Category Lead - Accessories

About Brompton Bicycle

Brompton Bicycle is a British icon. Since 1975 we have designed and hand‑built the world's most refined folding bicycle in our London factory, selling in over 45 countries to riders who refuse to compromise between city living and genuine cycling pleasure. We are a company driven by craft, engineering obsession and a belief that urban mobility should be both practical and joyful.

Category Lead — Accessories

Brompton Bicycle is a British icon. Since 1975 we have designed and hand‑built the world's most refined folding bicycle in our London factory, selling in over 45 countries to riders who refuse to compromise between city living and genuine cycling pleasure. We are a company driven by craft, engineering obsession and a belief that urban mobility should be both practical and joyful.

As we scale our global ambitions — expanding our product portfolio, entering new markets and investing in our next generation of platforms — we are creating this senior commercial leadership role to own the category that is at the very heart of everything we do.

Role Purpose

The Category Lead — Accessories is a leadership role with end‑to‑end accountability for the global success of Brompton's Accessories category — spanning bags, luggage, locks, lights, helmets, urban cycling apparel, lifestyle wear and branded gifting. As part of the whole category team under the Go to Market department, you will be the single global owner of category performance, integrating product, brand and partnership inputs into clear commercial decisions that drive profitable, sustainable growth.

This is a role for a commercially rigorous, creatively minded leader who is equally comfortable curating a desirable, brand‑enhancing range and holding themselves accountable for near‑term trading performance. You will work across the full commercial cycle — from range architecture and partnership strategy through to pricing, trading and regional execution — influencing senior stakeholders across Product, Brand, Marketing, Retail, eCommerce and regional teams worldwide.

Key Responsibilities

Category Strategy & Commercial Direction

• Owning the end‑to‑end commercial strategy for the Accessories and Clothing category, including bags, luggage, locks, lights, helmets, urban cycling apparel, lifestyle wear and branded gifting
• Defining and managing the range architecture — balancing Brompton‑designed own‑brand product with carefully curated third‑party brand partnerships — ensuring the full offer is coherent, desirable and profitable
• Translating business strategy into category‑level commercial commitments that are coherent across all markets

Market Insight & Opportunity Definition

• Conduct consumer and market trend research to identify new product opportunities — drawing on urban fashion trends, cycling culture, sustainability movements and Brompton's global community
• Translate insight into clear strategic choices about where to compete, where not to compete, and which customer segments and use‑cases to prioritise
• Ensure the category strategy is driven by data and commercial reality, not assumptions

Partnerships, Pricing and Range Planning

• Identify, evaluate and negotiate strategic brand partnerships and licensing opportunities that complement the Brompton brand, managing relationships with partner brands end‑to‑end
• Develop the pricing architecture and margin strategy across the full category, including promotional planning, seasonal markdowns and clearance protocols
• Challenge and refine range and partnership plans to ensure credibility, consistency, and alignment to category strategy

Global Leadership & Market Integration

• Support the expansion of the Accessories and Clothing category into new markets, working with regional commercial teams to adapt the range where necessary for local tastes and climates
• Align regional delivery with global category strategy, working directly with regional leaders to validate plans and identify risks early
• Be the connective tissue between global commercial ambition and local market execution

Portfolio & Lifecycle Management

• Lead the product development process for own‑brand accessories and apparel, collaborating with Brompton's in‑house design team and external manufacturers to bring new products from concept to market
• Own range structure and complexity management across own‑brand and partner‑brand lines
• Ensure the range remains coherent, differentiated and commercially viable at all times

Commercial Inputs to Product Development

• Provide clear commercial guardrails to design and partnership discussions — including margin requirements, market timing constraints and demand assumptions
• Lead commercial input into new product and partnership business cases and investment decisions
• Ensure every product and partnership decision is commercially viable, aligned to category strategy, and supported by credible demand

Trading, Merchandising and Performance

• Drive accessories and clothing performance in the Brompton online store and flagship retail locations, optimising product placement, bundling strategies and cross‑sell opportunities with bicycle purchases
• Monitor category performance through regular trading reviews, tracking revenue, margin, sell‑through, returns and customer ratings, and taking decisive action to manage underperforming lines
• Work closely with Marketing and Brand teams to ensure accessories and clothing are showcased compellingly across all touchpoints — including product photography, social content, in‑store displays and event activations such as Brompton World Championship

