Associate Merchant

Job description

Overview At PGA TOUR Superstore, we’re always looking for enthusiastic, self-motivated, flexible individuals who will share a passion for helping transform our business. As one of the fastest growing specialty retailers, we’re dedicated to hiring selfless team players from different backgrounds to influence the growth of our organization. Part of the Arthur M. Blank Family of Businesses, PGA TOUR Superstore continuously strives to create a family culture for our Associates – driven by our vision to inspire people through golf and tennis. Position Summary The Associate Merchant is responsible for supporting the development and execution of merchandise strategies for a defined category, vendor group, or smaller area of the business. This role helps manage the product lifecycle for assigned assortments, including assortment recommendations, product setup, pricing support, purchase order execution, vendor follow-up, and in-season business analysis. Partnering closely with Merchant leadership, Planning, Marketing, Store Operations, Merch Execution, Supply Chain, and vendor partners, the Associate Merchant supports customer-centric assortments, tracks market and competitive trends, and translates business insights into recommendations that improve sales, margin, inventory productivity, and the customer experience within the assigned business area. Duties and Responsibilities: Merchandise Strategy Support & Assigned Category Execution: Support merchandise strategies for a defined category, vendor group, or smaller assigned business area in alignment with company priorities, financial plans, customer needs, and market trends. Assist in preparing category-level strategies, business recaps, line review materials, and assortment recommendations for Merchant leadership review and approval. Translate brand, category, and customer insights into recommended assortment, pricing, promotional, and inventory actions for the assigned area. Vendor Partnership & Business Support: Support vendor relationships, pre-line product reviews, on-going vendor appointments, and line reviews by preparing materials, capturing decisions, and following up on action items. Assist with negotiation preparation and vendor communication related to cost, margin, terms, promotional support, markdown support, exclusives, launch timing, and vendor-funded opportunities. Monitor vendor performance within the assigned area and identify opportunities, risks, and follow-up needs for Merchant leadership. Assortment, Pricing & Product Lifecycle Management: Support assortment recommendations, including product selection, breadth, depth, pricing architecture, good/better/best balance, exclusivity opportunities, and keep/drop analysis for the assigned area. Manage article creation, product attribution, sample review, line list accuracy, and purchase order placement in alignment with approved line review decisions. Partner with Planning and Allocation/Replenishment to track inventory depth, receipt flow, and product availability against sales, margin, turn, and in-stock objectives. Financial Planning & In-Season Business Management: Support Planning and Merchant leadership with annual target and monthly Open-to-Buy inputs, receipt tracking, inventory investments, markdown cadence, and in-season financial adjustments for the assigned area. Prepare Weekly and Monthly Business Review materials to assess sales, margin, sell-through, inventory, markdowns, and vendor performance. Analyze business trends, item productivity, customer demand, and inventory risk to recommend reorders, cancellations, pricing actions, markdowns, and future assortment improvements. Cross-Functional Execution & Communication: Provide timely updates on key programs, new product launches, promotional priorities, vendor initiatives, product flow, and assigned category activity to support cohesive execution. Partner with Marketing, Store Operations, Merch Execution, Planning, Allocation/Replenishment, and Supply Chain to help execute assortments across stores and digital channels. Communicate product priorities & key stories, vendor programs, store execution needs, and selling opportunities for the assigned business area. Market Awareness & Store Engagement: Stay informed on the competitive landscape, customer preferences, product innovation, pricing movement, and market trends that impact the assigned area of business. Participate in store visits, comp shopping, market research, and vendor meetings to identify opportunities and changes in customer behavior. Use store feedback, competitive insights, and business results to recommend assortment, pricing, presentation, promotional, and inventory actions. Qualifications and Skills Required: 2–4+ years of retail merchandising, buying, assistant buying, planning, allocation, or category support experience within a multi-store, specialty retail, or omnichannel environment. Working knowledge of the retail buying lifecycle, including seasonal strategy, line reviews, assortment planning, product selection, pricing, article creation, purchase order placement, and in-season management. Assortment analysis and recommendation experience, with the ability to evaluate breadth, depth, pricing architecture, good/better/best positioning, keep/drop decisions, and customer-relevant product offerings within an assigned area. Solid retail financial acumen, with understanding of sales, margin, turn, sell-through, inventory productivity, markdowns, receipt flow, Open-to-Buy, and category profitability. Strong analytical and business support skills, with the ability to interpret performance trends, identify risks and opportunities, and recommend actions that improve sales, margin, inventory, and customer outcomes. Experience partnering with Planning and Allocation/Replenishment on receipt tracking, inventory investments, replenishment needs, markdown cadence, and in-season adjustments. Experience supporting vendor relationships and negotiation preparation, including cost, margin, terms, promotional support, markdown support, exclusives, and business opportunities a plus. Ability to prepare business review materials and communicate recommendations to Merchant leadership, cross-functional partners, and vendors with clear storytelling, data support, and business rationale. Market and competitive awareness, with ability to use store visits, comp shopping, customer insights, product innovation, and trend research to support assortment and pricing decisions. Effective cross-functional communication and collaboration skills, with ability to partner with Marketing, Store Operations, Visual Merchandising, Planning, Allocation/Replenishment, Supply Chain, and field teams to execute key initiatives. Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, retail reporting, and merchandising systems; experience with product information management, purchase order, planning, or business intelligence tools preferred. Detail-oriented, accountable, collaborative, and commercially curious, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, follow through on executional details, make timely recommendations, and operate effectively in a fast-paced specialty retail environment. Work Environment and Physical Requirements: Monday – Friday onsite, based out of our Roswell, GA Store Support Center. Flexibility to work extended and varied hours as needed. Must be able to stand and/or sit for extended periods of time as the job is completed primarily at a desk each day. Variable desk heights are offered so alternatively sitting and/or standing at the desk is optional. Travel: 10–15% travel is required. Other Duties: Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. PGA TOUR Superstores is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment. We comply with all laws that prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex/gender, age (40 and over), national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, veteran status, marital status, genetic information, and any other legally protected status. Employment discrimination isn’t just unlawful, it violates our policies and is not who we are. Every associate at every level in the organization is prohibited from engaging in any form of discrimination. An associate who believes s/he is being discriminated against should report it immediately to the Human Resources department. The law and our policies prohibit retaliation against anyone for making such a report.