Interim Head of Wholesale

Interim Head of Wholesale – 12 month contract, maternity leave cover

About Us:

Proudly Scottish at heart, but with a keen international outlook, Strathberry creates unique luxury pieces, handcrafted in Spain using only the very finest quality leathers and finishes. Known for its instantly recognisable bar closure and minimalist design aesthetic, Strathberry’s elegant bags and accessories and exceptional attention to detail have led to a global following.

Strathberry now has customers in over 70 countries worldwide. In recent years, new stores have opened in London’s Burlington Arcade, the Kings Road and Covent Garden as well as boutiques in its hometown of Edinburgh. This has supported Strathberry in becoming one of the UK’s fastest growing contemporary fashion brands.

Strathberry has recently secured investment to support its future growth plans with BGF, UK & Ireland’s most active growth capital investor. This funding marks an exciting new chapter for the brand, as it embarks upon a rapid growth plan over the next 2-3 years, involving development into new product categories and growing internationally with its own stores, wholesale partners and e-commerce channels.

About the Role:

We are seeking an experienced and commercially-focused interim Head of Wholesale on a fixed term contract for 12 months.

You will play a crucial role in leading our ongoing international wholesale growth, whilst overseeing the day-to-day operations of the wholesale team. You will be required to prioritise strategic markets, whilst ensuring existing partnerships are nurtured and developed, with the ability to drive ambitious and rapid sales growth with new accounts in   the  UK and internationally, to achieve successful representation of the Strathberry brand across the globe.

Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Overseeing and driving forward the international wholesale strategy to achieve ambitious sales targets
• Identifying and developing new wholesale relationships and market opportunities, prioritising prospects based upon existing market interest, brand awareness and wider strategic brand goals
• Leading the Wholesale team to host international markets up to four times each year
• Presenting to potential partners, communicating the brand effectively and showcasing the collection
• Providing commercial insights on the collection and supporting on merchandising
• Managing calendar deadlines for the wholesale department and liaising with other teams to ensure these are met
• Maintaining current wholesale accounts to onboard and nurture successful relationships, ensuring successful performance and optimised representation of the collection and the brand
• Preparing regular sell-in and sell-through reports and periodic liaison with Board/SLT to review and evaluate ongoing development
• Line management of our International Sales Manager and Wholesale Operations Assistant
• Additional ad hoc national and international travel, as required, to unlock market opportunities

About You:

As a star candidate for this role, you should be able to demonstrate the following skills and experience:

• Preferably at least 3 years’ experience in a leading wholesale role
• Experience working within a luxury fashion brand, ideally within bags and accessories
• Strong knowledge of the international wholesale market for accessories
• Existing relationships within the market
• In-depth industry knowledge with regard to wholesale business practices, negotiations, margins and pricing structure
• Organised leader with great communication skills
• Self-motivated and commercially-minded, able to lead a team to deliver ambitious growth targets
• Dynamic and able to work within a fast-paced environment
• Excellent negotiation and presentation skills, able to demonstrate extensive networking with current and prospective accounts.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Willing to travel internationally but be based from our London office at least 3 fixed days a week when not travelling.