Visual Merchandising Manager in Slough

The Brand: Anya Hindmarch founded her business in London in 1987 and it has since grown into a global brand. Today, it is as known for its luxury, organisation-obsessed accessories as it is for its groundbreaking work in sustainability and its playful experiential retail concepts. Creativity, modern craftsmanship and personalisation sit at the heart of everything Anya Hindmarch does. The brand is committed to creating responsibly and constantly strives to innovate to reduce its impact on the earth, while also using its platform to drive education and discussion around sustainability. Testament to this are projects such as I Am A Plastic Bag, The Universal Bag - a unique collaboration with supermarkets to rethink the reusable shopping bag, and Return to Nature, a collection of bags which are intended to biodegrade and compost at the end of their useful life. The work around sustainability continues, paying heed to the mantra, ‘progress, not perfection.’ Anya Hindmarch launched the Village on Pont Street in London’s Chelsea in 2021. This is a community of neighbouring stores and a cafe. Ever evolving, it centres around the Village Hall, which hosts innovative concepts, collaborations and exhibitions, all of which are amplified digitally. These have included collaborations with Boots and Peanuts, as well as our renowned Christmas Grotto and Ice Cream Project.

Basic Information: Reporting to Head of Visual Merchandising Location Head Office Hours 4 days a week

Job Purpose: The Visual Merchandising Manager role is essential to create and uphold Anya Hindmarch’s high level of visual presentation across our stores. We need a visionary lead with a strong understanding of visual merchandising and retail marketing as well as a passion for creating strong and memorable in store experiences. You will play a key part in the protection of the playful Anya Hindmarch aesthetic whilst ensuring that every display embodies the brand’s creativity, craftsmanship, and attention to detail.

Key Responsibilities:

• Responsible for the creation of VM guidelines for each product drop across all UK and ROW locations, working alongside the Head of Visual to ensure these reflect both the brand and relevant markets.
• Work with each individual location's stock on hand, to adapt guidelines effectively and ensure product stories are both cohesive and commercial.
• Assist with, and strive to lead, the creation and execution of a cohesive visual merchandising strategy across all store and retail touchpoints. Ensure alignment with brand identity, marketing campaigns, and events.
• Develop visually engaging VM displays that captivate customers and enhance the shopping experience.
• Create and own the master critical path for the VM department, working cross functionally with marketing, merchandising, retail and buying colleagues to ensure all updates and changes are actioned and communicated effectively.
• Work closely with the Head of Visual to continuously elevate the in-store client experience, bringing the brand vision to life and ensuring creative, aspirational product and window displays are aligned across the UK and ROW stores.
• Collaboration with the Head of Visual in the creation of store windows across the UK and ROW.
• Stay ahead of industry trends, including visual merchandising, design, and retail innovation. Experiment with new ideas, materials, and technologies to push the boundaries of traditional merchandising.
• Responsible for implementing monthly VM floor refreshes across multi site locations within the UK with the support of the Head of VM and wider team.
• Attend weekly trade meetings to discuss store performance and what actions can be made to capitalise on footfall, customer requests and consumer trends.
• Liaise weekly with Merchandising on product delays, delivery schedules, recall lists etc to determine the VM guidelines are accurate.
• Create individual product styling deck to share with UK / ROW stores and concessions, implementing best practice across London locations which can be shared with all relevant partners for inspiration and creative direction.
• Support the Head of Visual with any new store or concession openings and refurbishments within the company.
• Support the Head of Visual with the creation of detailed plans for new store openings. Showing the full range plan, product placement, capacity and window displays.
• Communicate VM updates effectively with Store Managers and wider Store teams to ensure key stakeholders are aligned and informed.
• Update Head of Visual with VM requirements per store, including VM toolkit and styling supplies. Responsible for maintaining VM tools and communicating any VM maintenance requirements.
• Support the Head of Visual with the coordination of VM related projects including seasonal activations, marketing events and UK/ROW brand pop ups.
• Supplier management and budgeting for the department.

About You: 3+ Years in a managerial VM role within contemporary/luxury fashion, preferably in a multi site environment. Highly organised, able to manage multiple projects and deadlines in fast-paced retail environments. Experience in producing Visual Merchandising guidelines. Strong eye for detail with the ability to balance creative vision and commercial impact. Confident communicator, experienced working with senior stakeholders and external partners. Flexibility to work early mornings, evenings, or weekends during visual installations or peak seasons. Must be able to travel to store locations within the UK and ROW where and when required. Solid background in visual merchandising within luxury or premium retail. Experience in concept development, 3D visualisation and production of window displays. Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite, SketchUp, Microsoft Suite / CAD. Experience in elevated and creative VM styling / window styling. Excellent organisational and communication skills are required, as well as the ability to work cross functionally with both internal teams and external partners. The ability to work in a fast paced environment / to work to tight deadlines effectively is essential. Adaptability and problem solving skills. Proficient in Microsoft Suite / Adobe Suite / CAD software.

Equal Opportunities: Anya Hindmarch is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity. If you need reasonable adjustments at any point in the application or interview process, please let us know.