Merchandise Planning Manager

Poltronesofà S.p.A.; Sunderland; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 46,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

33 days holidays

Car cash allowance

Employee discounts

Career progression

Long service awards

Enhanced parental leave

Employee assistance programme

Virtual GP

Pension scheme

Life assurance

Job summary

Poltronesofà S.p.A. in Sunderland is seeking a Merchandise Planning Manager to lead the UK range planning and commercial product strategies that respond to customer demand and market opportunities.

You will analyse sales performance, work with the Buying team in Italy, Retail, Digital, eCommerce and Marketing to optimise the assortment and drive sales and margins across the UK market.

Qualifications

• Experience in buying and merchandising within the furniture industry.
• Strong ability to identify product trends early and translate into range ideas.
• Excellent relationship management skills across internal and external partners.
• Ability to influence effectively across all levels of the organisation.
• Understanding of the supply chain and ability to track/move products across distribution networks.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement merchandise plans based on sales trends and buying patterns.
• Develop UK range concept with optimal breadth, quantity, price, style and colour.
• Forecast future demand by analysing sales data.
• Collaborate with Italian buying team to select new product ranges.
• Own UK store layout planning and execution across the UK market.
• Manage FPO stock levels and movement between DCs to meet demand.
• Prepare and present sales performance reports focusing on product performance and showroom space efficiency.
• Coordinate with suppliers to ensure timely product delivery; liaise with marketing for promotions.
• Monitor market trends and competitor ranges to inform the range plan.
• Translate customer feedback into new product development ideas.

Skills

Furniture industry experience

Buying & merchandising

Trend analysis

Relationship management

Influence across organisation

Supply chain understanding

Job description

Merchandise Planning Manager

Department: Retail Operations

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Sunderland - Customer Support Centre

Reporting To: Merchandise & Buying Operations Manager

Compensation: £40,000 / year

Description

We’re looking for an experienced and commercially minded Merchandise Planning Manager to join our team and play a key role in shaping and optimising the product range our customers want.

The Merchandise Planning Manager will lead the range planning process, working closely with the Buying team in Italy, Retail, Digital, eCommerce and Marketing to develop commercially focused product strategies that respond to customer demand and market opportunities. The role will use sales performance, market trends and customer insights to inform range development, identify new product opportunities and support the delivery of sales and margin growth.

A key focus of the role is to identify and report on market trends leading to new product development, support margin growth, deliver product sales forecasting, and data analysis. By monitoring market trends and sales performance, the Merchandise Planning Manager will ensure that the merchandise assortment aligns with the company's overall business goals and meets ongoing Customer demand

What does the role involve?

• Develop and implement merchandise plans based on sales trends and buying patterns
• Develop UK range concept, identifying the ideal range plan with consideration for product breadth, category, quantity, price, style and colour
• Analyse sales data to forecast future demand for products
• Collaborate with Italian buying team to select new product ranges
• Own UK store layout planning and execution across the UK market
• Manage FPO stock levels and movement between DC’s to meet customer demand
• Prepare and present sales performance reports focusing on product performance EG, volume, mix, £ per SQM of showroom space for the UK leadership team
• Prepare and present sales performance reports for suppliers, focusing on product/range volume
• Liaise with suppliers and vendors to ensure timely product delivery where required
• Coordinate with marketing teams to support promotional activity in the UK market
• Conduct regular market research to stay updated on industry trends
• Regularly track and monitor competitor ranges and benchmark against our own range plan
• Maintain strong relationships with the Retail and Digital teams to understand customer preferences, trends and feedback, translating these into new product development ideas

Who are we looking for?

• Proven experience of working in the furniture industry
• Experience of buying and merchandising, ideally within the furniture industry
• Great eye for product and market aware in terms of identifying product trends early
• Strong relationship management skills (internal and external)
• Ability to influence effectively across all levels of the organisation
• Understanding of the supply chain and ability to track, monitor and initiate product movement across a broad distribution network

What’s in it for you?

• 33 days holidays including bank holidays
• Car cash allowance
• Employee benefits platform – access to 100s of high street discounts and more – holiday discounts, gym discounts, cinema discounts, e-vouchers, cashback and more!
• Colleague Discount
• Career progression
• Long service awards
• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity and Adoption Leave
• Access to our dedicated Employee Assistance Programme – to give you free access to advice and information on a range of topics
• Virtual GP – Access to a GP service 24/7
• Salary finance scheme
• Pension Scheme
• Death in Service
• Life assurance

INDMP