Branch Merchandising Planner

Bensons for Beds; Accrington; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee discount (up to 50% off)

Pension scheme

Life Assurance and income protection

Medicash

Retail Trust services

Annual leave buy & sell

Learning and development programmes

Hybrid working

Job summary

Bensons for Beds is seeking a hands-on Space Planning professional to develop store plans and layouts, support openings and store refurbishments, and work with Commercial, Retail Operations, VM and Supply Chain to optimise space utilization and create consistent, on-brand customer experiences.

You will partner with store managers and cross-functional teams to ensure product adjacencies, planograms and space plans maximise sales and customer flow across large-format stores.

Qualifications

• Relevant experience in space planning, branch merchandising, or macro space allocation.
• Commercial acumen with a solid understanding of retail metrics such as yield, space elasticity and conversion rates.
• Strong Excel and analytical capabilities for data analysis.
• Organization, communication and project management strengths to manage multiple tasks and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Analyse store-level and product performance to create precise product range plans and store grading.
• Tailor product ranges to deliver a balanced, commercial showroom selection reflecting sales trends.
• Track and report on Sales per Square Foot and Profit per Square Foot at category and product levels.
• Identify underperforming display spaces or ranges and propose layout or product swaps to improve conversion.
• Review heat-mapping data to identify cold spots and optimise the customer journey.
• Support store refits, relocations and openings by preparing store product range plans and ordering stock.
• Conduct regular store surveys to assess space utilisation and ensure display standard compliance.
• Maintain the asset register for in-store merchandising and support clearance orders.
• Collaborate with Commercial, Retail Ops, VM and Supply Chain to understand upcoming ranges and space constraints.
• Coordinate with VM to ensure POS materials align with macro space plans and product adjacencies in layouts.
• Prepare clear reports with cost and timeline estimates for stakeholders.
• Contribute to continuous improvement projects to standardise planning processes.

Skills

Space planning

Branch merchandising

Macro space allocation

Retail metrics

Analytical skills

Excel

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)