The Assistant Merchandiser will be providing support to the Merchandisers on daily operational, trading and merchandising activities which includes, but not limited to, monitoring and management of the timely arrival of the stocks into the stores, covering retail activities such as allocation, analysis, reporting and tracking.
Job Purpose
•Hands on role instrumental in meeting strategic retail objectives
•To deliver a comprehensive, profitable and customer focused product range to the business
•Working with the Buyer to create the category plan in line with Safat Home Strategy:
•Sales, Total Stocks, Intakes, Commitment, Customer Availability, Pricing ,Mark down, GM, Option Count
•Accountable for managing the department critical path, launch and exit dates in line with the integrated marketing calendar and driving speed to market
•Provide a daily/weekly/monthly view of stock & sales performance results, analysing commercial information and inputting to forward strategy
•Review the sales performance against operating plan at category and range level to identify risks & opportunities
•Plan, optimise and review store space by the appropriate store size, ranging, customer profile and number of SKUs & planogramming where applicable
•Plan & fulfil requirements to maximise trading opportunities across all channels)
•Deliver one best way of working providing standardised reports and consistency across all categories
•Fully utilise the relevant IT/POS systems to deliver linked sale/new promotions
•Analysis on ROI on previous events/promotions
• Reviewing in store cross selling & re merchandising accordingly
•Set store stock targets, manage daily STS to stores, initial allocations, adjustment of min/max levels, safety stocks, bulk sale stock allocation
•Work closely with operations team to monitor & minimise stock write off in season
•Responsible for campaign/flyer stocks and final sign off of stocks for promotional flyers
•Store contact for stock and pricing issues
•Responsible for the Markdown Lists, Ministry list, Store Promotional Sales Pack, Pricing list, POS requirements for SALE and in season promotions
•Manage master product price file to ensure all product prices and promotions are live on the system at the correct time
•Manage monthly stock ageing reports and plan action to be taken to improve sales or develop an exit plan
•Manage the risk of cost of mark downs and ensure it is minimised to ensure profitability
•Manage core reorders in line with range/forecast plan
•General housekeeping of stock file
•Purchase order evaluation/ rate of sale for new and reorders
•Monitor CBM in warehouse & proactively manage stocks into stores and intakes accordingly to maximise supply chain cost savings
•Demonstrate awareness of market trends and utilise this knowledge in range building/cataloguing
•Identify in season opportunities and work with the buyers/planning to use the open to buy process to deliver additional sales
•Exploit opportunities and identify/fix issues in stores through regular and structured store visits
•Monitor and assess competitor promotional activity and take action where appropriate to reduce impact
•Work closely with the buyers to prepare seasonal intake/forecast plans to manage capacity/stocks with supply base
•Prepare post seasonal analysis at category/range/line level and prepare SWOT analysis based on findings
•Support Buyer in review of supplier KPIs
•Communicate with stores/buyers on out of stock situations and agree on actions accordingly
•Redistribute stock between stores where necessary
•Manage end of lines/oddments/last pieces out of warehouse and sold through in store
•Track performance of new lines/launches
Person Specification (skills, knowledge and experience required)
• Commercially focused style with confidence to work in a fast paced results-driven, task focussed environment.
• A lively strong personality which gets things done in a participative manner.
• Well organised and self-motivated with the ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Excellent written and verbal communicator (English)
• A down to earth enthusiast, with gravitas, the ability to build relationships and motivate through personal example, delivering results with persistence and diplomacy.
• Ability to use business provided tools reports and interpret data to make recommendations to deliver business objectives.
Essential Personal Capabilities:
• Releasing Potential, Setting Direction, Seizing Opportunity Delighting Customers, Working Together
• Strong organisation and planning skills including ability to manage a variety of conflicting demands in a pressurised environment
• Naturally people focused with inspirational leadership skills
• Tenacity and resilience are essential
• Use own initiative
• Team Working - Able to develop effective working relationships with colleagues in line management and in the HR function
• High personal impact and strong influencing skills
• Commercially astute with ability to demonstrate high business impact
• Receptive to change and ability to adapt quickly to changing demands
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Computer literate
Relevant Experience:
• Graduates with 2-3yrs retail experience in similar role.
• Excellent numerical and analytical skills.
• Team player and results orientated
• Previous experience on branded home stores.
• International experience preferred, willing to relocate.
Key Skills
• Preferably educated to degree level or equivalent in a Business related discipline
• Customer focused
• Passion for product!!
• Excellent communication skills – both verbal and written
• Well organized and excellent administration skills
• Self motivated and confident, with the ability to work independently
• Quality focused
• Tasks focused and results driven
• Ability to set and maintain deadlines
• Excellent attention to detail
• Likes people
• Experience in Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, is essential
• Flexible and adapts well to change