Assistant Merchandiser - Home & Gift

Oliver Bonas

ChessingtonCompetitive plus benefitsFull time

We have an amazing opportunity for a Assistant Merchandiser to join our Home & Gift team in our Support Office.

As a Assistant Merchandiser at OB you will work in partnership with the Buyer to deliver the department strategy, maximising sales and profitability. You will develop strong working partnerships with both the Buying and Design team collaborating to understand the vision and direction of the product category alongside developing commercial acumen across all business areas.

You will have experience independently managing a WSSI, trading your own category, alongside planning and analysing seasons.

Our Support Office is based in Tolworth, near Chessington, only a 30-minute journey from London Waterloo. We are working a 50/50 split of office and home working.

A bit about us …

Oliver Bonas is an independent British lifestyle store. We are proud to call ourselves Team OB and believe Oliver Bonas is a truly special place to work. Our company values are Work Hard, Play Hard & Be Kind, and these values sit at the heart of every role here at OB. We are passionate and provide everyone with a fun place to work. Working at OB is more than just a job; it’s somewhere to build a career you are passionate about.

More about the role …

An OB Assistant Merchandiser will:

  • Update and reforecast the WSSI alongside managing sales/stock flow, with support from the merchandiser
  • Oversee the intake process and delivery schedule, ensuring all deliveries are managed and ensuring timely launches
  • Manage projections and repeat line buys and propose ways to minimise risk for the department
  • Make frequent suggestions for improved forecasting
  • Communicate any risk to sales to merchandiser/senior management
  • Provide key suppliers with intake forecasts for the upcoming season
  • Contribute to the overall departments seasonal strategy
  • Plan category sales, MD and profit, to be signed off by Merchandiser
  • Work collaboratively with the buying and design team on seasonal option plans and present to senior management
  • Assist in constructing the optimum range for the target market by balancing price architecture and category
  • Whilst range planning considers external factors, e.g product trend, strengths and weaknesses of competition and store feedback
  • Plan intake to deliver new options as appropriate to keep newness flowing through the business
  • Contribute to the development and review of the department critical path, use key dates to ensure deadlines are met
  • Plan promotions in conjunction with the brands promotional calendar
  • Begin to manage and phase intake to minimise stockholding but maximise sales opportunities
  • Present figures at weekly / monthly meetings, generate action plans
  • Using the WSSI to inform trade and stock management decisions through weekly updates of stock levels, sales, intake and monthly reforecasts
  • Review weekly sales reactions and react through trading
  • Makes decisions regarding risks and opportunities on a daily basis and put forward proposals for significant changes to Merchandiser
  • Identify lines for markdown and mark-up activity as well as forecast markdown spend and evaluate profit implications of markdown activity
  • Manage stock into the warehouse and oversee the distribution of stock to stores
  • Monitors critical path dates and maintains an accurate delivery schedule liaising with the buying, merchandising and logistics teams.

Bonas Benefits:

  • Generous employee discount up to 50% off all OB products
  • Free access to our 24 hour employee assistance programme with Care First –
  • Flexible holiday – 30 days (including bank holidays) – increasing to 35 days with length of service
  • Annual discretionary profit related bonus scheme
  • Free membership for our Westfield Health Cash Plan
  • Auto-enrolment into our pension plan
  • Free access to our onsite gym
  • Refer a Friend incentive
  • Quarterly free lunch
  • Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave
  • Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity Voice network and EDI team
  • An opportunity to work at the highest placed retailer in Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work in the UK list 2022.

What we look for:

  • Previous experience at Assistant Merchandiser level is essential
  • Previous retail experience and genuine interest in Homewares
  • Knowledge of internal databases preferred
  • IT Literate with Intermediate / Advanced Microsoft Office skills – Word / Excel and Powerpoint
  • Excellent analytical and numerical skills
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
  • Team player and collaborative approach
  • Motivated and able to work well to tight deadlines
  • Equality, Diversity & Inclusion at OB

At Oliver Bonas, our promise is to do our bit to make living a joyful experience and give cause for optimism. This promise is central to our work in equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). To bring joy to others, we must first ensure everyone at OB feels valued, included and most importantly, can be themselves at work.

It is important to us that our brand reflects wider society and the communities in which we operate. As a result, we welcome all eligible applicants for this role however we are particularly interested in speaking to eligible candidates from the Black, Asian & Mixed Heritage communities.

To read more about our ED&I commitments, head over to the EDI page on our website: https://www.oliverbonas.com/meet-the-team/diversity