Assistant Merchandise Planner - F&F - Central Commercial

Tesco PLC; Digswell; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 46,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus up to 10%

25 days holiday + personal day

26 weeks maternity/adoption leave

Paternity leave 6 weeks

24/7 virtual GP service

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

Job summary

Tesco PLC in the United Kingdom is seeking an Assistant Merchandise Planner to support budgets, forecasts and trading performance across Clothing. You will partner with product merchandising, trade planning, operations, finance, channel, technology and BI teams to deliver accurate plans and drive growth.

You will deputise for the Merchandise Planning Manager, manage country daily sales forecasts, and help optimise trade plans while maintaining close governance of financial processes.

Qualifications

• Track record of delivering work in an accurate and timely fashion.
• Strong Excel skills with ability to analyse data.
• Retail or commercial experience and understanding of merchandising.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills across teams.

Responsibilities

• Support Merchandise Planning Manager with country budgets and top‑down forecasts.
• Assist bottom‑up WSSI forecast reviews with supporting analysis.
• Prepare weekly trade commentary and analyses for leadership.
• Identify risks and opportunities by country and channel.
• Produce insights via country, divisional and attribute reviews.
• Support trade plan reviews and enable top‑down/bottom‑up reviews.
• Manage Clothing country daily sales forecast and provide leadership commentary.
• Collaborate with BI to simplify planning processes.

Skills

Excel

Financial acumen

Communication

Relationship building

Analytical thinking

Attention to detail

Education

Merchandising background

Job description

As the Assistant Merchandise Planner you'll play a key role in supporting the delivery of budgets, forecasts and trading performance across the Clothing business. Working alongside a Merchandise Planning Manager, you'll help manage unique regional and channel requirements, ensuring plans are aligned to deliver strong commercial results. This is a highly collaborative role, partnering closely with Product Merchandising, Trade Planning, Operations, Finance, Channel, Technology and Business Intelligence teams. Using your strong organisational skills, commercial awareness and attention to detail, you'll help drive accurate, responsive and efficient planning processes that support business performance and growth. You will be responsible for

• Supporting (and deputising for) the Merchandise Planning Manager with Clothing country budgets, and the top down financial review forecasting on a periodic basis.
• Assist with the bottom up period WSSI forecast review process, with supporting analysis to support HOM and MPM periodic meetings
• Weekly trade commentary and supporting analysis for distribution to the leadership team and wider business
• Identification of risks & opportunities within weekly trade, focusing on key country / channel specifics.
• Producing specific analysis / insight for the commercial teams through country, divisional and attribute reviews
• Supporting in trade plan review and execution. Enabling top down and bottom-up reviews across product divisions, drilling down at country level to drive profit maximisation
• Management of Clothing country daily sales forecast, providing insight and commentary for leadership.
• Working with our Tools, Systems and Business Intelligence team to drive simplification throughout the Home and Clothing Business
• Assisting with Trade Planning Calendars, Promotional Activity and the Business Workplan- cascading this to all divisions
• A key link in the management of commercial and financial processes including close of half, end of year, recode processes in conjunction with product commercial teams
• A super user on all systems
• Assisting with analysing market trends, understand key competitors & external factors and update the team on changing conditions
• Appreciation and understanding of range and trade planning

• A track record of delivering work in an accurate and timely fashion
• The ability to analyse data, with good Excel skills, financial acumen
• Previous experience in retail, customer or commercially focused roles
• Strong communication skills & ability to build relationships across multi-function
• A proven communicator with good influencing skills on a daily basis
• Background in merchandising
• Assistant Merchandiser experience required
• Passion for driving business growth & global strategy (within a commercial team is beneficial) minimum

• Annual bonus scheme of up to 10% of base salary.
• Holiday starting at 25 days plus a personal day (plus Bank holidays).
• 26 weeks maternity and adoption leave (12 months service required at the qualifying date) at full pay, followed by 13 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay or Statutory Adoption Pay, we also offer 6 weeks fully paid paternity leave.
• Free 24/7 virtual GP service, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for you and your family, free access to a range of experts to support your mental wellbeing.