Branch Merchandising Planner

Bensons for Beds; Accrington; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee discount scheme (up to 50%)]

Pension (Legal & General)

Life Assurance

Medicash

Retail Trust

Annual leave buy & sell

Learning and development

Hybrid working

Job summary

Bensons for Beds is seeking a Commercial Space Planner to develop and optimise store plans across openings, refits and relocations. You will collaborate with Commercial, Retail Operations, VM and Supply Chain to maximise space usage and ensure on-brand customer experiences.

With proven space planning experience in large-format retail, you will analyse store performance, create precise range plans, and support the execution of store layouts with accurate cost and timeline estimates.

Qualifications

• Experience in space planning and branch merchandising.
• Understanding of space economics, yield and conversion.
• Experience with large-format retail space planning.

Responsibilities

• Develop store plans and layouts to optimise space.
• Support store openings, refits and relocations.
• Collaborate with Commercial, VM, Marketing and Supply Chain.
• Prepare detailed space plans and cost/timeline estimates.
• Maintain asset registers and ensure display standards.

Skills

Space planning

Commercial acumen

Excel analytics

Spatial awareness

Organizational skills

Stakeholder comms

Project management

Tools

Excel

Job description

At Bensons for Beds we believe everyone deserves the best night's sleep. As part of our Commercial team, you'll play a key role in delivering effective and efficient customer-focused store environments by planning store layouts, developing our space planning principles and supporting our property and store teams with delivery of amazing store environments in a timely and effective manner.

Your Purpose

You will develop and maintain store plans and layouts, support store openings, refits and relocations, and work with colleagues across Commercial, Retail Operations, Visual Merchandising and Supply Chain to optimise space utilisation and create consistent, on-brand customer experiences.

What You'll Be Doing

Key Responsibilities

Commercial Ranging & Space Optimization

• Analyse store-level and product performance to create precise product range plans and establish store grading.
• Tailor product ranges to ensure showrooms deliver a balanced, commercial choice for customers that reflects ongoing sales trends.
• Track and report on Sales per Square Foot and Profit per Square Foot at both the category and individual product level.
• Identify underperforming display spaces or ranges and propose layout or product swaps to drive conversion.
• Review heat-mapping data to identify cold spots on the showroom floor and optimize the customer journey.

Project Delivery & Store Execution

• Support store refits, relocations, and new openings by preparing detailed store product range plans and ordering required stock.
• Carry out regular store surveys to assess space utilization and ensure compliance with company display standards.
• Maintain the asset register for in-store product merchandising and support the clearance ordering and allocation process.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with the Commercial Team to understand upcoming ranges and advise on physical store capacity constraints before orders are finalized.
• Work closely with Retail Area Managers and Store Managers to gather qualitative feedback on product ranging and local market nuances.
• Coordinate with Marketing and Visual Merchandising (VM) to ensure point-of-sale (POS) materials align seamlessly with the macro space plan.
• Collaborate with VM and Buying to ensure product pairings (e.g., Mattress and Bed Base), adjacencies, and planograms are reflected in store layouts to maximize sales and customer flow.

Reporting, Strategy & Leadership

• Prepare clear reports to communicate proposals and changes to stakeholders, including accurate cost and timeline estimates.
• Contribute to continuous improvement projects aimed at standardizing planning processes and improving overall departmental efficiency.
• Create and manage a bi-annual space planning process to ensure optimisation of our opportunity with store space
• Manage and develop the branch merchandiser, fostering a high-performing and commercially focused team environment.

What You Bring to the Sleepover

Essential Skills & Experience:

• Relevant Experience: Previous experience in space planning, branch merchandising, or macro space allocation, ideally within large-format retail (such as furniture, homewares, or DIY).
• Commercial Acumen: A deep understanding of retail metrics, particularly yield, space elasticity, and conversion rates.
• Analytical Skills: Strong Excel and analytical capabilities for in-depth commercial data analysis.
• Spatial Awareness: A keen eye for 3D environments and a solid understanding of how customers physically interact with large products on the shop floor.
• Organization: Strong attention to detail paired with an organized, methodical approach to documentation and record-keeping.
• Communication: Effective communication skills with the proven ability to present proposals to non-technical colleagues and manage stakeholder relationships smoothly.
• Project Management: The ability to work agilely across multiple projects, prioritize a demanding workload, and consistently meet deadlines.

Here's What You Get:

• Employee discount scheme for Bensons products (up to 50% off)
• Competitive pension scheme - provided by Legal & General
• Life Assurance and Income Protection
• Medicash - cashback options for health and wellbeing services
• Access to Retail Trust services for support and guidance
• Annual leave buy & sell scheme and enhanced family leave
• Learning and development programmes and clear progression pathways
• Hybrid working to support work-life balance

(*qualifying periods and terms apply)