Michael Thomson

Buyer (2018-Present)

• Managed and nurtured relationships with Tier 0 global brands (e.g., Nike, Adidas, New Balance) and emerging challenger brands to secure exclusive footwear launches and excusives.
• Curated seasonally relevant product and brand mixes, identifying the Hero products from brand appointments that align with END. specific customer demographic.
• Negotiated commercial terms, including wholesale discounts, marketing contributions, shipping subsidies, and RTV agreements on slow-moving stock.
• Conducted weekly Brand Deep Dives, analysing sell-through, margin contribution, and market share to determine which brands to grow, maintain, or to pause.
• Planned complementary ranges across different brands to ensure a cohesive "head-to-toe" look for the customer, maximizing multi-buy opportunities and AOV.
• Allocated multi-million pound budgets across a diverse brand portfolio, shifting spend dynamically based on brand "hype" and real-time sales performance.
• Partnered with the marketing team to plan high-impact launch campaigns for "Drop" culture products, ensuring 360-degree alignment across social media, web, and physical doors.
• Influenced the "Visual Merchandising" strategy, ensuring premium brands received high-visibility placement on-site, including homepage banner and in-store window displays.

Merchandiser (2015-2018)

• Owned and updated the Weekly Stock, Sales, and Intake (WSSI) trackers to manage stock flow, ensuring optimal stock-to-sales ratios.
• Produced accurate sales forecasts based on historical data, seasonal trends, and current run rates to minimize terminal stock.
• Strategically managed stock allocation across the e-commerce, warehouse & stores to ensure 99% product availability for Hero lines, Launch product & core.
• Executed markdown strategies and mid-season sales, analyzing the elasticity of demand to protect gross margin while clearing slow-moving inventory.
• Partnered with the Buying team to build commercially balanced ranges, using data to influence the mix of trend-led pieces versus core "volume" drivers.
• Managed the intake & HLD calendar, communicating with global suppliers & internal departments to mitigate shipping delays and ensure key seasonal drops launched on time.

Purchase Order Planner (2013-2015)

• Oversaw the end-to-end creation, submission, and tracking of purchase orders for domestic and international vendors.
• Maintained 100% accuracy in ERP systems (e.g., Microsoft RMS & D365) regarding SKU details, pricing, and delivery windows.
• Coordinated with logistics & Buying teams to expedite high-priority shipments and "must-have" seasonal launches & Reorders.
• Conducted weekly reviews with suppliers to monitor lead times and fill rates, resolving discrepancies in shipping or invoicing.
• Partnered with Buying and Merchandising teams to align procurement schedules with marketing calendars and floor sets.
• Acted as the primary point of contact for warehouse teams to resolve overages, shortages, or damaged goods (OS&D).

Goods In Associate (2011-2013)

• Performed thorough quality checks on incoming deliveries to identify any damaged, defective, or missing items before acceptance.
• Accurately cross-referenced physical stock against delivery notes, purchase orders, and invoices to ensure 100% shipment accuracy.
• Promptly logged and reported delivery shortages or damages to supervisors and suppliers to initiate credit notes or replacements.
• Utilised Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and handheld scanners to log new inventory into the digital database in real-time.
• Applied internal SKU labels and security tags to merchandise to ensure seamless tracking and "shelf-ready" status for the shop floor.
• Maintained a clean and organized bay, ensuring the rapid turnaround of delivery vehicles to meet strict scheduling windows.

Senior Collections & High-Risk Specialist (2008-2010)

• Specialized in the investigation and recovery of high-value, high-risk accounts, utilizing advanced tracing techniques to verify customer contact data and security information.
• Entrusted with the training and onboarding of new staff, providing ongoing coaching on complex organizational processes and regulatory procedures.
• Acted as the primary point of contact for complex customer escalations, utilizing advanced negotiation and conflict-resolution skills to reach mutually beneficial agreements.

Collections Debt Recovery Representative (2007-2008)

• Managed a high volume of outbound and inbound calls, consistently meeting targets for the recovery of outstanding arrears while maintaining professional customer relations.
• Ensured all collection activities were performed in strict accordance with industry regulations and internal quality standards.

2004 – 2007

• Inputted taxpayer information across multiple systems for HMRC, facilitating communication with chartered accountants regarding National Insurance Contributions, PAYE, VAT, and Tax Credits.
• Drafted correspondence to taxpayers and their accountants.
• Trained new staff and mentored team members, contributing to team development.