Junior Merchandiser for Home and Gift (6 months Fixed Term Contract)

Oliver Bonas Limited; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in retail is seeking a Junior Merchandiser for Home and Gift. This role involves strategic planning, managing stock levels, and collaborating with Buyers and Designers to optimize product ranges. Candidates should have strong analytical skills and a passion for the brand.

Benefits

Generous employee discount up to 50% off all products

Free access to 24-hour employee assistance programme

Flexible holiday – 33 days increasing to 35 days

Annual discretionary profit related bonus scheme

Free membership for Westfield Health Cash Plan

Free access to onsite gym

Cycle to work scheme

Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption leave

Mental Health First Aider support

Qualifications

• Proven track record of working cross-functionally.
• Strong analytical skills with attention to detail.
• Confidence in presenting to Senior Management Team.

Responsibilities

• Plan categories considering sales and profit.
• Manage stock levels to ensure product availability.
• Build relationships with suppliers and monitor intake issues.

Skills

Analytical skills

Commercial awareness

Leadership

Communication

Planning and organization

Education

Experience at Senior Assistant Merchandiser / Junior Merchandiser level

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Futura

NetSuite

NSPB

Job description

We are looking for a Junior Merchandiser on Home ad Gift to join Team OB in our Support Office on a 6 months Fixed Term Contract. As a Junior Merchandiser you will be reporting to the Merchandiser, your role will be to work in partnership with the Merchandiser and Buyer to deliver the department strategy, maximising sales and profitability. You will develop strong working partnerships with both the Buying and Design team and work in collaboration to understand their vision and direction of the product category.

You will be confident and dynamic with an analytical approach, a real enthusiasm for Oliver Bonas and our products and a great commercial awareness. You will have experience in managing critical paths, planning forward seasons and analysing trade.

Our Support Office is based in Tolworth, near Chessington, only a 30-minute journey from London Waterloo. We offer hybrid working of 3 days in the office and 2 days home working each week.

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 Junior Merchandiser will:

• Plan categories at top line considering sales, options, MD and profit to be signed off by Senior Merchandiser/Head of Merchandising
• Drive lessons learnt, season analysis and strategy meetings prior to pre-season planning
• Develop strong partnerships with Buyers & Designers to understand their vision and to create the optimum range that's aligns with the brand brief. Considering price architecture and attribute mixes
• Consider external factors when planning the range, e.g. product trend, strengths and opportunities, competition and store feedback
• Plan OTB using the WSSI, to ensure intake delivers on time according to business requirements
• Considers space requirements to deliver correct number of options and ensuring all stores in each grade have a strong offer
• Planning of the overall intake/ stock levels to optimal stockholding whilst maximising sales
• Independently manages and trades own department WSSIs by accurately forecasting demand, OTB, analysing commitment requirements and stock position
• Manage projections and repeat line buys and propose ways to minimise risk for the department
• With the support of your Senior / Merchandiser, monitor stock levels to ensure right product is available at the right time. Minimising overstock, markdowns, phasing intake accordingly
• Clearly communicate any upside or risk to sales to the Senior Management Team
• Oversee the intake process across departments to ensure timely launch
• Manage the Merchandising Admin Assistant with regards to the allocations, optimisations & stock position across all channels
• Build relationships with suppliers, to monitor intake issues and support MAAs with resolutions
• Maintain an awareness of current trading conditions, conducting thorough market and competitor analysis to support proposals regarding potential markdowns, re-prices, and promotions
• Analyse and present weekly performance, proposing actions to drive sales, across all channels
• Review best and worst performance at monthly and seasonal level, suggesting and actioning appropriate trading actions
• Propose price changes and markdowns in line with each department KPIs. Evaluate markdown performance learning lessons to improve future decisions
• Work closely with VM / Retail Team to ensure all key messages / strategies are relayed in the best way in the stores
• Represent the Merchandising team to the wider business within set Ambassador roles e.g. Web, Stores, Markdown and Marketplace
• Effectively manage and motivate line report through development and appraisals
• Provide regular, constructive feedback to help improve performance, using effective coaching skills to help build competence and confidence
• Delegate tasks to junior colleagues, ensuring tasks are fairly distributed to broaden skills and knowledge within the team
• Represent the Merchandising Team across various business projects
• Independently own a category liaising with design and buying to ensure options are met and the range is evolving
• Leading weekly product sign offs for your category with HODs and CEO
• Communicate to design current sales trends to ensure they are designing with these in mind
• Proven ability to build strong relationships both internally and externally. To be approachable and flexible when dealing with team members at all levels and across all departments
• To be able to confidently present accurate and relevant data, opinions and proposals to colleagues and senior management
• Actively organises, prepares, leading meetings where necessary
• Present and liaise with other departments to deliver the relevant strategies
• Suggest and implement processes to help with departmental efficiencies
• Conduct regular visits to stores, identifying opportunities and threats, and making recommendations for process improvements in support of business objectives

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 – 33 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
• Free access to our onsite gym
• Cycle to work scheme
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity Voice network and EDI team
• Mental Health First Aider support

What We look for:

· Experience at Senior Assistant Merchandiser / Junior Merchandiser level

· Proven track record of working cross functionally with multiple departments

· Able to effectively lead and inspire MAAs

· Genuine passion for OB product categories

· Futura, NetSuite & NSPB experience would be advantageous

· Effective communicator and strong decision-maker

· Prepared to take on new challenges with the ability to think outside the box

· Self-motivated with a "can do" attitude

· Strong self-awareness of soft skills, identifying opportunities to strengthen these

· Thrives working in a fast paced, multi-tasking environment

· Strong analytical skills with attention to detail

· Ability to plan and organise an ever-changing workload

· Confidence in presenting to Senior Management Team and ability to flex the style depending on audience

· Strong Microsoft Office skills in particular Excel

· Excellent commercial awareness and proven ability to drive profit

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