Visual Merchandiser

**About the role**

**Visual Merchandiser**

**12 Months - Secondment / FTC**

**£29,000 - £35,000 + Pension + BUPA + ShareSave + 6.6 weeks holiday + Hybrid Working (3x days per week in the office)**

**Southampton, Store Support Office**

We believe anyone can improve their home to make life better. From our Southampton Store Support office (SSO) we equip our stores, our people, and our whole business with everything it takes to help our millions of customers create a home they’ll love. Join us as a Visual Merchandiser and you’ll be a big part of this.

**Key responsibilities**

You'll be responsible for the design and execution of product layouts in B&Q stores in the UK and Ireland, ensuring that those layouts deliver the needs of the B&Q customer and UK Market.
- Understand how our customers shop and the projects that they undertake, both instore and online through analysing customer insights and market trends.
- Understand our products and how they can help our customers
- Understand how our stores operate and how we can make things easier for the store teams
- Work closely with the wider VM and Commercial teams and represent the needs of B&Q's customers in planning and development of principles and layouts
- Continually improve Visual Merchandising in B&Q by understanding developments and ideas in other businesses
- Identify and define clear VM principles using commercial tools available - update inline with the commercial strategy
- Design innovative product layouts and solutions; from initial thinking and visualisation through to physical construction and refinement in the merchandising lab and store implementation
- Ensure that those product layouts:

- adhere to our VM and CMF brand guidelines to provide a consistent shopping journey
- consist of clear customer entry keys that are reflective of the customer decision making journey
- are simple and safe for customers to shop and for store teams to implement, maintain and operate
- inspire our customers using displays, environment and other techniques
- utilise and translate space performance tools/analysis to give every product the right amount of space for stock in order to maximise sales and margin return
- In circumstances where, despite all possible efforts, not all of the business principles can be fully achieved then the VM will work with stakeholders to identify and provide solutions and agree the most appropriate compromises
- Maintain consistent communication with all stakeholders throughout the planning of all product layouts
- Communicate the details of product layouts clearly and effectively to ensure they are correctly implemented

**Required skills & experience**
- Trend awareness and creative mindset
- Problem solving and innovation
- Imagination and an ability to visualise
- Outstanding communication skills at all levels, both written and verbal
- Demonstrate ability to build effective relationships and to play your part both within and outside your own direct team
- Be able to display a confident and professional style at all times and adapting to suit individuals and circumstances
- Strong influencing skills when working with project stakeholders
- Demonstrate commercial awareness including understanding the interaction of sales, costs, profits and market factors.
- Passion for products and customers
- Proven ability to work within strict deadlines and multi task multiple projects/tasks
- Demonstrate experience in one or more Visual Merchandising, Commercial, Store Operations or Store Design roles Experience of understanding and responding to the needs of both internal and external customers
- Intermediate ability - Microsoft Office Desirable - Sketch Up, Space Planning Software, CKB
- Full driving licence and the flexibility to travel throughout the UK when required

**What's in it for me?**

As part of a great team, you’ll be valued for who you are.We’re committed to making B&Q more diverse and representative of the communities we serve, where everyone can feel they belong and have equal opportunities**. **You will have access to a range of networks that represent our colleagues and allies and help us to continue to put diversity and inclusion at the heart of our business.

We also recognise that wellness means different things to different people, and we want to help colleagues be at their best and feel well by offering a range of benefits to help you. As well as a competitive salary, our benefits package includes an award-winning pension scheme, bonus, ShareSave options, 6.6 weeks holiday, payroll giving, an Employee Assistance Programme, shopping discounts, colleague wellbeing benefits and lots more