Merchandiser

The Company

Poundstretcher is one of the UK’s leading discount retailers with a network of over 300 stores.

Primary Objective

* Optimise the profitability of a designated product area.

* Developing a commercial liaison across all interfaces with the Merchandising function within the business

Principal Accountabilities

Budget preparation

* Prepare seasonal buying plans through thorough analysis of historical data and understanding of future trends / activities.

* Set and agree core KPI’s with the Buyer in terms of sales, stock intake phasing, margin, stockturn, markdown and terminal stock etc.

Range planning

* Translate agreed KPI’s (as above) into a range framework in conjunction with the Buyer

* Working with the Buyer to develop commercial ranges within this framework

* Establish initial stock intake plans and stock covers within this framework

Selection / sign off

* Ensure final ranges as selected meets the targets outlined as above

* Jointly with the Buyer to deliver range within the critical path

Intake

* Plan and control the initial product intake phasing

* Plan and control mailer / event availability

Stock control

* Ensure product delivery is in line with the stock distribution strategy (e.g. sufficient outer cartons to meet allocation requirements)

* Facilitate stock delivery to plan through close liaison with Allocation / DC / Stores.

Trading / In season monitoring

* Maximise opportunities & minimise risks of the performance of the area by monitoring actual performance versus plan and taking remedial action as necessary.

* Intake, despatch, DC & Store stock levels

* Accurate forecasting of markdown spend

* Terminal stock forecasts

* Completion and maintenance of corporate core data / forecasting and statistical tools

Analysis / Data

* Maintain comprehensive data records for immediate and future analysis

Commercial Acumen

* Maintain a full and working knowledge of the product, supply chain, competitors and wider retail market to maximise the performance of the product area.

Liaison

* Close working relationship with Buying / QA teams.

* Regular contact with Allocation team / Distribution Centre.

* Regular store visits and liaison with all store focussed departments

* Develop close working relationships with all product related departments to encourage co-operation and achievement of the KPI’s.

Personal Attributes

* Commercial awareness (ideally of Poundstretcher’s product and customer profile)

* Self motivated and can cope with multiple tasks retaining high level of accuracy

* Able to find and extract data and develop a full understanding and awareness of business systems relative to fulfilling the role

* Good communication and interpersonal skill with ability to display self confidence and initiative

* Demonstrates effective team working skills

* Good numerical and analytical ability