Merchandiser Womenswear Brands

John Lewis Partnership; City of Westminster; Hybrid; GBP 54,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading retail partnership is seeking a talented Merchandiser for their Womenswear Brands department. The successful candidate will utilize analytical skills to forecast and optimize product ranges. Responsibilities include managing stock flow and delivering KPIs. A minimum of 2 years merchandising experience is essential, alongside strong Excel and communication skills. This hybrid role is based in the London Central Office, requiring at least 3 days in-office. A competitive salary range of £54,500 – £84,100 is offered.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in Forecasting & Planning, WSSi management.
• Minimum 2 years’ experience in Merchandising.
• Demonstrated expertise in merchandising practices.

Responsibilities

• Accurately plan and forecast sales, stock, profit and SKUs.
• Deliver commercial success through range planning.
• Manage flow of stock controlling inventory levels.

Skills

Forecasting & Planning

Analytical and numerical skills

Microsoft Excel

Communication and presentation skills

Job description

About the role

We have an exciting opportunity for you to join as a Merchandiser in our Merchandising teams within the Womenswear Brands department. You will be a highly experienced, analytical and commercial Merchandiser who uses their broad expert knowledge to plan and optimise the best range for customers within your category. Your remit will be to deliver agreed KPIs including sales, profit, stock, skus, availability, margin and risk management. You will maximise opportunities as they arise and lead the in‑season trading to potentialise the outcome for both customers and your category. You will analyse commercial inputs to develop, with the Buyer, the best range of products supported by effective and comprehensive range planning and pricing architecture to deliver market leading assortments. You will be People Manager of your category team’s Merchandising Assistants, creating the conditions for them to thrive, and balancing their focus and priorities as required. You will be expected to manage an assortment of high strategic importance and/or complexity within your category that achieves strong customer satisfaction. You may be asked to have oversight over the roll‑up of other offices within your Category.

Key responsibilities

• Accurately plan and forecast sales, stock, profit and SKUs for the Merchandising Manager L5 and Trade Planning team.
• Deliver the commercial and customer success of a product range through range planning and agile in‑season trading, using analysis and reporting from Product Operations.
• Through your Merchandising Assistants, manage the flow of stock for your office, controlling inventory levels and open to buy, maximising availability across channels whilst minimising inventory holding costs and other supply chain costs.
• Work at pace and with agility within a collaborative environment with your Merchandising Manager L5, Buyer, Head of Merchandising, Supply Chain, Trade Planning, Sourcing, Trading & Product Operations teams, Design and Product Technology. Hold a strong relationship with suppliers and Brands.
• Forecast assortment Sales, Stock and Margin KPIs, decide Open to Buy parameters that meet commercial and customer targets. In collaboration with Buying, make season trading and volume decisions along with the commercial terms and product lifecycle with suppliers.
• May be asked to roll up Category wide analysis in support of the Head of Buying and Head of Merchandising.
• People Manager: coaching, development and feedback for Merchandising Assistants.

Essential skills

• Proven experience in Forecasting & Planning, WSSi management, influencing & stakeholder management.
• Minimum 2 years’ experience in Merchandising.
• Demonstrated expertise in merchandising practices, assortment planning and stock management.
• Experience across various Category Areas.
• Strong analytical and numerical skills.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Understanding of Retail Operations and Supply Chain Management.
• Proactive approach to learning and development.

Desirable skills

• Previous relevant category experience.
• Advanced MS Excel & Google Sheets, including PivotTables, VLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH and Data Tables.
• Tableau adoption.

Working pattern/flexible working

This is a hybrid working role. The normal place of work is our London Central Office in Pimlico. Expect a minimum of 3 days per week in the office.

Location

Pimlico Head Office.

Salary

£54,500.00 – £84,100.00.

The partnership

We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world.