Summary
Overview
Work history
Education
Skills
Timeline
Generic

KAREN LOWDON

Burbage

Summary

Senior merchandising executive with over 20 years of expertise in women’s fashion, renowned for driving profitable growth through visionary product strategies, margin optimisation and international market expansion. Expert in leveraging data-driven insights to deliver customer-centric assortments that balance commercial objectives with brand values and sustainability. Proven ability to lead high-performing teams and orchestrate cross-functional collaboration across buying, design, supply chain and marketing. Current leadership role in a rapidly scaling, early-stage business has broadened commercial acumen across finance, logistics, and global operations. Consistently delivers transformative results in sales growth, margin enhancement and operational excellence.

Overview

19
19
years of professional experience

Work history

Head of Merchandising

AYBL Group
02.2023 - 07.2025
  • Architect of global merchandising strategy for women’s apparel and accessories, accountable for top-line sales, margin and inventory KPIs across e-commerce and wholesale channels.
  • Mentor and empower a high-performing merchandising leadership team, embedding a data-led, customer-centric culture aligned with strategic priorities.
  • Lead negotiation and management of multiple wholesale partnerships under diverse commercial frameworks, maximising growth and market penetration.
  • Developed deep commercial insights across finance, warehousing, logistics and marketing, supporting rapid scale-up in a dynamic start-up environment.
  • Spearheaded the launch and operationalisation of three international distribution centres (EU, USA, Canada), enabling scalable global fulfilment and elevating customer satisfaction.

Senior Merchandiser

New Look
01.2017 - 01.2023
  • Directed a £75m women’s casual jersey, sportswear and leggings portfolio comprising 1,600+ SKUs and 9.5m units annually.
  • Delivered sustained sales and profit growth through strategic range planning, agile in-season trading and margin optimisation.
  • Acted as deputy to the Head of Merchandising, leading company-wide WSSI reviews, trade calls and cross-divisional initiatives.
  • Fostered a high-performance culture through training and development programmes with direct reports and wider team.

Merchandiser/Senior Merchandiser

George @ ASDA
10.2012 - 09.2017

Junior Merchandiser

Arcadia
10.2011 - 10.2012

Assistant/Junior Merchandiser

New Look
08.2009 - 10.2011

Merchandiser

Mamas and Papas
05.2008 - 08.2009

Trainee/Assistant Merchandiser

Next Plc
07.2006 - 05.2008

Education

BSc (Hons) - International Fashion Marketing

Manchester Metropolitan University

Skills

  • Executive leadership in global merchandising strategy and commercial growth
  • Strategic portfolio management & data-driven category leadership
  • Sophisticated margin architecture & dynamic pricing frameworks
  • International market expansion & multi-channel distribution leadership
  • Visionary product curation integrating trend forecasting with sustainable innovation
  • Advanced analytics for sales optimisation, inventory intelligence & risk mitigation
  • Complex multi-stakeholder wholesale partnerships, negotiations and alliance management
  • Cross-functional leadership & talent development across Buying, Design, Supply Chain & Marketing
  • End-to-end global supply chain & distribution network design and execution

Timeline

Head of Merchandising

AYBL Group
02.2023 - 07.2025

Senior Merchandiser

New Look
01.2017 - 01.2023

Merchandiser/Senior Merchandiser

George @ ASDA
10.2012 - 09.2017

Junior Merchandiser

Arcadia
10.2011 - 10.2012

Assistant/Junior Merchandiser

New Look
08.2009 - 10.2011

Merchandiser

Mamas and Papas
05.2008 - 08.2009

Trainee/Assistant Merchandiser

Next Plc
07.2006 - 05.2008

BSc (Hons) - International Fashion Marketing

Manchester Metropolitan University
KAREN LOWDON