Strategic Retail Merchandiser: Forecasting & Planning

Hallmark Cards; Bradford; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 46,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

26 days holiday

Free onsite parking

Collaborative team environment

Job summary

Hallmark Cards is seeking a Remote Merchandiser based in the UK to drive planning, forecasting and trading across seasonal and everyday product ranges. You will partner with Commercial, Product, Finance and Data teams to provide insights and support sales growth through robust planning and analysis.

The role requires strong Excel skills, experience in merchandising/forecasting, and the ability to influence decisions with data while building cross-functional relationships.

Qualifications

• Experience in merchandising, planning, forecasting or similar analytical role within a retail, supplier or FMCG environment.
• Excellent Excel, analytical and numerical skills, with the ability to translate data into actionable commercial insights.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to tailor messages for different audiences.
• Ability to build strong relationships and work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong commercial awareness and the confidence to influence decisions through data and insight.
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage activity against critical deadlines.
• Experience of sales planning and forecasting across everyday and seasonal product ranges.
• Proactive, solutions-focused mindset and a passion for continuous improvement.
• Understanding of retail markets and the factors that influence customer and business performance.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of planning, forecasting and trading activity across designated seasonal and everyday product ranges.
• Manage account planning processes, including annual plans, customer budgets, category plans and range forecasts in partnership with Product & Range teams.
• Ensure plans are supported by robust assumptions, risk assessments and contingency actions.
• Deliver consistency and accuracy across all forecasting and planning activities at account, category and product level.
• Identify stock requirements needed to support customer plans while minimising commercial risk.
• Produce trading analysis that highlights opportunities, risks and recommended actions.
• Partner with Product & Range teams to provide analysis and insight that supports optimisation of product ranges.
• Build strong cross-functional relationships to ensure plans and activities are delivered effectively and efficiently.
• Contribute to wider business initiatives focused on continuous improvement, efficiency and enhanced ways of working.
• Deliver customer reporting and analysis to support account performance and decision-making.

Skills

Excel

Forecasting

Merchandising

Stakeholder management

Job description

Hallmark Cards is seeking a Remote Merchandiser based in the UK to drive planning, forecasting and trading across seasonal and everyday product ranges. You will partner with Commercial, Product, Finance and Data teams to provide insights and support sales growth through robust planning and analysis.

The role requires strong Excel skills, experience in merchandising/forecasting, and the ability to influence decisions with data while building cross-functional relationships.