Watchfinder & Co. Senior Merchandise Planner
Watchfinder — Senior Merchandise Planner in West Malling. Lead forecasting, OTB and inventory for pre-owned luxury watches.
Overview
Watchfinder is a specialist retailer and online platform focused on pre-owned luxury watches, combining rigorous authentication, servicing expertise and an omnichannel sales model. The organisation is recognised for its product provenance, technical watchmaking knowledge and a commercial approach that balances curated inventory with data-driven merchandising.
Role & Responsibilities
- Develop and own the merchandise plan across core categories: translate corporate sales targets into weekly, monthly and seasonal forecasts and inventory requirements.
- Manage open-to-buy, stock replenishment and ageing to optimise sell-through and margin while minimising working capital.
- Construct and maintain financial models and merchandising KPIs (sell-through, stock cover, gross margin return on inventory) to inform buying and pricing decisions.
- Collaborate closely with Buying, Commercial, CRM, E‑commerce and Finance to align assortment, promotional activity and stock deployment with channel strategies.
- Analyse historical sales, market trends and product lifecycles to shape assortment cadence and cadence of product entry/exit.
- Drive process improvements in demand planning, reporting cadence and inventory controls; mentor junior planners and analysts.
- Prepare regular management reports and present commercial recommendations to senior stakeholders.
- Lead risk mitigation for slow-moving inventory and propose clearance or refurbishment strategies where appropriate.
Qualifications
- Proven track record in merchandise planning or inventory management within luxury retail or specialist watch/jewellery retail.
- Strong commercial and numerical aptitude with demonstrated experience building and owning financial plans and KPIs.
- Ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders and present recommendations to senior management.
- Experience managing teams or mentoring junior staff preferred.
- High attention to detail and a methodical approach to stock control and reporting.
Skills
Experience
Typically requires 5+ years of progressive merchandise planning or inventory management experience within luxury retail or a specialist watch/jewellery environment, with hands-on responsibility for forecasting, open-to-buy and commercial performance.
Education
Bachelor's degree in business, finance, economics, mathematics or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience in retail merchandising.
Workplace
This position is based in West Malling, Kent, UK, within easy reach of London. Cerulean lists 5 open roles in West Malling, including 2 posted recently. The broader Kent area accounts for 10 active listings on Cerulean, 2 of which are new. In UK as a whole, Cerulean currently features 621 open positions, with 18 posted this week.
Culture
Watchfinder fosters a meticulous, product-centric culture where technical knowledge of watches and commercial rigour coexist. The workplace values data-driven decision-making, cross-disciplinary collaboration and a high standard of product integrity, reflecting the expectations of discerning luxury clientele.
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.