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
2023.02 - 2025.07
- 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
2017.01 - 2023.01
- 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
2012.10 - 2017.09
Junior Merchandiser
Arcadia
2011.10 - 2012.10
Assistant/Junior Merchandiser
New Look
2009.08 - 2011.10
Merchandiser
Mamas and Papas
2008.05 - 2009.08
Trainee/Assistant Merchandiser
Next Plc
2006.07 - 2008.05
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
2023.02 - 2025.07
Senior Merchandiser
New Look
2017.01 - 2023.01
Merchandiser/Senior Merchandiser
George @ ASDA
2012.10 - 2017.09
Junior Merchandiser
Arcadia
2011.10 - 2012.10
Assistant/Junior Merchandiser
New Look
2009.08 - 2011.10
Merchandiser
Mamas and Papas
2008.05 - 2009.08
Trainee/Assistant Merchandiser
Next Plc
2006.07 - 2008.05
BSc (Hons) - International Fashion Marketing
Manchester Metropolitan University