Sustainability and Responsible Sourcing

• Champion sustainability in product development — working with supply chain and design teams to increase the proportion of sustainable materials and ethical manufacturing in the category
• Ensure partner brands and licensing relationships are held to Brompton's standards of quality, ethics and sustainability
• Balance commercial performance with Brompton's broader sustainability commitment

Decision Authority & Accountability

• Accessories category strategy, range architecture, and brand partnership decisions
• Pricing, promotional and margin strategy across the category
• Product and partnership trade‑offs and exit decisions within the Accessories category

Key Working Relationships

Design & Product Development Team

• Joint owner of new own‑brand product commercial success
• Provides commercial guardrails; receives product concepts and development plans

Brand & Marketing Teams

• Aligns range and partnership plans with brand storytelling, content and activation
• Works within category positioning and brand guardrails

Regional Go to Market Teams

• Provide market insight and support local range adaptation
• Held accountable for delivery against agreed targets

Retail & eCommerce Teams

• Partner on merchandising, bundling and cross‑sell execution
• Key channel for category trading performance

External Brand Partners & Manufacturers

• Negotiated and managed end‑to‑end by the Commercial Lead
• Key partner on product quality, ethics and delivery

Supply Chain

• Partner on sourcing, sustainable materials and ethical manufacturing
• Provide constraints and capability inputs

Finance

• Financial modelling, financial performance, business case appraisal and provides challenge to the category team

Person Specification

Criterion

Essential

Desirable

Commercial Experience

• Significant commercial experience managing a branded accessories, apparel or lifestyle product category
• Proven ownership of category P&L, including revenue, margin and cost lines
• Experience setting pricing, promotional and markdown strategy across multiple markets
• Experience in premium, design‑led or lifestyle consumer brands
• Background in the cycling, outdoor, or sports industry

Range & Partnership Management

• Track record managing a broad, multi‑SKU range spanning both hard goods and soft goods
• Experience identifying, negotiating and managing third‑party brand partnerships or licensing agreements
• Skilled at balancing own‑brand development with curated external partnerships
• Experience working across both hardware and apparel/textile supply chains
• Existing network of relevant lifestyle or sports brand contacts

Product Development

• Track record bringing new products to market by collaborating with design, development and supply chain teams
• Comfortable owning a product from concept through to launch and lifecycle management
• Strong aesthetic sensibility aligned to a premium, design‑led brand
• Experience with sustainable materials or ethical manufacturing programmes
• Exposure to apparel or technical product design processes

Market & Customer Insight

• Able to translate consumer and market trend research into concrete range decisions
• Comfortable working with sales and consumer insight data to guide investment
• Understanding of urban lifestyle, cycling culture and sustainability movements relevant to the brand

Experience Commissioning Or Interpreting Primary Consumer Research

• Knowledge of global urban mobility or lifestyle trends

Trading & Commercial Operations

• Experience running regular trading reviews — revenue, margin, sell‑through, returns
• Able to take decisive action on underperforming lines
• Comfortable owning merchandising, bundling and cross‑sell strategy across online and retail channels
• Experience with DTC/eCommerce channels and digital merchandising tools
• Experience supporting category expansion into new international markets

Leadership & Influence

• Proven ability to work cross‑functionally with design, marketing, retail, eCommerce, supply chain and finance
• Confident managing external partner and supplier relationships end‑to‑end
• Comfortable presenting commercial decisions and category performance to senior stakeholders
• Experience managing direct reports and developing commercial talent
• Exposure to working across both developed and emerging markets

Communication & Judgement

• Clear, concise communicator able to operate with senior stakeholders and external partners
• Strong analytical judgement — comfortable making decisions under uncertainty
• Able to simplify complexity and create clarity for stakeholders at all levels
• Experience presenting business cases for product or partnership investment

Education

• Educated to degree level or equivalent professional experience
• MBA or postgraduate business qualification

What We Offer

• A competitive salary and performance‑related bonus
• Generous pension contribution
• Private medical insurance
• 25 days' annual leave plus UK public holidays
• A Brompton bicycle through our employee hire scheme (naturally)
• Employee discount on all Brompton products and accessories
• Access to our London headquarters and a vibrant, passionate team
• The opportunity to shape the commercial future of one of Britain's most iconic brands