Junior Merchandiser - Fashion

Oliver Bonas

ChessingtonCompetitive salary plus benefitsFull time

We have an amazing opportunity for a Junior Merchandiser - Fashion to join Team OB in our Support Office working on Knitwear, Outerwear and Bottoms. You will either currently be a Junior Merchandiser or a Senior Assistant Merchandiser looking for your next step.

As a Junior Merchandiser at OB you will be responsible for planning and trading categories within your department. You will develop strong working partnerships with both the Buying and Design team and work in collaboration to understand their vision and direction of the product category.

You will be a confident and dynamic with an analytical approach, with a real enthusiasm for Oliver Bonas and our products. You will have experience in reviewing critical paths, meeting deadlines and planning and analysing seasons.

Our Support Office is based in Tolworth, 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 Junior Merchandiser will:

  • Plan areas at top line across sales, options, MD and profit to be signed off by Senior Merchandiser
  • Drive lessons learnt, season analysis and strategy meetings prior to pre-season planning
  • Develop strong partnerships with Buyers & Designers to understand their vision and to create the optimum range for the target market by balancing price architecture and category
  • Consider external factors when planning the range, e.g. product trend, strengths and weaknesses of competition, store feedback
  • Considers space layout requirements to deliver correct number of options and ensuring all stores in each grading have a strong offer
  • Plan promotions in conjunction with the brands promotional calendar
  • Planning of the overall intake/ stock levels to minimise stockholding but maximise sales opportunities
  • Update and reforecast the WSSI’s to make sure all categories are performing at optimum level and manage sales / stock flows
  • Manage projections and repeat line buys and propose ways to minimise risk for the department
  • Provide key suppliers with intake forecasts for the upcoming season
  • Oversee the intake process across departments to ensure timely launch
  • Maintain an awareness of current trading conditions, conducting thorough market and competitor analysis to support proposals regarding potential markdowns, re-prices, and promotions
  • Analyse and present weekly performance to the department and propose actions to drive sales, across all channel levels.
  • Review best and worst sales information and suggest appropriate trading actions
  • Propose price changes and markdowns in line with each department KPIs. Evaluate markdown performance learning lessons to improve future decisions
  • Work closely with VM / Retail Team to ensure all key messages / strategies are relayed in the correct way in the stores
  • Manage the Merchandising Admin Assistant with regards to the allocations, Optimisations, store stock and line/store level analysis
  • Manage stock into the Warehouse constantly reviewing best process practice and make improvements where needed

Bonas Benefits:

  • Generous employee discount up to 50% off all OB products
  • Flexible holiday – 33 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 or Private Medical
  • Auto-enrolment into our pension plan
  • Free access to our onsite gym
  • 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:

  • Experience at Senior Assistant Merchandiser / Junior Merchandiser level
  • Genuine passion for OB product categories
  • Prepared to take on new challenges
  • Effective communicator and strong decision-maker
  • Self-motivated with a “can do” attitude
  • Strong analytical skills with attention to details
  • Ability to plan and organise an ever changing workload
  • Confidence in presenting to Senior Management Team and ability to flex the style depending on an audience
  • Strong Microsoft Office skills in particular, Excel
  • Excellent commercial awareness and proven ability to drive profit

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