Account Manager (South Shields)

Company Description: The Barbour story began in 1894 in South Shields in the North East of England. Founder John Barbour began supplying oilskins and other garments to protect the growing community of sailors, fishermen and dockers. Still family owned and now fifth generation, Barbour HQ remains in South Shields. Under the leadership of Chairman Dame Margaret Barbour, Barbour has grown into a lifestyle brand sold in over 55 countries worldwide including Europe, the US and Asia offering a wardrobe of stylish functional clothing, footwear and accessories inspired by the unique values of the British countryside. The iconic Barbour Bedale and Barbour Beaufort wax jackets continue to be made by hand in the factory in South Shields. In 2020, Barbour launched Wax for Life, an overarching name for all of Barbour’s wax services designed to encourage customers to extend the life of their wax garments. Wax for Life includes re-waxing and repairs (first introduced in 1921) and Barbour Re-Loved an upcycling circularity initiative. Each year over 70,000 wax garments are sent back to Barbour globally to be repaired, rewaxed or altered.

Position Overview: We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Account Manager Womenswear to join the Barbour field-based Sales team on a temporary Maternity cover based at South Shields. This role will cover Northern Womenswear Accounts and be based and manage relationships in territory, reporting into the Sales Manager Independents. You will be responsible for achieving profitable sales in line with sales targets through managing accounts within the assigned territory and growing distribution in line with UK sales strategy, producing sales forecasts, account plans and regular trading updates and in season sales for the account portfolio. This is a brand ambassador role responsible for ensuring Barbour is ‘best in class’ within the territory.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Sell in: Presenting the range to all assigned partners within the assigned territory.
• Understanding different partner product requirements and working to these in terms of selecting from range to enable a cohesive representation of the brand within store or online.
• Ensuring that forecasted targets are met with each partner and reporting back.
• Input all your partners sales orders into NuORDER and ensure account details are kept up to date.
• Managing showroom set up and pricing and supporting the wider team.
• Sell out: Outside of the selling season you will be required to carry out partner visits and provide stores with product training and maintaining VM standards to ensure ‘best in class’ representation of the brand.
• Maintain strong & authentic relationship with partners.
• Communicate Marketing needs with regards to organising POS, windows, and additional marketing activity within marketing budget guidelines.
• General partner enquiries will need to be actioned promptly with regards to orders, deliveries, stock and credit issues to maintain shipments of the order book.
• Working closely with all partners to analyse sell through and optimise in season sales opportunities to achieve full price sell through.
• Feedback territory sale information to Head of Merch on a monthly basis.

Administrative:

• Sales order management on NuORDER and ensuring orders are processed and accounted for.

Reporting:

• Ensure consistent quantified & qualitative feedback to Sales Manager on best and slow sellers at the end of every season any issues that have arisen throughout the selling season.
• Ensure consistent feedback on sell-out in the assigned territory throughout the season to Sales Manager.
• Accurate forecasting of monthly & seasonal targets.
• Ensure up to date market, competitor, and category awareness with particular focus on assigned area.

Skills and Experience:

• Educated to a degree level.
• Experience in regional and area account management.
• Experience in managing sell-through activities, in-store display and influencing sell-out.
• Experience in managing, rationalising & growing brand distribution and category segmentation.
• Knowledge of the UK apparel industry.
• Strategic planning and budget planning skills.
• Execution of product and account channel distribution segmentation.
• Identifying and developing new business opportunities.
• Competence with Microsoft including: MS Outlook, Excel & PowerPoint. Experience with NuORDER preferable.
• Excellent verbal and written Communication skills to build strong relationships internally and externally.
• Excellent ability to undertake presentations at individual and group level.
• Negotiation and objection handling skills.
• Ability to analyse external and internal numerical data and translate into actions.
• Strong problem solving and decision-making skills.
• Creative thinking and ability to translate into practical application.
• Time management and structured journey planning experience.

Additional Information: MUST have a full valid Driving licence.

Benefits: Discretionary Company bonus scheme, Staff discount, Healthcare cash plan, 25 days holiday as standard increasing with length of service plus bank holidays.

Note: In the event that a sufficient volume of suitable applications are received, the post may close prior to the specified closing date. Please apply as soon as possible if interested.