Merchandising Manager, Private Label
Merchandising Manager, Private Label
About Astral
Astral is the leading wholesale distributor and retail consultant for boutique fitness studios. Our showroom, located in downtown Lexington, serves over 1,000 boutique fitness studios nationwide
Job Description
The Merchandising Manager, Private Label leads the end-to-end development and execution of Astral’s private label strategy by translating customer insights and market trends into profitable, on-brand product assortments that include apparel and accessories. This role bridges product development, sourcing, finance, and marketing, ensuring every collection reflects Astral’s aesthetic standards and meets customer demand across timing, pricing, and profitability targets. The Manager is responsible for category planning, assortment creation, data integrity, and commercialization kick-off, from concept through hand-off to sourcing.
Job Responsibilities
1. Assortment Planning & Creative Development
- Gather customer insights to define private label product needs (styles, volumes, pricing, graphics).
- Develop seasonal mood boards, assortments, and rolling twelve-month product calendars for Astral’s showroom and corporate client roster (5–10 studio brands).
- Ensure assortments reflect fashion, accessory and graphic trends relevant to Astral’s core fitness customers.
- Partner with sourcing and vendors to request and evaluate new styles, fabrics, and accessories.
- Maintain brand graphic standards across on-product brand usage, labeling, neck hits, hangtags, and packaging.
- Collaborate with marketing to generate and execute graphic concepts, photography, and product storytelling.
2. Cross-Functional Collaboration & Project Management
- Partner with Sales to align private label development with customer timelines and promotional calendars.
- Work with Sourcing to track milestones and ensure timely progression from concept through assortment lock-down.
- Own the pre-order initiation and close out process.
- Collaborate with Finance to review product data sheets, validate costing, and confirm pricing strategy prior to customer presentation.
- Coordinate with Marketing and Sales on go-to-market and commercialization plans.
- Respond to specific customer requests and provide tailored assortment support.
3. Systems, Data, & Process Management
- Own all data entry and management in SFDC and Shopify through assortment lock-down.
- Set and maintain MSRP consistency across lines.
- Ensure all vendor and product information is complete for purchase order and tech sheet creation.
- Keep SFDC updated with final graphics, product descriptions, and project statuses.
- Maintain and update product data sheets (currently in Excel) through lock-down.
- Routinely meet with cross-functional partners to track progress and mitigate risks to customer delivery dates.
4. Category & Financial Management
- Monitor the performance of showroom and customer-specific drops, integrating learnings into future assortments.
- Develop strategies to expand customer-specific or small-batch customization programs, including a catalog of approved styles and services by fitness modality.
- Execute order submission processes for customer review and approval.
Requirements
- Strong creative and commercial instincts with an ability to balance brand vision and financial goals.
- Highly organized, detail oriented, with proven experience managing multiple concurrent projects.
- Proficient in merchandising system and Excel-based planning tools.
- Collaborative communicator who thrives in a cross-functional, fast-paced environment.
- Exhibit flexibility to accommodate changing needs of the business including limited business travel when necessary.
- Be familiar with and/or capable of learning standard and specific office tools: Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Salesforce.com, UPS, Zenoti, SFDC, Shopify, Mindbody, ClubReady, etc.
- Ability to stand, bend, lift, twist and work with inventory up to 40 lbs. when necessary.
Hours: Salaried position
Reports to: CFO, Head of Strategy