0116 284 2486 and leave a voicemail.