Sarah Victoria Griffin

Delivering the end-to-end merchandise development strategy across Miral Experiences' portfolio of eight world-class theme parks and attractions, shaping commercially successful retail assortments that enhance the guest experience while delivering sustainable business growth.

Key Achievements

• Achieved total retail revenue growth in 2025 of +7% vs. Budget.
• Direct the strategic development and execution of multi-category product assortments across Apparel, Accessories, Home & Gift, Stationery, Toys, Plush and Confectionery, ensuring alignment with brand positioning, guest expectations and commercial objectives.
• Lead a team of 10 buying and 3 design professionals, fostering a high-performance culture through coaching, succession planning and capability development.
• Deliver key commercial KPIs including revenue growth, inventory optimization, stock turn and cost management across the retail portfolio.
• Established and managed strategic brand collaborations with both global and locally recognized partners including Bateel, Silsal, Stanley Cup, Loungefly, Swarovski, Nike and Steiff, enhancing product desirability, driving innovation and elevating the proposition.
• Develop long-term strategic partnerships with overseas manufacturers, improving supplier performance, ensuring first to market launches.
• Lead range planning and lifecycle management using customer insight, market analysis and trend forecasting to curate compelling, guest-focused retail experiences.
• Partner closely with Visual Merchandising, Retail Operations and Planning teams to ensure seamless execution of merchandising strategies.
• Drive cross-functional collaboration across Marketing, Operations, Finance and Procurement to successfully launch new product initiatives and high-profile brand collaborations.
• Establish and implement new buying and merchandising processes, governance frameworks and critical path management, improving operational efficiency and embedding industry best practice.
• Manage Open-to-Buy budgets across categories, attractions and trading periods, balancing commercial performance with strategic investment priorities.
• Define promotional and seasonal trading strategies that maximize guest engagement while supporting revenue and margin objectives.
• Champion the development of the retail sustainability strategy, embedding responsible sourcing and environmentally conscious product development into assortment planning.
• Analyze consumer behavior, market trends and regional demand to develop locally relevant product assortments that strengthen guest engagement and brand affinity.

Led the strategic development of the merchandise proposition across Miral Experiences' portfolio, including Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld and Qasr Al Watan, curating distinctive product collections that enhanced brand identity, elevated the guest experience and delivered commercial growth.

• Directed category strategy across Home & Gift, Stationery, Confectionery and Souvenirs, developing market-led assortments aligned to brand vision and customer insight.
• Partnered with global IP licensors, suppliers and cross-functional stakeholders to develop innovative product collections from concept to launch.
• Shaped the retail proposition for SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, introducing a collection-led merchandising approach that strengthened storytelling, guest engagement and brand consistency.
• Embedded best-practice buying processes, including range planning and critical path management, improving governance and execution.
• Managed Open-to-Buy budgets, supplier partnerships and inventory investment to optimize commercial performance and drive innovation across the portfolio.

Led the global buying and merchandising strategy for Expo 2020 Dubai, managed the end-to-end development and delivery of the official merchandise proposition across 45 retail locations and e-commerce channels, serving a global audience of 24 million visitors from 192 countries.

• Directed multi-category product strategy across Apparel, Accessories, Home & Gift, Stationery and Souvenirs, including the curation of bespoke merchandise collections for the USA, Australian and Saudi Arabia Pavilions.
• Managed the development of 18 product categories, ensuring alignment with brand guidelines, packaging standards, quality expectations and the Expo brand vision.
• Built and led a high-performing Buying & Merchandising team, embedding best-practice processes across range planning, critical path management and product development.
• Established strategic partnerships with 150+ suppliers, brands and licensees, managing contract negotiations, cost optimisation and product delivery from concept through to launch.
• Partnered with global institutions, government entities and international stakeholders to deliver culturally relevant and commercially successful merchandise experiences.
• Managed OTB budgets, forecasting, pricing strategy and inventory performance, balancing commercial objectives with customer demand and event lifecycle requirements.
• Developed reporting frameworks to analyze sales performance, optimize assortments and identify opportunities across locations and product categories.

Responsible for the delivery of key performance metrics and business strategies across all trading platforms alongside the development of high profile client projects. Multi Category development for 6 retail stores across the UAE.

• Developed a team of 6 colleagues across the Buying, Merchandising and finance function.
• Curated private label ranges for key partners within the Leisure and Tourism sector: The Louvre, Emirates Airline, The Museum of the Future, Burj Al Arab and MBRSC.
• Responsibility for the master assortment development relating to a prominent Expo 2020 project.
• Worked directly with internal E-commerce, Creative and Project divisions to achieve business growth.
• Monitored multiple databases to keep track of all company inventory.
• Drove key initiatives for retail stores and E-commerce platform with the implementation of new products or utilizing current stock holding.
• Continuous analysis of sales to refine the product portfolio and improve performance.

Ellaycom is a diverse omnichannel luxury retailer, operating across E-commerce, Home shopping network and Mobile application platforms. Working within a startup environment alongside key internal and external stakeholders to deliver both departmental and overall business key performance indicators.

• End to end vendor management. Initial onboarding, supplier setup and contract negotiation.
• Own brand product development alongside global brand acquisition.
• Budget and open to buy forecasting.
• Frequent overseas travel for trade shows and supplier meetings.
• Business strategy and analysis.
• Relationship building both externally and across the wider business.
• Managing a team of 6 colleagues across the merchandising and administrative function. Overseeing the hiring, training, and professional growth of employees.
• Reporting on stock holding and product sell thru.

A.F Blakemore own 51% of the Spar Convenience store share within the UK. This consisted of 300 directly owned and 700 franchised Stores.

Developing the ‘Food to Go', in store bakery and coffee categories. This category held a sales budget of £35 million pounds for 2016-17.

• Supported supply chain personnel with key supplier relationships and cost initiative activities.
• Monitored suppliers to verify performance and maintain smooth operations.
• Working across multiple trading platforms including company owned stores and wholesale.

Lloyds pharmacy are one of the leading health and beauty retailers in the UK. There are currently 1500 sites across the UK and 2200 sites across Europe. Working with the Top 22 vendors across the business to align terms, these suppliers contributed an annual turnover of £155 million pounds across the main estate and wholesale divisions. The portfolio of vendors included brands such as Unilever, Johnson and Johnson, Coty and Beiersdorf.

• Establishing key relationships and defining growth strategies.
• Alignment and implementation of new initiatives alongside the wider business.
• Cost and inventory management.
• Presenting figures at board level, effective verbal and written communication skills.

Sainsbury's are the second largest and most reputable Superstore Brand in the United Kingdom operating over 2500 stores alongside an E-commerce platform.

• Negotiation of product commercials, leading buying product sourcing trips to the Far East.
• Led the development and management of the junior members of the team.