Merchandise Planning Manager

Morrisons; Warrington; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous holiday entitlement

Discretionary bonus scheme

15% discount in Morrisons stores

Staff canteen

Job summary

Morrisons is seeking a Merchandise Planning Manager in Warrington to develop a 3-year category strategy and lead the merchandising function. You will be accountable for category performance, stock planning, intake, and distribution, while building strong relationships with suppliers and internal teams.

You’ll manage direct reports and collaborate with the buying manager to optimise sales, margin and on‑time delivery, ensuring the range aligns with targets and customer needs.

Qualifications

• Clear understanding of how to serve customer needs and requirements.
• Ability to champion the customer and trade a customer-focused range.
• Ability to create environments where sharing ideas, issues, and concerns is the norm.
• Ability to champion pace, change, and simplicity.
• Ability to gain feedback from colleagues and customers.
• Able to deliver increased sales and profit growth through sound business knowledge and retail experience.
• Analytical thinking – manage multiple data sources and make appropriate decisions for sales, stock, markdown and profit.
• Ability to manage OTB.
• Experience in pre-season planning to deliver a commercial range with a profitable model.
• Carry out in-season trading to counter risks and opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain positive working relationships with internal customers.
• Knowledge of the customer profile and market trends.
• Conduct store visits to view stock and enhance sales and stock packages.
• Ensure a competitive and commercial product range with strong availability.
• Lead the performance of direct reports and build high-performing teams.
• Drive merchandising strategy aligned with stock and sales targets.
• Sign-off processes with buyers in line with critical path and planning cycles.
• Prepare comprehensive stock and sales plans for the season ahead.

Skills

Customer focus

Analytical thinking

Stakeholder management

Team leadership

Merchandising strategy

Budget management

Tools

ERP / stock systems

Job description

As a Merchandise Planning Manager within the GM team, you’ll successfully develop an understanding and expertise for your category, manage a category to deliver company sales and margin targets by planning, controlling and monitoring the purchasing, intake, and distribution of merchandise.

You’ll be responsible for developing and executing a 3-year category strategy alongside the buying manager and be fully accountable for the departmental performance. It is important to continually anticipate the customers’ expectations whilst developing effective working relationships with suppliers, internal departments and, where relevant, the personnel management of direct reports. You’ll work collaboratively with key stakeholders and be expected to resolve all issues efficiently and effectively.

Some of your responsibilities will include:

• Develop and maintain positive working relationships with all internal customers
• Knowledge of the customer profile and market trends
• Conduct store visits to view stock, obtain feedback, and look to enhance sales and stock packages at store and company level
• Ensure that a competitive and commercial product range, that reflects the strategy, is delivered to the customer with strong availability
• Motivate all members of your business unit to maximise their talent
• Lead the performance of direct reports to create high performing climate
• Building high-performing, engaged, diverse teams, focused on service, sales, and profitability, and driving clear accountability at all levels
• Have a vision for the department's merchandising strategy, planning a commercial product range that is in line with the company's stock and sales targets
• Operate an effective and timely sign-off process, working with the buyer, that is in line with the critical path and merchandising planning cycle
• Ensure all range documents are correctly built for the department, ensuring a balanced product mix, challenging the buyer where appropriate, and ensuring all range documents are kept updated and accurate.
• Prepares and presents a comprehensive stock and sales plan for the season ahead for the department, presenting any supporting documentation and analysis, ensuring the proposal maximises sales and profit potential
• Attend all weekly, monthly, and seasonal meetings fully prepared, ensuring all analysis and reports required are completed comprehensively and accurately, taking the lead for merchandising, challenging and influencing where needed
• Be fully conversant with all orders processing through the systems for the department and any new orders being proposed, and the effect they could have on stock, sales, margin, and budget figures
• Maximising sales and profit for the given category to meet agreed targets, through strong planning, analysis, and development of global supplier relations
• Manage all stock and intake for the department in line with company targets
• Monitoring and evaluation alongside the buyer of the performance of the category against budget/forecast, constantly reviewing outstanding commitment and opportunities, and assessing any issues

More about you

For this role, we’re looking for someone who has:

• Clear understanding of how to serve Customer needs and requirements
• Ability to champion the customer and trade a customer-focused range
• The ability to create environments where sharing ideas, issues, and concerns is the norm
• Ability to champion pace, change, and simplicity
• Ability to gain feedback from colleagues and customers
• Able to deliver increased sales and profit growth through sound business knowledge and retail experience
• Analytical thinking – manage multiple data sources and make the appropriate decisions for sales, stock, markdown and profit
• Ability to manage OTB
• Experience in pre-season planning to deliver a commercial range with a profitable model
• Carry out in-season trading to counter any risks and opportunities.
• Stockflow and stocks in line with targets

More about our perks

We value your hard work and commitment, and in return, we provide:

• Generous holiday entitlement
• Discretionary bonus scheme
• 15% discount in our supermarkets and convenience stores from the day you join us
• Additional 10% discount card for a friend or family member
• Genuine career progression and development opportunities - read more about our Leadership School here
• Subsidised staff canteen
• Free parking
• Competitive pension and life assurance
• Healthcare / Wellbeing benefits including Aviva Digital GP
• 'MyPerks' with discounts at high street shops, cinemas and gyms, and lots more
• Optional payroll charity donations
• A range of family-friendly policies including 26 weeks maternity and adoption leave along with neonatal and fertility leave

Alive with activity, our modern Head Office is home to our corporate teams that make sure everything runs smoothly. Here, you’ll find comfy breakout areas, a coffee shop, Morrisons Daily and a subsidised restaurant. We are within commuting distance of Leeds, Manchester and the Yorkshire Dales - and we even have free parking!

At our Head Office you will expect to find supplier showcases, charity fundraising and celebrations all year round for the events that mean the most to our colleagues.

There’s more to our business as it’s fast paced and ever changing, as such we’ve got lots of fresh opportunities for you to play your part in our success. We’d love to meet you!