Merchandiser

Product is at the heart of everything we do and we’re looking for an experienced, passionate and driven individual to join Laura James Merchandising Team. This data-enabled team will control our supplier relationships, purchasing commitments, stock cover levels and everything in between to ensure our customers always have right product, whilst achieving gross margin and working capital targets.

Job Title: Merchandiser

Reports to: Head of Product & Merchandising

Role objective: ownership of the forecast for all channels, ensuring availability & intake metrics and that customers’ expectations are met. Your role will involve forecasting and keeping optimum availability on both continuity and seasonal lines.

Key accountabilities:
Strategy
- Compiles the history and recommendations based on analysis for the building of the product strategy for each season
- Assists the HP&M in the providing the Merchandising input into the financial budgeting and forecasting processes
- Operates within the product critical path to protect availability

Range planning & selection
- Provides analysis and recommendations that actively contribute to the building of the range framework for each season. Supports the Product Development team with checks & balances throughout the range building process. Defines the range and pricing for each channel to take in consideration target margins as well as market range analysis.
- Conducting SWOT analysis on product performance to inform future development and purchasing.
- Provides analysis and recommendations that actively contribute to the building of the range framework for each season. Supports the Product Development team with checks & balances throughout the range building process. Defines the range and pricing for each channel to take in consideration target margins as well as market range analysis.
- Validates and extracts data for analysis.
- Ensures selling price data and intake margin data is accurate and up to date on all systems.
- Together with the Channel Data Administrator, marketing and product development, ensure that the product information is accurate for all sales channels.

Forecasting & Planning
- Working to deliver the planned sales and profitability of your department through effective planning and in-season trading
- Regularly analysing department performance to maximise commercial opportunities
- Working alongside Buying to ensure a commercial range is offered to the customer whilst ensuring both Laura James and B&M strategy are adhered to, taking into account OTB, Options, price, and global requirements.
- Through strategic planning and trading of the department, managing the intake, BTA and OTB to deliver the stock requirements of the business

Intake management
- Performs the administration of Purchase Orders (inc. payments) for ALL product areas
- Manages the intake flow across the supply chain to ensure the availability targets are met
- Administrates the management of the generic product forecasts and call offs
- Administrates the warehouse throughput forecast process
- Communicates issues and time to resolve clearly & accurately to the wider team
- Supervises the administration of all Purchase Orders
- Supervises the placement of all orders and associated critical path management
- Manages intake flow in line with seasonal launch and cash flow plans
- Communicates issues and time to resolve clearly & accurately to the wider team
- Working closely with PD team, ensures that the new ranges are ordered and any issues solved in a timely fashion to ensure that all range achieves the season launch dates.

Suppliers Management
- Providing an appropriate level of data analysis and insights that can be shared with relevant teams to aid decision making and gain buy in for ideas
- Regularly communicate to suppliers to ensure that key messages and movements in forecast are communicated clearly.
- Working collaboratively with supply base to innovate solutions and processes within production planning and critical path management
- Constantly seeking opportunities to maximise both intake and profit margin against plan
- Driving, adapting and adjusting department strategy in season based on trade performance
- Resolving issues that may arise and working collaboratively with Buying and other relevant teams to come up with effective solutions
- Reviews KPIs regularly to ensure that the BTA is realistic, highlighting changes to team and management.

Team
- Managing and developing a high-performing team of MA/MAAs through regular 1:1s, honest and constructive feedback. Providing an environment which encourages all team members to provide ideas and suggestions
- Covers for other merchandisers in the event of absence
- Works pro-actively as a co-ordinator within the wider merchandising and product development teams
- Supports cross-team business partners by providing timely and accurate hand-over information in a format that is easily digestible for them
- Builds positive