Clarins Senior Product and Merchandising Manager

About Clarins

Founded in Paris in 1954 by Jacques Courtin-Clarins, Clarins is a family-owned beauty house renowned for its plant-inspired skincare, makeup and spa expertise. Combining scientific research with a close understanding of customers’ needs, the brand has built an international presence while preserving its French heritage. As an employer, Clarins brings together specialists across research, product development, manufacturing, retail and corporate functions, united by a commitment to quality and service. Its emphasis on responsible beauty, innovation and long-term stewardship offers a distinctive professional environment for those seeking to contribute to an established beauty house with an entrepreneurial spirit.

Role & Responsibilities

• Develop the Clarins makeup category across product, merchandising and activation, supporting catalogue performance and growth in Swiss sell-in and sell-out.
• Optimise new-product launch and catalogue-support activation strategies to grow revenue while managing the allocated expenditure budget and group profitability.
• Allocate activation budgets to priority and strategic makeup ranges by retailer, considering retailer characteristics, business weight and brand guidelines in collaboration with the commercial team.
• Monitor the market and contribute to subsidiary category strategy; act as a key contact for marketing management, commercial teams, general management, digital, training, Finance and other departments.
• Safeguard Clarins' brand image and philosophy in the Swiss market and represent local market requirements to the brand.
• Lead the quality, impact and consistency of makeup brand presentation in-store.
• Track and identify growth opportunities by product category, segment, distribution channel and consumer objectives, including recruitment, loyalty and win-back; analyse and prioritise growth gaps by percentage and value.
• Build, prioritise, recommend, lead and optimise growth initiatives—including launches, promotions, catalogue, top-door strategy, exclusivity, previews, merchandising, assortment, online and offline trade marketing, CRM, training, service, media and sampling—to achieve annual market-share and sell-out targets, quick wins, budgets and three-year plans.
• Update the budget monthly and manage it efficiently and productively.
• Manage the makeup assortment and full product lifecycle, including introductions, discontinuations and renovations, as well as associated operational tasks.
• Forecast new products, promotions and point-of-sale advertising in advance, working with commercial teams to align estimates with building-block and BNP ambitions.
• Define and update makeup strategy and planograms.
• Create innovative 360-degree plans using Paris headquarters information while ensuring local relevance for Swiss target groups.
• Manage the 360-degree launch communications plan and brief other departments to ensure consistent messages, visuals and content across channels.
• Recommend and oversee allocation of launch media and sales-promotion investment according to market-share growth priorities, optimising return on investment.
• Recommend and obtain approval for pricing of new products and catalogue items.
• Prepare makeup sales tours, including presentations and orders.
• Co-develop the sampling strategy with the manager across all brand touchpoints, including point of sale and online.
• Coordinate makeup product launches with headquarters e-commerce teams.
• Analyse monthly sell-out by category and recommend simple, actionable measures.
• Analyse quarterly sell-in trends by product reference, volume and value, and prescribe simple, actionable measures.
• Monitor competitors.
• Develop national media strategy with the Marketing Director; create national media campaign assets and optimise performance with the media agency.
• Manage and implement annual always-on campaigns for assigned segments, including strategy, planning, budget and assets.
• Report on campaigns after launch, including overall analysis and sell-in and sell-out impact.
• Align Media, Digital and PR teams to strengthen brand awareness and consideration.
• Lead the rollout of visual-merchandising tools across all brand expression formats and distribution channels, following brand guidelines.
• Work with marketing management on visual strategies for makeup launches and brand priorities, and oversee production and installation of visuals and messaging across distribution.
• Deploy makeup visual-merchandising tools, including POP, point-of-sale advertising, makeup kits, displays and shippers.
• Coordinate makeup visual-change campaigns throughout distribution, including Duratrans campaigns, excluding windows at directly operated retail stores.
• Coordinate permanent brand presentation and events with e-Business, Boutiques and Skin Spa teams to ensure consistency across channels and formats.
• Manage makeup materials and furniture in stock and at points of sale, including store openings, closures, renovations and repairs.
• Lead Müller store openings involving makeup, excluding flagships.
• Develop makeup shippers and outposts.
• Lead purchasing, stock management and deployment of makeup brand-expression tools ordered from Paris headquarters, including GTU, bars, launch and regular modules, Open Sales and gondolas; oversee module and furniture rollouts when required.
• Plan and monitor Capex and Opex budgets for makeup brand-expression activities.
• Develop navigation tools and permanent displays that improve the makeup shopping experience.
• Implement and update makeup merchandising tools and planograms, and manage related stock.
• Ensure makeup visual rights are monitored.
• Analyse assortments to support planogram selection.
• Monitor Capex budgets for plans and installations, ensuring strict adherence to allocations.
• Work with marketing management on the annual revenue budget and define revenue by activation and franchise.
• Manage investment in media and sales-promotion activities according to priorities and profitability.
• Recommend budget adjustments and improve tools and dashboards for more effective management.

Qualifications

• Solid experience of at least 3–5 years in product management and merchandising.
• University-level profile; EHL, HEC or HEG background.
• Proficiency with computer tools, Excel and PowerPoint.
• InDesign and Photoshop proficiency is an advantage.
• Fluent spoken and written German and French.
• English at B2 level.

Skills

Experience

At least 3–5 years in product management and merchandising.

Education

University-level background; EHL, HEC or HEG.

Culture

As a family-owned French beauty group, Clarins combines an entrepreneurial spirit with a culture rooted in botanical expertise, scientific innovation and close attention to customers. Its workplace values collaboration, the transmission of know-how and a shared commitment to responsible beauty, connecting professional excellence with care for people and nature.

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