Assistant Merchandiser - Fashion Oliver Bonas Chessington Competitive salary plus benefits

Oliver Bonas Limited; London; Hybrid; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

Oliver Bonas Limited is seeking an Assistant Merchandiser to join their Fashion team in London. The role involves collaborating with the Buying team, managing stock levels, and maximizing sales through effective forecasting and analysis. Candidates should have prior merchandising experience and strong analytical skills.

Benefits

Generous employee discount up to 50% off all OB products

Flexible holiday – 30 days increasing to 35 days

Annual discretionary profit related bonus scheme

Free access to onsite gym

Cycle to work scheme

Quarterly free lunch

Qualifications

• Experience as an Assistant Merchandiser is required.
• Strong analytical and numerical skills.
• Intermediate/Advanced Microsoft Office skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage category WSSI and assist in forecasting.
• Provide sales analysis and support the merchandising team.
• Identify risks and opportunities for stock management.

Skills

Analytical skills

Communication

Organizational skills

Team player

Problem-solving

Education

Previous Merchandising experience

Retail experience

Tools

Microsoft Office

NetSuite

Job description

We have an opportunity for an Assistant Merchandiser to join Team OB in our Fashion team.

For this role, we are looking for someone currently working at Assistant Merchandiser level to work with the Merchandiser, and alongside your Buying team to range plan, forecast and trade your department or product area. You will maximise sales and profitability and through your understanding of the company vision and strategy, deliver the OB brand values working cross functionally across Buying, Design and Merchandising.

As part of a dynamic Merchandising team, your role will also be to provide support and lead as an example to the MAA's. You will support and assist the wider team in providing sales analysis and administrative support in addition to independently managing a WSSI managing opportunity and risk.

Our Support Office is based in Tolworth, near Chessington, only a 30-minute journey from London Waterloo. We offer hybrid working with a split of 3 days in the office and 2 days home working per week, and are open to having conversations about working flexibly.

A bit about us …

At Oliver Bonas (OB), our values of Work Hard, Play Hard & Be Kind are integral to everything we do. Collaboration, imagination, curiosity, and teamwork are key to our success, and everyone has their part to play in making OB a special place to work.

Having fun is key, and a playful and positive approach creates an optimistic environment. We don’t take ourselves too seriously, but we are serious about what we do.

Our team knows their stuff. They’re confident and creative and unafraid to challenge convention to find solutions, taking accountability for their actions, but always with kindness and humility.

More about the role …

An OB Assistant Merchandiser will:

• Set up, manage and monthly reforecast your category WSSI with support from the merchandiser
• Manage projections and repeat line buys through weekly trade meetings and propose ways to minimise risk for the department
• Make frequent suggestions for improved forecasting
• Work with the Merchandiser and Buying team to integrate lessons learnt from the previous season into new department strategies
• Assist in constructing the optimum range for the target market by balancing price architecture and category
• Create data packs and present in trade & sign off meetings
• Plan intake to deliver new options as appropriate to keep newness flowing through the business considering space & layout requirements
• Help plan intake and stock levels to ensure optimal stockholding whilst also maximising sales opportunities
• Using the WSSI, inform trade and stock management decisions weekly through updates of stock levels, sales, intake and monthly reforecasts
• Through weekly trade meeting with Buying Teams, identify best-sellers and look to trade where relevant
• Makes decisions regarding risks and opportunities to put forward proposals for improvements to Merchandiser
• Identify lines for markdown and mark-up activity as well as forecast markdown spend and evaluate profit implications of markdown activity
• Assist in planning promotions, when necessary, in order to improve stock position and minimise markdown
• Identify ways to improve and maximise sales at channel level through detailed analysis and sales data
• Produce accurate analytical reports for store & SO teams on a regular basis
• Monitor critical path dates and maintains an accurate delivery schedule liaising with the buying team, merchandiser and logistics team
• Build and promotes good working relationships with suppliers & understands the implications of late deliveries and manages accordingly
• Review line flow requirements and manage intake ahead of key deadlines
• Managing OTB, stock levels and commitment at all times
• Train, support, mentor and set a good example to junior team members, helping them to plan their workload/priorities. Support in the management of MAA daily tasks

Bonas Benefits:

• Generous employee discount up to 50% off all OB products
• Free access to our 24 hour employee assistance programme with Care First – offering financial, emotional and vocational support
• Flexible holiday – 30 days (including bank holidays) – increasing to 35 days with length of service
• Annual discretionary profit related bonus scheme
• Free membership for our Westfield Health Cash Plan or Private Medical
• Auto-enrolment into our pension plan
• Free access to our onsite gym
• Cycle to work scheme
• Refer a Friend incentive
• Quarterly free lunch
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity Voice network and EDI team
• Mental Health First Aider support
• Education and support through 360L eLearning platform

What we look for:

• Previous Merchandising experience at minimum Entry Assistant Merchandiser is required
• Previous retail experience and genuine interest in the industry
• Knowledge of internal databases / NetSuite and NSPB would be advantageous
• IT Literate with Intermediate / Advanced Microsoft Office skills – Word / Excel and Powerpoint
• Excellent analytical and numerical skills, having attention to detail
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Have good organisational skills e.g. Uses Microsoft Calendar to manage time and meetings effectively
• Team player and have collaborative approach
• Motivated and able to work well to tight deadlines
• Initiative, decisiveness and effective problem-solving skills
• Proactive forward thinker and resilience, being open to change

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at OB

At Oliver Bonas, our promise is to do our bit to make living a joyful experience and give cause for optimism. This promise is central to our work in equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). To bring joy to others, we must first ensure everyone at OB feels valued, included and most importantly, can be themselves at work.

It is important to us that our brand reflects wider society and the communities in which we operate. As a result, we welcome all eligible applicants for this role however we are particularly interested in speaking to eligible candidates from the Black, Asian & Mixed Heritage communities.

Oliver Bonas is a Disability Confident Committed employer under the Disability Confident employer scheme.

To read more about our ED&I commitments, head over to the EDI page on our website: https://www.oliverbonas.com/meet-the-team/diversity