Are you a customer-centric retail buyer, with a proven track record in category management in branded fashion?

Can you utilise excellent commercial judgement to define and deliver a clear strategy to drive performance?

Do you thrive in a fast paced environment, using your exceptional interpersonal skills to build strong working relationships with vendors, cruise lines and cross-functional teams?

If so, the interim Category Manager role here at Harding could be the perfect challenge for you. 

About the role:

Reporting to our Category Director in our Lifestyle team, you’ll be accountable for daily trading and driving category performance across Clothing, Accessories and Costume Jewellery. You’ll define a mid-long term strategy, identifying the key pillars of growth and the path to achieve revenue and profitability targets across our US, UK, and Australian cruise line partners.

You’ll work closely with merchandising and retail operations as well as your own buying team of 6 to ensure the vendor portfolio meet sales, margin, and profit KPI’s. You’ll be highly customer centric and an industry expert with established vendor relationships, deep product knowledge and a strong point of view on market trends and regional nuances.

This is a great opportunity for a Senior Buyer or Category Manager to join a market leading and growing retailer, with the opportunity to define and execute your mid-long term strategy and build a high performing team.

Based in our Bristol office on a hybrid basis, you’ll work from the Avonmouth office 2-3 days a week. This is an interim position, for 3-6 months, and the ideal candidate will be immediately available/with a short notice period.

Compensation – competitive salary, bonus scheme, pension, 4 x life assurance, health cash plan, 25 days leave annually (including Christmas shutdown).

What you’ll be doing:

• Work alongside the Category Director to develop and deliver a category strategy by cruise line, with end to end management of the category execution from research to customer experience
• Analyse and report on performance working with vendors, retail operations and buying teams to actively identify risks/opportunities and implement creative strategies
• Build a commercial vendor portfolio and compelling core assortment, managing the buying process, range reviews and reviewing historic performance to identify gaps and opportunities
• Develop and maintain strong vendor relationships to maximise commercial opportunities
• Co-ordinate the workload, manage & mentor a small buying team  

About you:

• A strong background in branded fashion category management/senior buying, with previous experience in medium to large retail organisations  
• Exposure to travel retail would be highly desirable but not essential
• Commercially minded, you’ll have a strong focus on growth and opportunities with the ability to work towards metrics and targets
• Clear and focused strategy development and implementation skillset
• Analytical problem-solving ability with an advanced numerical and Excel skills
• Excellent negotiation and interpersonal skills to build strong working relationships with vendors, cruise lines and cross-functional teams
• Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple competing projects, calendars & deadlines
• Naturally collaborative with experience in managing, mentoring and developing a buying team
• Ability to travel for vendor meetings, trade shows and cruise ship visits
• Must have an existing right of eligibility to work in the UK

About us:

Harding+ is leading the way in innovative onboard cruise retailing, working closely with our cruise line partners and brand partners to ‘make every cruise better’.  We stay at the forefront of retailing and consistently provide outstanding customer service, culminating in winning the Cruise Retailer of the Year award for 2022 and 2023.

Harding+ is an equal opportunities employer.  We believe passionately that employing a diverse workforce is central to our success.  We make recruiting decisions based on your experience and skills.  We value your passion to discover, invent, simplify, and build.  Protecting your privacy and the security of your data is a longstanding top priority for Harding+.

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