Trading Manager

Coach is a global fashion house founded in New York in 1941. Inspired by the vision of Creative Director Stuart Vevers and the inclusive and courageous spirit of our hometown, we make beautiful things, crafted to last—for you to be yourself in.

Coach is part of the Tapestry portfolio – a global house of brands committed to stretching what’s possible. Tapestry has unwavering optimism and is committed to being innovative and wholly inclusive.

Primary Purpose: The Trading Manager will lead and enhance trading operations for Coach EMEAI markets across all channels, with a focus on pricing strategy, analysis, and execution. Reporting to the Buying Director, this role will identify and drive regional merchandising opportunities across brick & mortar and ecommerce channels, while partnering closely with Buying Managers to support forecasting, planning, and the optimisation of key merchandising metrics. 

The successful individual will leverage their proficiency in Trading to:

• Shape and execute a robust regional pricing strategy, leveraging pricing analysis, elasticity tools, and close collaboration with local Buying and Wholesale teams, as well as Global Pricing and Planning. Ensure the strategy balances acceleration of customer acquisition to drive market share growth with brand building, while considering global market impacts and strategies
• Lead annual pricing reviews in partnership with the Global Pricing team and Buying Managers, maintaining and optimising regional pricing structures and premium grids across all categories
• Drive the promotional and event calendar in collaboration with Area/Regional Managers, Ecommerce, and Marketplace teams, ensuring alignment with the overarching pricing and promotional strategy
• Partner with Buying Managers to ensure the assortment and investment strategy supports the pricing and promotional direction
• Own pricing processes, including pricing audits and the establishment and maintenance of accurate pricing across systems. Oversee the execution of pricing updates, ensuring timely communication to the wider business and system accuracy
• Collaborate with the Visual Merchandising team to develop and maintain a signage library that supports pricing, promotional, and brand messaging strategies
• Analyse store-level and customer data to support the Buying team in optimising assortment, inventory, pricing and promotions to drive performance against sales and margin targets, and balance local and international customer needs with a cohesive omni-channel approach
• Work closely with Allocation and Inventory Management teams to optimise inventory at store and regional levels based on buying and pricing strategies, and capitalise on trading opportunities across stores and ecommerce channels
• Partner with Buying Managers to utilise merchandising data alongside consumer led insights and customer data to inform and evolve regional strategies
• Support financial planning processes and contribute to weekly, monthly, and long-range planning with insights on key merchandising metrics across all channels
• Act as the central point of contact for promotional strategy and cadence, working closely with Regional Managers, Ecommerce, and Marketplace teams
• Liaise with Outlet partners to communicate Coach’s strategy and ensure alignment during key trading moments
• Remain agile and responsive to shifts in the trading environment, proactively recommending strategic adjustments to drive profitable market share growth
• Contribute to weekly, monthly, and quarterly trading and planning meetings
• Foster strong cross-functional relationships, both regionally and globally, to ensure alignment and collaboration across all areas of the business

The accomplished individual will possess:

• 8+ years’ experience in Merchandising, Planning, and Analytics within fast-paced retail environments
• Proven multi-category expertise; experience in handbags and accessories is highly desirable
• Strong numerical and analytical capabilities, with solid financial acumen and a clear understanding of key commercial drivers to unlock business potential
• Proficient in Excel, working knowledge of Cora, MicroStrategy, SAP, and price elasticity tools
• Demonstrated ability to influence and collaborate effectively across a wide range of stakeholders
• Deep understanding of the fashion and accessories market, ideally within the luxury segment
• Experience working within a global brand and supporting European markets
• Strategic thinker with a customer-centric mindset, using market and industry insights to inform decisions and maintain competitive edge
• Data-driven and solution-oriented, with the ability to translate priorities into focused team action
• Skilled at building strong regional & global partnerships and engaging effectively with diverse teams at all levels

What Coach can offer you: 

• Hybrid working (3 days working from the office, 2 days remote)
• Option to finish early on a Friday (Flex Fridays)
• 1 Paid Volunteering Day per year and opportunities to volunteer with global projects
• Learning & Development opportunities
• Internal mobility & career progression
• Regular Social Events - Seasonal & Cultural
• Equity Inclusion & Diversity initiatives which include employee resource groups & regional inclusion council

Other benefits include: 

• 25 days holiday in addition to bank holidays
• Annual Incentive Plan (company performance bonus)
• Multi brand discount up to 50% off Coach & Kate Spade New York
• Private Healthcare with health assessment (Bupa)
• Bupa rewards - Financial wellbeing support and wellness discounts
• Private Dental Cover
• Free 24/7 support for family building, fertility and menopause with Maven 
• Eyecare vouchers
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employer Pension Contribution
• Gym discount
• Interest free season ticket loan
• Cycle to work scheme

Our Competencies for All Employees

• Courage: Doesn’t hold back anything that needs to be said; provides current, direct, complete, and “actionable” positive and corrective feedback to others; lets people know where they stand; faces up to people problems on any person or situation (not including direct reports) quickly and directly; is not afraid to take negative action when necessary.
• Creativity: Comes up with a lot of new and unique ideas; easily makes connections among previously unrelated notions; tends to be seen as original and value-added in brainstorming settings.
• Customer Focus: Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.
• Dealing with Ambiguity: Can effectively cope with change; can shift gears comfortably; can decide and act without having the total picture; isn’t upset when things are up in the air; doesn’t have to finish things before moving on; can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty.
• Drive for Results: Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very bottom-line oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results.
• Interpersonal Savvy: Relates well to all kinds of people, up, down, and sideways, inside and outside the organization; builds appropriate rapport; builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact; can diffuse even high-tension situations comfortably.
• Learning on the Fly: Learns quickly when facing new problems; a relentless and versatile learner; open to change; analyzes both successes and failures for clues to improvement; experiments and will try anything to find solutions; enjoys the challenge of unfamiliar tasks; quickly grasps the essence and the underlying structure of anything.

Coach is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer and we pride ourselves on hiring and developing the best people. All employment decisions (including recruitment, hiring, promotion, compensation, transfer, training, discipline and termination) are based on the applicant’s or employee’s qualifications as they relate to the requirements of the position under consideration. These decisions are made without regard to age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic characteristics, race, color, creed, religion, ethnicity, national origin, alienage, citizenship, disability, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or any other legally-recognized protected basis prohibited by applicable law. Visit Coach at www.coach.com