Merchandise Planner

An exciting opportunity for a proactive and commercially minded Merchandise Planner to join our team. This is a fast-paced role with the opportunity to make an immediate and significant impact in a growing retail business, which is experiencing large volumes of growth and actively opening new stores.

Responsible for implementing effective merchandise strategies for sections and categories managed and for creating effective financial plans that drive sales performance, optimise working capital and cash flow ultimately increasing profitability.

**Rewards**
- Competitive salary.
- 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
- Generous staff discount scheme
- Employee reward scheme
- Employee assistance programme
- Critical Illness & Life Assurance schemes
- Workplace pension scheme
- Company operates a hybrid working policy.

**Key Performance Indicator’s (KPI’s)**
- LFL Sales & total sales (Nett) - understand key drivers ATV, ASP IPT and transitions
- Margin (£ & %) - understand key drive mix, cost and price position
- Own brand % and £ - catergory or sub catergory
- Price Position - to define price index
- Stock efficiency Holding - £ and days cover, stock turn include GMROI
- Inbound Service Level - % inbound vs F’cast
- Quality Returns and Complaints

**Key Responsibilities**:

- Act as a business partner to the buyers and wider commercial team, plan, forecast, and evaluate financial data to support and implement profitable merchandise strategies.
- Responsible for seasonal merchandise plans to maximize opportunities and minimize risk.
- Responsible for Forecasting and validating projections to ensure sales, gross margin and inventory objectives are being met.
- Responsible for management of inventory flow of goods to support sales and stock turn for identified sections and categories.
- Responsible for reviewing store inventory levels to maximize sales and profits, while working closely with Supply Chain to coordinate the flow of information in a timely manner to deliver product against deadlines.
- Collaborate with merchandising, commercial and planning partners to develop yearly sales, margin and stock plans and recommend opportunities for growth to drive business strategies.
- Work with Supply Chain team to ensure optimised inventory health.
- Maintain in-season product plans and forecast. Collaborate with team to execute top-down and bottom-up roles of individual SKUs and ranges.
- Develop strong working relationships with key suppliers, helping to ensure critical paths are up to date and accurate, highlighting any challenges to wider team along with potential solutions.
- Support in the building of ranges though historic data analysis and actively making suggestions holding Buying to account for performance against all key business metrics.
- Accurately prepare and analyse weekly and monthly reporting for set meetings and deadlines, ensuring reporting suitable for audience.
- Responsible for reviewing market pricing to understand value position and its impact on sales and stock performance making recommendations to the Buying team for corrective action.
- Undertake any relevant administrative duties for the department including product ranging & running line cards
- Support in the planning and landing of promotional activity along with reporting on performance both top line and granular level
- Optimise route of supply both into central distribution centre and in stores
- Achieve stockholding targets by managing allocated OTB from WSSI whilst supporting Supply Chain team achieve availability targets.

**Key Skills**:

- Highly Analytical with experience of excel & power point.
- Financially competent and able to demonstrate strong numerical skills including interpretation of data.
- Experience of working with WSSI and Line card stock tools.
- Experience of global supply chains.
- Organised with evidence of horizon planning and the ability to work to deadlines.

**Characteristics**:

- Confident - Able to represent Merchandise Planning at all levels of the organisation.
- Self-driven, able to work independently on their own initiative.
- Challenges the status quo - owner mind set - my money - challenges the norm, creates alternative plans and thinking.
- Proactive - look over the hill for the next opportunity or challenge.
- Solution orientated - does not let challenges become barriers.
- Data lead - Someone who actively uses data to underpin decision making where relevant.
- Adaptable - able to adapt to an environment and adjust approach to suit business needs regardless of scale and organisational hierarchies.
- An animal lover whether owner or just a pet friend.
- Demonstrates integrity and diligence - will do the right thing when nobody is watching.
- Team player - collaborative approach who respects the needs of the team.
- Respectful of Diversity - Creates climate which recognises and respects individuality.