Adam

My job is to maximise sales in the menswear department. Merchandising is the bridge between customer demand and product supply: it’s all about getting the right stock, in the right place, in the right quantities, to drive up profit.

Think back to last autumn. The weather was bitterly cold. Fuel prices were through the roof. And I could see a spike in demand for (you’ve guessed it) thermal underwear. People wanted to stay warm without spending more on bills.

So now I’m operating like a trader: I spot the potential to sell more thermals, and I go back to our suppliers and order more stock – a lot more. I could have sat back, hit forecast, sold out – happy days. But my job is to go beyond that, to seize the moment and capitalise on the opportunity. The numbers are pretty impressive too: we sold an extra £3m worth of products in that quarter which was 27% above plan. You see the impact of what you do.

I like getting out to stores, seeing the products on display and hearing what customers are saying. This is obviously a big business, but it feels small and nimble and urgent. I’ve worked in other retail businesses where the hierarchy was more rigid and it took ages to get anything approved. Here, our business unit director knows my name; I feel trusted to make decisions; I’m treated as an adult. 

When the new MD joined, he told us we have to take more risks: calculated risks, for sure, supported by the data, but we have to accept some of those bets might not come off. When they do, it’s really very exciting.

That entrepreneurial flair feeds into a great learning culture because you are constantly encouraged to try new things. I’ve moved up pretty quickly and I feel genuinely grateful to the people who gave me the support and space to grow. That’s why I now get involved in coaching and development as much as possible.

We offer all kinds of things to help people move forward, not just narrow job-related training. This week I’m doing a session on interview skills for Assistant Merchandisers. It’s my turn to give something back. And as my team gets stronger, that gives me a platform for my own development. When it works like this, everybody wins.