Merchandiser - GM

WHSmith Careers; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working (home & office)

4pm Friday finish

Flexible working

25 days holiday + birthday off + bank/

Job summary

WHSmith Europe is seeking a Merchandiser to manage the flow of stock to stores, ensuring optimal availability and profitability. You will review sales profiles and demand, and perform range analyses to identify opportunities for stock optimisation.

You will collaborate with buyers, planning and operations to forecast weekly demand, communicate with distribution centres, and resolve issues. This role offers hybrid working with offices in London and Swindon, supporting a customer-focused retail

Qualifications

• Experience in numerical roles dealing with large data sets.
• Excellent organisational ability and strong attention to detail.
• Resilient and adaptable in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to demonstrate problem solving, time management and prioritisation.
• Leads and develops a positive culture with the team and strong stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Manage weekly and daily store demand for stock allocation.
• Review weekly forecast profiles and adjust for seasonality and promotions with Merchandise Manager.
• Analyse root causes of low stock availability.
• Review delivery performance and resolve issues with key stakeholders and logistics.
• Coordinate with distribution centres and suppliers; forecast and place purchase orders.
• Work cross-functionally with buyers, planning and operations for range changes and promotions.
• Generate performance reports to drive sales and reduce stock problems.

Skills

Stock forecasting

Data analysis

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional collaboration

Time management

Attention to detail

Problem solving

Team leadership

Tools

Excel

Job description

At WHSmith Europe our people are at the heart of everything we do. They are the ones that go the extra mile for our customers, the ones that enable our growth. That’s why our Merchandisingteam is passionate about creating an environment where people can be creative and trailblazing in order to do their best work.

The Merchandiser will manage the flow of stock to our stores to deliver optimal availability, sales and profit.You will also be responsible for reviewing sales profiles and demand to maximise sales and minimise problem stock and complete range analysis to identify opportunities for sales/problem stock optimisation.

What you will be doing:

• Managing weekly and daily store demand for stock allocation
• Reviewing weekly forecast profiles, adjusting to reflect seasonality and promotional activity in conjunction with Merchandise Manager
• Regularly conducting a root cause analysis into low availability
• Reviewing of the delivery performance and engagement with key stakeholders to resolve and communicate issues
• Distribution centre and logistics communication & relationship management
• Being a key point of contact for store / internal queries
• Calculating and creating purchase orders
• Supplier liaison & forecasting, including resolving and escalating issues
• Working cross functionally with buyers, display planning & operations to ensure range changes and promotions are planned and delivered
• Generating performance reportsto drive activity to optimise sales and reduce problem stock
• Through forecasting and analysis (utilising excel) determining the appropriate stock levels by week, month and season and ensuring settings reflect these targets, review progress, and take necessary actions to ensure KPI’s are achieved

What we are looking for

• Experience in numerical focused role where in contact with a large amount of datato analyse
• Excellent organisational ability and strong attention to detail
• Resilient and adaptable in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to demonstrate problem solving skills, time management and prioritisation
• Someone who leads and develops a positive culture with the team and has good interpersonal skillsand great stakeholder management

How we reward our teams:

• Hybrid Working Model from home and in the office
• 4pm Friday Finish
• Flexible Working
• 24 Days holiday, plus your Birthday off, plus Bank Holidays with an opportunity to buy extra days holiday
• Family Friendly Leave
• Company Pension scheme
• Annual Bonus based on company and personal performance
• Cycle to work scheme
• Staff Discount Card for railway stores (subject to policy)

About us:

Celebrating over 230 years, we’re proud to have grown into a globally recognised brand present in over 30 countries – the air of familiarity people love and trust on their journey. As a diverse group of over 6,000 colleagues, we’re all on the same journey to a better business through our commitments to our planet, people and the communities we serve.

Our business operates from two key locations, In a vibrant area of London, close to Aldgate and Liverpool Street Station, while the other is located at Swindon's International Business Park, just off the M4 with excellent transport links and over 100 on-site parking spaces.

For WHSmith Europe, our mission is simple – to create value for our stakeholders by providing a platform for global brands across airports, hospitals, rail stations and other markets. Our operational environment is fast-paced and highly regulated, requiring exceptional standards of maintenance, compliance, health & safety and colleague welfare across every location.

We’re all about creating an inclusive and welcoming workplace where everyone can be themselves and do their best. No matter your background, age, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, race or ethnicity, marital status, religion, sex, sexual orientation or anything else that makes you, you—you’re welcome here.

We’re also open to flexible working where possible, so if that’s something you need, let’s chat. And if you need any adjustments during the selection process, just let our Talent Acquisition team know—we’re happy to help!