Assistant Merchandiser, Witney

An exciting opportunity exists for an experienced Assistant Merchandiser to join a British Heritage retailer on an initial maternity cover contract to start ASAP. Whittard of Chelsea, world renowned for their specialist teas, coffees and hot chocolates are looking to bolster their established merchandising team. The position will be based at their head office in Witney, West Oxfordshire. Whittard sell products across a UK retail estate, their own website and have expanded internationally, selling to both franchisees and wholesalers across 32 countries. This position will support the merchandising activities across the Flavoured Drinks, Ceramics, Equipment and Confectionery categories, with a view to best servicing all channels. They will maximise sales and margin through effective planning, forecasting, distribution and trading. Working closely with the buying team they will develop a long-term range plan and effectively manage the working relationship with suppliers, stores, warehousing and internal departments. Managing stock allocation & replenishment to make best use of available stock across all sales channels Maintain the delivery schedule, ensuring all delivery dates are adhered to Assist the merchandising team in analysing data and producing reports looking into the best and worst sellers, and manage price changes as necessary Directly supporting the Merchandiser with PO management & the order book, being the first point of contact for suppliers and reporting on supplier performance Maintaining and updating stock orders and product data on the inhouse stock management system, ensuring it's kept accurate and up to date To be considered for the role as the Assistant Merchandiser, you will need the following skills and experience: At least a year's Merchandise Assistant or Allocator experience or a current Assistant Merchandiser looking Good communication skills, with some previous experience working with suppliers being ideal Analytically capable with strong numeracy skills, competent with Microsoft Excel An understanding of the importance of the critical path with a good sense of timekeeping Strong brand awareness Team player with a genuine interest in Merchandising The role itself? Working directly alongside the experienced Merchandising team and closely with the Buyers, the Assistant Merchandiser will play a pivotal role in managing the goods into the business, to further allocate & manage the stock efficiently to stores, online and international using their effective communication skills across all departments. You will spot opportunities to make best use of available stock across all channels to drive sales which is more vital than ever in the current climate. What the company is like? Working in this friendly and dynamic business, the Assistant Merchandiser will enjoy sharing a passion for the brand with the rest of their team. Surrounded by an amazing team, this year long contract will be an opportunity to gain valuable training with seasoned Merchandisers. You will become part of a community with this hard-working but fun brand, and will benefit from generous holiday allowance, employee discount, bonus schemes, as well as an array of many other incentive-based benefits. How to apply?? Does this sound your next role? Perhaps you know someone else it might be perfect for? Get in touch with Michelle at Niche Recruitment today to find out more