All About Merchandising

This week, we sat down with Huma, one of our Assistant Merchandisers at Harrods, to get an inside look at life in the merchandising team. In this interview, Huma shares what her role involves, her journey so far, and some great advice for anyone interested in starting a career in merchandising.

Q: Hi Huma, nice to meet you! Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
A: Hi! I’m Huma, and I work as an Assistant Merchandiser in the Harrods Own Label department. I’ve been here for just over two and a half years now. My journey started as a Merchandising Admin Assistant for Restaurants and Own Label Food & Beverage. After a year and a half, I was promoted to Assistant Merchandiser, and now I’m mainly focused on Own Label Apparel, Toys, and seasonal products.

Q:What first inspired you to pursue a career in merchandising?
A:I’ve always had a love for products but wanted a job that also involved working with numbers and data. Merchandising was the perfect fit—it’s a brilliant mix of being creative while using data to make informed decisions. I get to combine trend forecasting with real-time sales analysis, and that balance really appealed to me.

Q: Could you walk us through what a typical day looks like for you?
A: Sure! My day usually kicks off with refreshing and sharing our daily sales report, which tracks how we’re performing against our forecast. Monday mornings are all about preparing for our weekly trade meeting. It’s my job to ensure the trade reports are up to date so the Buying team can analyse the previous week’s performance and plan for the week ahead.

On Thursdays, we dive into cross-functional meetings with Merchandising, Buying, and Demand Planning teams. We use the reports to identify any areas where we need to take action and improve sales.

Then there are our bi-weekly floor walks, where we visit the shop floor with teams from Retail, Stock Operations, Visual Merchandising, and others. It’s a great way to get a feel for how products are displayed and performing, and we discuss what’s working and what’s not.

Towards the end of the season, I compile a "lessons learnt" report. This is where I dig into how the previous season performed and use that information to plan for the next. It's exciting to look at what products we want to keep, what needs a revamp, and where we can introduce something new!

Overall, my day is a blend of sales forecasting, stock planning, trade reporting, and lots of data analysis. No two days are the same, which keeps things interesting!

Q: What skills do you think someone needs to succeed in merchandising?
A: To do well in Merchandising, being analytical and comfortable with numbers is key—especially since you’ll be working with Excel a lot! Attention to detail is also a must because you’re dealing with forecasts, budgets, and reports that need to be spot-on.

You also need to bring some creativity to the table. Understanding trends and being able to forecast what will appeal to your audience is crucial when planning product ranges.

On top of that, strong communication skills are important. You’ll be working with different teams, both internally and externally, so being able to collaborate and build relationships is essential.

Q: What’s your favourite part of the job?
A: I love that I get to use both my creative and analytical sides! Making data-driven decisions while staying in tune with trends is really satisfying. Plus, working on Harrods Own Label collections, from concept all the way to seeing it on the shop floor, is such a rewarding experience. It's amazing to know that the decisions I help make shape what customers see and buy in-store. There’s something really special about being part of the entire product journey!

Q: What advice would you give to someone hoping to start a career in merchandising at Harrods?
A: If you're taking your first step into Merchandising, my biggest advice would be to start by applying for the Merchandising Admin Assistant role, which is entry-level. I was in that role for 1.5 years before being promoted to Assistant Merchandiser. In that position, I honed my Excel skills and became familiar with XLOOKUPs, SUMIFS, and IF/AND formulas. I also learned how to use SAP, particularly for creating and releasing purchase orders and pulling stock reports.

If you can demonstrate examples of data analysis, attention to detail, and trend awareness, you'll be in a strong position. Being passionate about the product and having a good understanding of the market helps too!

Q: Are there any proud moments or milestones you’ve reached during your time here?
A: Absolutely! One of my biggest achievements has been earning a distinction in my Level 4 Buying and Merchandising qualification, which I completed through the Fashion Retail Academy. The 18-month programme was a great opportunity to expand my knowledge while applying what I learned in my day-to-day role.

Another proud moment was the re-launch of the Harrods Own Label gift shop and product ranges. Seeing the products I helped develop on the shop floor and hearing positive feedback from customers has been incredibly fulfilling!