Launch Your Fashion Career: Insights from an M&S Merchandising Admin Assistant

This role requires strong organisational and administrative skills, combined with analytical tasks and creative collaboration, providing the foundations for a thriving career in the fashion industry.

To give you a better understanding, we interviewed Alex Saunders, Merchandising Admin Assistant, who tells us more about the realities of being an MAA with us.

Can you describe your role as a Merchandising Admin Assistant?

Each day as a Merchandising Admin Assistant, I support the Menswear Jersey team by analysing sales throughout the week, reporting on the bestsellers, and ensuring future product orders are placed. I work closely with my Assistant Merchandisers to make key changes at a product level, tweaking and improving our size offers in stores for the benefit of our customers. I also regularly collaborate with our International Partners, working to resolve issues and find solutions.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

My favourite part of the role is planning product lines, working out the colours and styles that will perform at the highest level and that our customers will love. This is an exciting and collaborative aspect of the role, working with the team to create a winning range. Also, seeing the product land in-store and hearing customers speak highly of our products is an amazing feeling as I know I’ve made a positive impact.

What skills have you gained from the MAA role?

As an MAA, I have gained many skills, including improving my negotiation skills. This has been crucial when organising product orders that satisfy the suppliers but also, most importantly, arrive on time to our stores.

I’ve also had the opportunity to develop my communication skills. I’ve created a variety of communications for both my team and the wider Menswear team, delving into the best sellers, trends, customer insights and sales during our key periods, such as Father’s Day. Understanding the data has meant that I can tell a clear and concise story about our products and sales when I talk to my team.

What attracted you to apply for a job at M&S, and what interested you in Merchandising?

I was drawn to Merchandising because it’s all about taking control of the product you see in stores and making sure that our customers can get the styles they want, where and when they want them. Merchandising is pivotal in driving sales while also making our customers happy – what’s not to love!

What is your proudest career moment so far?

My proudest career moment was when I got to lead the work on our sizing ratios across Menswear.  I worked closely with the Head of Merchandising to ensure that our size range offered to our customers was inclusive and to make sure that our fits were true to size. Leading this project required me to analyse sales, help other teams conduct similar analyses, and then work with the Head of Merchandising to create a forward plan based on this data.

What makes M&S a special place to work?

M&S is a welcoming and friendly environment to work in. Everyone is happy to help out, and you will learn from everyone, whether they are in your own department or another function!

Development is a major focus for M&S to help everyone to be at their best. From regular touchpoint with my Line Manager and wider team to training sessions with the other MAAs, you get to draw on a huge variety of resources and gain different perspectives to help me to progress.

What advice would you give to potential candidates thinking about starting their career with us as an MAA?

If you are a curious individual, then being an MAA would be an ideal role for you. You get to investigate different trends, analyse huge data sets and make suggestions that could impact the shopping experience of customers nationwide. It's a role where your curiosity, organisational and analytical skills can shine, and you can see the tangible results of your work in our stores every day.

If you’re looking to start your career in the fashion industry, the MAA role at M&S offers a perfect blend of administrative and analytical challenges, with immense opportunities for growth. Follow in Alex’s footsteps and become part of a team that values innovation, collaboration, and personal development. Learn more about the role and apply here.