OTB Group Retail Merchandiser — Shoes, Bags & Small Leather Goods
- Seniority
- Mid-Level
- Department
- Merchandising, Buying & Planning
- Industry
- Fashion, Apparel & Leather Goods
- Posted
- May 14, 2026
About OTB Group
OTB (Only The Brave) is an international fashion group that houses a portfolio of contemporary and avant-garde maisons. Renowned for fostering creative autonomy across its brands, OTB operates global wholesale and retail networks and places a premium on product innovation, craftsmanship and distinctive brand storytelling.
OTB — Retail Merchandiser, Shoes, Bags & Small Leather Goods in Milan. Lead assortment, allocation and in-store merchandising for footwear and accessories.
Role & Responsibilities
- Develop and execute seasonal assortment plans for footwear, handbags and small leather goods aligned with commercial targets and brand positioning.
- Translate sell-through, KPI and inventory data into replenishment, allocation and markdown decisions to optimise sell-out and margin.
- Collaborate with buyers, planners, retail operations and store managers to define allocations, launch cadence and promotional strategies.
- Create and maintain merchandising tools: planograms, floor-sets, visual guidelines and product presentation standards for mono-brand and wholesale doors.
- Monitor product lifecycle and stock ageing; propose corrective actions including transfer, re-pricing or targeted promotions.
- Provide product and commercial training to store teams to ensure accurate product storytelling, positioning and upsell techniques.
- Produce regular commercial reports and forecasts, using insights to inform buying and market-specific strategies.
Qualifications
- Minimum 3 years' experience in retail merchandising, buying or planning, preferably within footwear, handbags or accessories.
- Strong commercial acumen with demonstrable track record hitting sales, margin and inventory KPIs.
- Excellent numeracy and analytical capability; comfortable working with sales forecasts and inventory models.
- Outstanding communication skills with the ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders and retail teams.
- Fluent business English; proficiency in the local market language is advantageous.
Skills
Experience
Minimum three years of hands-on experience in retail merchandising, buying or planning within fashion; proven experience with footwear and leather goods preferred.
Education
Bachelor's degree in Fashion Merchandising, Business, Marketing or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
Workplace
The successful candidate will be located in Milan, Lombardy, Italy.
Culture
OTB cultivates an entrepreneurial, design-forward culture that values creative risk-taking and brand autonomy. The working environment is international and fast-paced, privileging close collaboration between commercial, creative and retail teams to translate product vision into market performance.
About Cerulean
Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.
Frequently Asked Questions
The luxury industry is characterised by a diverse and nuanced nomenclature. Esteemed houses frequently employ proprietary terminology, and even within a single organisation like OTB Group, titles may vary across global markets to reflect local conventions. To ensure absolute clarity, Cerulean assigns a standardised, industry-coherent canonical title to every listing. However, it is worth noting that this role is functionally synonymous with «Merchandise Planner — Footwear & Leather Goods», «Merchandise Coordinator — Bags & Accessories», «Category Merchandiser — Footwear & SLG», «Retail Merchandising Specialist — Accessories», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.