Merchandise Manager
Role Description
Live Nation is looking for an ambitious, commercially minded Merchandise Manager to build and lead a best-in-class merchandise programme across our UK festival portfolio including the likes of Download, Latitude, Reading and Leeds festivals.
This is a high-impact role at the intersection of brand, fan experience, retail and partnerships. You will work closely with the SVP Marketing, festival marketing and operations teams, production partners and each festival’s leadership team to turn merchandise into a meaningful revenue stream and a powerful expression of each festival’s identity.
From defining product and retail strategies to leading partner and supplier relationships, you will create distinctive merchandise experiences that fans want to wear, collect and share. You will help extend each festival beyond the event weekend—building cultural relevance, strengthening loyalty and creating new opportunities for key brands to reach audiences authentically.
What we can offer you
Live Nation offers impressive employee benefits including tickets to shows and festivals and unlimited annual leave. The Farmiloe Building in Farringdon, London is a beautiful office to work in. Staff can enjoy use of arcade games in the basement games room, onsite gym equipment plus fitness and meditation classes. In addition to this, the office has a fully stocked complimentary coffee bar with barista to serve you your favourite coffee as you walk into the office and offers heavily subsidised lunch options. We hold regular staff events in our atrium stage space including hosting speakers and open mic nights to showcase Live Nation employee talent.
Who you are
Competencies / Skills / Knowledge / Experience
Proven experience in merchandise, buying, retail, consumer products, licensing or e-commerce, ideally within live entertainment, music, fashion, sport, youth culture or another brand-led environment. Experience managing suppliers, manufacturers, licensees and/or retail operators, with a practical understanding of production lead times, supply chain and quality control. The ability to take a creative idea through to a commercially viable product and a compelling fan experience. Excellent stakeholder-management skills and confidence working with senior leaders, external production partners, festival teams and brand partners. A highly organised, hands-on and calm approach, with the judgement to prioritise and solve problems in a fast-moving live-events environment. Deep affinity with music, festivals, fashion and culture, and an instinct for what fans will value and share.
What the role includes
Manage the merchandise vision and commercial strategy
Help develop and deliver the annual merchandise strategy across Live Nation’s UK festivals, with clear plans to grow revenue, margin, fan engagement and brand equity. Create festival-specific merchandise propositions that reflect each brand’s audience, cultural position and creative identity, while identifying opportunities for portfolio-wide scale and efficiency. Build integrated seasonal and event-led trading calendars across on-site retail, e-commerce, pre-order, limited-edition drops and relevant third-party channels. Identify new product categories, licensing opportunities and collaborations that can grow each festival into a year-round franchise. Set commercial targets, own forecasts and present clear performance plans and recommendations to senior stakeholders.
Lead product, retail and operational delivery
Partner with production companies and retail operators to deliver high-quality, commercially effective on-site retail experiences. Manage suppliers, manufacturers, licensees and fulfilment partners, ensuring product quality, sustainability, delivery timelines, cost control and service levels meet Live Nation’s standards. Establish robust critical paths and readiness plans for every festival, resolving issues quickly in a live-event environment where timing and execution are everything. Undertake post-event reconciliation, using learnings to improve future ranges, buys and customer experience.
Build high-value internal and external partnerships
Act as the central merchandise lead between the SVP Marketing, festival stakeholders, production companies, Finance, Partnerships, Legal, Operations, e-commerce and external retail partners. Translate festival marketing plans and audience insight into product stories, launch moments and retail activations that amplify campaign objectives. Build trusted relationships with festival teams, balancing shared standards and commercial discipline with the individuality of each festival brand. Ensure all activity is aligned with licensing, brand governance, rights, health and safety, sustainability and responsible sourcing requirements.
Use insight to improve performance
Turn audience, trend and commercial insight into clear actions—improving product selection, pricing, retail layout, creative treatment, marketing support and partner strategy. Monitor youth culture, fashion, music, festivals and retail innovation to ensure Live Nation’s merchandise remains current, differentiated and culturally relevant. Build repeatable ways of working, templates and best practices that raise the standard of merchandise delivery across the UK festival portfolio.
Success in This Role Looks Like
Merchandise is recognised as a material, growing revenue stream across the UK festival portfolio. Every festival has a distinctive, fan-relevant product offer and retail experience that strengthens its brand. On-site execution is smooth, stock is well managed and product availability supports demand at the moments that matter. Brand collaborations feel additive and credible, creating greater reach and value for partners and fans. Festival teams and senior stakeholders have clear visibility of performance, priorities and opportunities for growth.