DAY IN THE LIFE OF A GRADUATE MERCHANDISER

Are you thinking of a career in Merchandising? But wonder what the next step is? With such a broad range of possibilities on offer, what's right for you? To help you decide, we're taking a look at what's out there and the people who are doing it.

Profiles Angela Davey - Merchandise Admin Assistant

Having studied a degree in Psychology at University , I was unsure which career path to take. I enjoyed the creative and analytical skills I had developed throughout my degree, but I also wanted to use my numerical, logical and commercial abilities. Having researched careers on the internet, Merchandising appeared to be my perfect career, as it involved working with numbers but in the creative environment of fashion retail!

A typical day involves monitoring intake and making sure products are delivered on time, liasing with suppliers, analysing stock and sales figures, completing deadlines as required by the management team and working with the buying team to maximise brand performance. Merchandisers are also responsible for planning, negotiating and reviewing sales targets.

At Arcadia, there is a structured career path with training and development opportunities. The competency based training enables you to track your career and know exactly what you need to do to reach your next goal. If you are organised, analytical, numerical, good at planning and, of course, interested in fashion and trends then you should definitely consider Merchandising as a career

Andrew Triggs - Distributor

The Distribution team is a vital support function within Retail Head office, working principally with Merchandising and Retail Operations. We aim to ensure the best possible use is made of stock bought for the season to maximise profit potential. This is achieved in two ways.

Firstly, the Distributors meet with the Merchandisers each week (we are assigned 2-3 departments) to agree the ranging of lines for the initial allocation of stock and what quantity to send. Secondly, once a line has been released into the stores and begun to generate sales we can adjust replenishment according to the company's needs by extending lines down the chain, building branch stocks or cutting back replenishment.

Within Head Office the Distributors learn about a key product area e.g. Jersey or Knitwear and are responsible for providing a point of contact for a geographical region in the UK or Ireland. We can therefore share with the stores any stock queries or concerns they may have by 'phone or e-mail.

The Distributors work is never entirely complete as we continually have fresh products coming into the business. We put together co-ordinated packages for particular selling periods such as Holiday Hot Shop around May or going out ranges for Christmas and support new stores or modernisations.

Distribution is fun, exciting and challenging and provides a useful entry point to Head Office. An awareness of what's happening in the retail environment is essential and this is supported by store visits. Distributor's need to be able to work effectively in a team, be self-motivated and keep abreast of what's happening at any one time.

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