Business Controller
Reporting to: Commercial Director – Fashion
Territory Responsibility: Group Commercial
Direct Reports:
Key Stakeholders: Buyers, Visual Merchandisers, Planners & Traders, Finance, Retail Operations
Department: Commercial
Job Band:
What you will do:
PERFORMANCE & STOCK ANALYSIS
Identify the brand/s short-term needs through ongoing performance and stock analysis, covering sell-through, cover, ageing and availability
Build and lead longer-term action plans that anticipate the each store’s needs several seasons ahead, e.g. the summer product strategy and the clearance of winter product at the start of the year
Translate analysis into clear, actionable recommendations for buys, reorders, markdowns and assortment adjustments
Monitor slow-moving and excess inventory and propose intervention plans, balancing short-term stock health with the country's longer-term strategy
BUDGET, OPEN-TO-BUY & COMMITMENTS
Budget Ownership
Own and elaborate each brand’s seasonal and annual budget, building the Open-to-Buy (OTB) framework or Sales Forecasting process in partnership with respective Commercial and Finance teams
Translate top-down demand plans and sales targets into a fully phased purchase and commitment plan by category, store and month
Build and maintain the brand’s MPRs, commitment trackers, royalty payments, ensuring visibility of open orders, delivery phasing and financial exposure at every point in the season
Act as a second pair of eyes on the daily and weekly split of budget and commitments, providing a structured cross-check on figures before they are shared or actioned
OTB Management & Governance
Monitor actual purchases and commitments against budget, flagging risks early and recommending corrective action to protect margin and cash flow
Set the governance and cadence for OTB reviews with respective brand planners, Buyers and Retail Banner Managers, ensuring discipline around adjustments mid-season
Provide senior management with a clear, regularly updated view of budget utilization, commitment levels and forecast versus actual spend
PERMANENT CLEARANCE & MARKDOWN STRATEGY
Own the overall markdown strategy and clearance level for the country, defining and continuously adjusting the framework based on stock ageing, sell-through and market situation
Act as the escalation point on permanent clearance and sales: the local teams can move directly on markdown waves and rates, with this role providing support, feedback on proposals and sign-off where required
Train and upskill the local team on the KPIs, files and tools used to plan and monitor clearance, so decisions can increasingly be made locally with confidence
Go beyond simply applying discounted prices: write, own and manage the country's overall markdown level and link it explicitly to the current stock and trading situation, not just to a calendar
Review clearance proposals from the local team and provide structured feedback before waves are launched
COLLECTION, YEAR & SALES REVIEW
Lead the post-season collection review, consolidating sell-in, sell-out, margin and stock outcomes against the original plan
Lead the annual sales and performance review, summarizing the year's results, key drivers and lessons learned for senior stakeholders
Turn review findings into concrete recommendations for the next collection or year's budget, assortment and clearance strategy
AD HOC ANALYSES & BUSINESS PARTNERING
Respond to ad hoc requests for analysis from senior management, Buyers, Finance or Retail Operations, turning quick questions into clear, data-backed answers
Act as a trusted commercial and financial advisor to stakeholders, bringing a planning and trading lens to broader business questions
Support scenario analysis and financial modelling for new initiatives, promotions or strategic decisions
TEAM & STAKEHOLDER LEADERSHIP
Act as the senior point of contact for planning and trading across buying, planning, marketing, logistics and retail operations
Coach and support Planner(s) & Trader(s) as the team grows, sharing tools, KPIs and best practice
Assist the Planning Manager to test and scale new tools and ways of working across banners
Drive cross-functional projects aimed at improving planning and trading processes and delivering better business outcomes
How you will be measured:
Business Targets - Budget & Commitments
OTB adherence and budget utilization
Commitment accuracy and visibility (open orders vs. plan)
Phasing accuracy (intake vs. plan)
Forecast accuracy (sell-in and sell-out)
Business Targets - Clearance & Markdown
Overall country markdown level vs. target
Aged inventory %
Clearance sell-through and stock exit rate
Quality and turnaround of feedback provided on local clearance proposals
Business Targets - Performance & Stock
Stock turn by season/channel/category
Cover levels (weeks of cover at key periods)
Delivery of long-term action plans (e.g. summer strategy, winter clearance) on time
Stakeholder Engagement
Effective training and enablement of the local team on KPIs, files and clearance decision-making
Effective collaboration with Buyers and Traders to ensure accuracy of OTB and commitments
Quality and timeliness of collection/year review outputs and ad hoc analyses
Competencies required:
Strategic and financial planning
Strong analytical mindset with attention to detail
Problem solving skills
Self-motivated and comfortable owning ambiguous, high-stakes decisions
Coaching and team-development orientation
Strong collaboration skills / team player
Effective communication skills, including with senior stakeholders
Strong financial acumen, including budgeting and commitment management
What you will bring to the role:
Diploma / degree in business, finance, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
Significant previous experience (3-5+ years) as a Planner, Trader, or Business Controller within retail
Track record of owning budgets, OTB or commitment processes at country or category level
Experience defining or managing a markdown/clearance strategy, not just executing discounts
Proficient in planning and inventory management systems; strong Excel skills
Knowledge of pricing tools and analytics software is a plus
Experience coaching or mentoring junior team members is a plus
