Assistant Merchandise Planner

Halfords Group PLC; West Midlands; Hybrid; GBP 23,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading retail company in the UK seeks an Assistant Merchandise Planner to support stock management for their network. The role requires advanced Excel skills and strong analytical abilities to drive operational improvements. This position provides opportunities for career growth within a dynamic team environment. Hybrid working is offered, with 3 days at the Redditch support centre and competitive salary up to £27,500.

Benefits

Annual bonus scheme

Employee discounts

Pension and life assurance

25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Wellbeing resources and support

Qualifications

• Proven experience in stock management or analytical roles.
• Advanced Excel skills including VLOOKUPs and pivot tables.
• Strong numerical mindset focused on accuracy.

Responsibilities

• Support all aspects of stock management and replenishment.
• Maintain and interpret daily and weekly reports.
• Manage inbound container and shipping reports.
• Assist in creating replenishment orders.
• Provide insights for supplier presentations.

Skills

Advanced Excel skills

Analytical thinking

Collaboration

Strong communication skills

Tools

Power BI

Job description

Apply now Job no: 561923
Work type: Full time
Site: Redditch
Categories: Supply
Location: West Midlands
Salary: Up to £27,500

About us

At Halfords, our mission is to inspire and support a lifetime of motoring and cycling. As a specialist retailer, we lead the market through customer-driven innovation and a distinct product range. We are dedicated to providing our customers with an integrated, unique, and convenient service experience—from e‑bike and electric vehicle servicing to on‑demand solutions. Our commitment is to foster customer loyalty by offering compelling reasons to keep coming back to our stores, ensuring a lifetime of motoring and cycling enjoyment.

The teams at our Redditch Support Centre work with every other area of our business, putting them at the heart of the action and playing a key role in our success and growth. Everyone brings their individual knowledge and experience to work every day, working as one team to keep things moving smoothly.

If you’re willing to get stuck in, you’ll love it here too. So put yourself at the heart of a dynamic, fast‑paced working environment where expertise and focus take people far.

The role

As an Assistant Merchandise Planner at Halfords, you’ll be part of a growing and dynamic merchandising team that supports over 500 garages and 250 mobile vans across the UK. This role is focused on ensuring the right stock is in the right place at the right time, working closely with suppliers, depots, and distribution teams to maintain high levels of availability for tyre stock. It’s a highly data‑driven role, where spreadsheets, reporting, and analytics are at the core of your day‑to‑day work, helping to manage stock intake, flow, and replenishment across the network.

You will have proven experience of advanced Excel and data handling, with a strong ability to interpret, analyse, and maintain accurate reports to support stock management and decision‑making. The role requires meticulous attention to detail, a process‑driven approach, and experience of using reporting tools such as Power BI is advantageous. Strong analytical skills and a proactive mindset are essential, as is the ability to work collaboratively across teams, communicate effectively with suppliers, and support continuous improvement in both processes and systems.

This is an opportunity to join a supportive, close‑knit team in one of the fastest‑growing areas of the business. You’ll have scope for progression, exposure to experienced colleagues, and the chance to make a real impact on the operational performance of Halfords’ garage and mobile network. If you are curious, tenacious, and enjoy problem‑solving in a complex, data‑led environment, this is the role for you.

Key responsibilities

• Support the team with all aspects of stock management and replenishment, ensuring high availability of tyre stock across multiple depots, hubs, and garages.
• Maintain and interpret daily and weekly reports, including stock cover, availability, and forecast accuracy, to drive decision‑making and operational improvements.
• Manage inbound container and shipping reports, re‑scheduling depot container slots as required to maintain optimal flow of stock.
• Assist in creating replenishment orders and coordinating with suppliers and distribution partners to ensure timely delivery.
• Provide data and insights for supplier presentations and performance reviews.
• Support delivery of all merchandising KPIs, including DC and garage availability, stock turn, forecast accuracy, and DC capacity.
• Contribute to range changes and SKU management for garages.
• Participate in continuous improvement initiatives to enhance processes, reporting, and systems.
• Cover and support team members during holidays or on project work as required.
• Take ownership of self‑development and maintain a proactive approach to learning and skill‑building.

About you

• Proven experience in stock management, replenishment, or analytical roles within a complex supply chain environment.
• Advanced Excel skills, including VLOOKUPs, IF statements, XLOOKUPs, and pivot tables; experience with Power BI advantageous.
• Strong numerical and data‑driven mindset with a meticulous approach to accuracy and reporting.
• Demonstrated ability to analyse data, identify issues, and implement practical solutions.
• Experience collaborating across cross‑functional teams, including suppliers, operations, and distribution partners.
• Comfortable working in a fast‑paced, evolving environment with multiple competing priorities.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to present data clearly.
• Self‑motivated with a proactive attitude and a curiosity to improve processes and learn new skills.
• Customer‑obsessed mindset, focused on delivering high levels of stock availability and operational efficiency.
• A fair and competitive salary evaluated against market data, annual discretionary bonus scheme, pension, life assurance, 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays and enhanced family leave.
• Commitment and dedication to your ongoing personal and professional development. We help you to own and grow your potential so you can be at your best in your current role and to support your future career aspirations.
• We offer hybrid working with a blend of working in our Support Centre and from home.
• You will have access to a wealth of employee discounts across the Halfords suite of products and services.
• Wellbeing and inclusion are at the heart of our colleague experience. We offer resources and ongoing support to enhance your wellbeing at work and active Colleague Networks supporting inclusion initiatives across Halfords.

Not sure you meet all the criteria? We'd encourage you to take the wheel and apply anyway! At Halfords we are committed to creating an inclusive workplace for our colleagues. We're an equal opportunities employer and proud to welcome applications from all backgrounds and embrace diversity within our one Halfords Family.

Note: Halfords operates a hybrid working policy – this position will be based 3 days per week at our support centre in Redditch, West Midlands.