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Job description

We are Laura James and product is at the heart of everything we do. 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 the right product, whilst achieving gross margin and working capital targets.

Job Title: Merchandiser – Garden & Homewares

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

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 AM through regular 1:1s, honest and constructive feedback. Providing an environment which encourages all team members to provide ideas and suggestions
• Covers for the merchandiser in the event of absence

Trade and Analytics

• Ensure team review products to ensure we identify reasons for poor performance and put plans in place to fix those issues with appropriate stakeholders, e.g. imagery, product content, merchandising
• Develop cross sell and upsell plans to improve AOV/IPO through all web channels using recommendations.
• Provide detailed reporting and insight on trade performance trends and opportunities using analytical tools such as GA, Power BI.
• Manage and coordinate promotional campaign launches, new product launches across imagery, product set up, pricing, managing campaign dates.

Other

• Projects as agreed to support the profitable growth of the LJ business
• Demonstrating a global mindset, discussing and sharing opportunities and risks with other depts to influence global strategy and drive divisional performance
• Seeking opportunities to improve ways of working and systems use to trade more effectively globally, sharing knowledge with the team

Key skills

• Is aligned with the LJ Brand

• Has a proven track record in Merchandising within a fast-paced and rapidly changing global business

• Demonstrates the ability to drive the success of a department through creative and commercial thinking

• Shows a great understanding of the LJ customer and customer segmentation and reflects this in decision making

• Demonstrates a commercial and analytical mindset, using data and insights to leverage opportunities that successfully contribute to the department and wider LJ strategy

• Uses relevant market insights to aid decision making and achieve the best outcome for the business

• Shows strong awareness of current trends, Retail market conditions and opportunities within a Global context

• Builds great relationships with internal stakeholders and suppliers

• Has an effective and inclusive management style, role modelling positive behaviours and providing the team with clear direction and development

• Has strong systems skills, including advanced Excel and relevant trading systems.

If this sounds like the perfect role for you, please click to apply.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Reading, RG8 7JW: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)