Merchandising Administrative Assistant

Oliver Bonas Limited; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 25,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading retail company in Greater London is seeking a Merchandising Administrative Assistant to support its Home & Gift team. The role involves maximising sales through effective stock allocation, providing sales analysis, and coordinating supply chain activities. Candidates should possess strong analytical skills, previous administrative experience, and an interest in merchandising. The position offers a hybrid working model with a mix of office and home working, along with generous employee benefits including discounts and flexible holidays.

Benefits

Generous employee discount up to 50%

Flexible holiday up to 35 days

Annual discretionary profit related bonus

Access to onsite gym

Cycle to work scheme

Qualifications

• Previous administrative experience is advantageous.
• Genuine interest in the retail industry is required.

Responsibilities

• Maximise sales through stock management.
• Provide sales analysis and admin support to the Merchandising team.
• Complete weekly optimisations on stock movement.

Skills

Intermediate / Advanced Microsoft Office skills

Excellent analytical and numerical skills

Strong communication and interpersonal skills

Willingness to learn

Previous retail experience

Education

Business or merchandising related degree

Job description

We are looking for a Merchandising Administrative Assistant to join Team OB in our Support Office on a 12-month fixed-term contract with our Home & Gift Merchandising team.

As a Merchandising Administrative Assistant at OB, you will be responsible for maximising sales through allocating and ensuring stock levels are maintained in line with store capacity and option levels.

You will ensure that the Merchandising team is provided with sales analysis and admin support as well as carrying out stock allocation and supply chain co-ordination.

Our Support Office is based in Tolworth, near Chessington, only a 30-minute journey from London Waterloo. We offer hybrid working with a split of 3 days in the office and 2 days home working per week, and are open to having conversations about working flexibly.

More about the role

• Set up allocation plans accurately, ensuring store minimums are correct and there is enough stock to fulfil the requirement including monitoring product cover in stores and on web
• Utilise system functions to manage stock levels effectively
• Completes weekly optimisations on the department – using the stock movement process to maximise sales and reduce risk
• Manages warehouse stock appropriately across locations including the returned stock
• Ensure timely and accurate allocation of stock to new and refurbished stores, manages stock levels during build and monitor sales once trading to ensure correct mix of stock
• Manage admin across seasonal changes and communicates these to the wider business
• Report on Monday trade, reviews and offering suggestions on where to make improvements
• Provide analysis for store grading and profiles
• Ensure delivery dates are maintained through attending critical path / shipping meetings to ensure correct quantities are delivered on time and that booking cut offs are not missed
• Maintain key documents with all key dates and intake information
• Provides accurate and timely information for external and internal stakeholders, ensuring deadlines are met
• Respond to store queries with a positive can‑do attitude reflective of the Oliver Bonas values, offering solutions which benefit both the store and wider business
• Conduct regular store visits and proposes actions to relevant teams
• Work in partnership with teams across SO, listening to suggestions or concerns raised by others, building effective relationships
• Action markdown price changes and delivers markdown information to the business in line with markdown critical path

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 – 30 days (including bank holidays) – increasing to 35 days with length of service
• Annual discretionary profit related bonus scheme
• Auto‑enrolment into our pension plan
• Free access to our onsite gym
• Cycle to work scheme
• Refer a Friend incentive
• Quarterly free lunch
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity Voice network and EDI team
• Mental Health First Aider support
• Education and support through 360L eLearning platform

What we look for:

• Business or merchandising related degree desirable
• Previous administrative experience is advantageous
• Willingness to learn
• Previous retail experience and genuine interest in the industry
• IT literate with Intermediate / Advanced Microsoft Office skills – Word / Excel and Powerpoint
• Excellent analytical and numerical skills
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills

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