Stock Optimisation Merchandiser - Merchandising - Forecasting - Budgeting

Sainsbury's; Coventry; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A UK retail leader is seeking a Stock Optimisation Analyst in Coventry to support stock management and optimisation strategies. The role involves collaboration across divisions and requires strong analytical skills, experience in merchandising, and proficiency in Microsoft Excel. Candidates should have a passion for delivering insights that improve decision-making and profitability. This position offers a range of benefits, including colleague discounts and performance-related bonuses.

Benefits

Colleague discount up to 15%

Pensions scheme and life cover

Performance-related bonus up to 10%

Employee assistance programme

Qualifications

• Over 2 years merchandising experience with ownership in ranging and selection.
• Strong examples of analyzing large data sets and drawing conclusions.
• Experience working across supply chain, finance, and A&R.

Responsibilities

• Support the Product Lifecycle Manager in stock analysis.
• Use exception reporting to flag opportunities and challenges.
• Collaborate with merchandising teams for cross-category analysis.

Skills

Microsoft Excel

PowerPoint

Word

Data analysis

Cross-functional working

Tools

Merchandising systems

Supply Planning systems

Financial Planning systems

Job description

Location

Ansty

In a nutshell

The Stock Optimisation Analyst supports the Product Lifecycle Manager to enable the optimisation of our stock in terms of quality and quantity. You’ll develop data and insights that enables better cross divisional decisions and improve E2E profitability and working capital. Acting within the Central Merchandising function, you will work across both Electricals & Toys and Home & Seasonal divisions, helping optimisation across the total Argos business.

You will be seen as a passionate and energetic contributor who likes to get into detail and identify opportunities for the business related to stock management. You will feel comfortable creating new ways of working and want to build strong partnership. Collaboration and relationship building are key to this role!

What you need to do

• Assist the Product Lifecycle Manager to create the bottom‑up central insight data that will help inform choices we need to make related our stock ownership
• Use exception reporting to flag commercial, stock and/or availability opportunities and challenges across the divisions.
• Produce deep‑diving/ad‑hoc analysis as required by the central merchandise function, supporting Commercial teams with insights that ensures enhanced decision‑making and timely execution.
• Work closely with the merchandising teams to support cross‑category analysis, helping them make better broader decisions.
• Work with Central Merchandising leadership where you see opportunities to improve or do something new. Support defining of 12 week goal sprints in alignment with your manager.

What you need to know and show - essential criteria

• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint & Word.
• Over 2 years merchandising experience and have owned ranging and selection meetings with a buyer and budgeted and planned intake for a product area.
• Knowledge of merchandising, supply and financial planning systems.
• Strong examples off cross functional project working across supply chain, finance, A&R for example.
• Example of analysing large data sets and forming concise conclusions and actions from a commercial aspect.

What decisions I can make

• Help to shape the direction of the business through insight into performance and opportunity areas for improvement.
• Identify and suggest opportunities to improve efficiencies within across our stock ownership

#ArgosCommercialandDigital

#ACDMerchandise

Qualifications

We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer so you’ll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. Around here, there’s always the chance to try something new — whether that’s as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business - and we take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile and, where possible, offer flexible working. When you join our team, we’ll also offer you an amazing range of benefits. Here are some of them:

Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to save 10% on your shopping online and instore at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat, and we regularly increase the discount to 15% at points during the year. We've also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover. You'll also be able to share in our success as you may be eligible for a performance‑related bonus of up to 10% of salary, depending on how we perform.

Your wellbeing is important to us too. You'll receive an annual holiday allowance and you can buy up to an additional week's holiday. We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, salary advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) as well access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers. And if you ever need it there is also an employee assistance programme.

Moments that matter are as important to us as they are to you which is why we give up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave.

Please see www.sainsburys.jobs for a range of our benefits (note, length of service and eligibility criteria may apply).

About the Company

Joining the team at Argos, you'll find yourself at the forefront of UK retail, in a brand that is loved by millions of customers across the country. Argos is a market leader in the general merchandise sector, with the third most visited retail website and a market leading same day delivery and click&collect service. Whether it's working across our amazing owned‑brands of Habitat, Chad Valley and Bush, or working with the biggest global consumer brands like Apple, Lego, Xbox or Samsung, we have a breadth of opportunity to nurture your career. With roles across Buying, Merchandising, Design, Technical, or Commercial Planning or Operations, we have teams that always strive to make amazing product to delight our customers. The Argos Commercial teams work closely with many other functions across the business like Digital, Marketing, Retail and Logistics to deliver for our customers, allowing you to develop connections and learn from teams across the business. Development is important to us and you’ll have the full support of your line manager in developing and growing your skill set and aiding your career aspirations.