Senior Assistant Merchandiser

We have an amazing opportunity for a Senior Assistant Merchandiser to join Team OB in our Support Office.

As a Senior Assistant Merchandiser at OB you will support the Merchandiser, assisting in planning and trading of the department to maximise 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 …

OB Senior Assistant Merchandisers will:

• Contribute to department’s seasonal strategy and work with the Merchandiser and Buying team to integrate key lessons learnt
• Assist in constructing the optimum range for the target market by balancing price architecture and category
• Consider external factors when planning the range, eg: product trend, strengths and weaknesses of competition, store feedback
• Whilst building the range focus on maximising profit at all times
• 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
• Assist in planning promotions in conjunction with the brands promotional calendar
• Identify trends, generate action plans and present to proposals to Merchandiser
• Manage the weekly intake and delivery schedule and ensure all deliveries are chased
• Update and reforecast the WSSI with minimal input from the merchandiser
• Manage projections and repeat line buys and propose ways to minimise risk for the department

Bonas Benefits:

• Generous employee discount up to 50% off all OB products
• Free access to our 24 hour employee assistance programme with Care First – offering financial, emotional and vocational support
• Flexible holiday – 30 (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
• Cycle to work scheme
• Refer a Friend incentive
• Quarterly free lunch
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity Voice network and EDI team
• Mental Health First Aider support
• Education and support throughout Looop eLearning platform
• 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:

• An experienced Assistant Merchandiser
• Confident and effective communicator
• Self-motivated with a “can do” attitude
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to plan and organise an ever changing workload

Equity, 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 equity, 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.

Oliver Bonas is a Disability Confident Committed employer under the Disability Confident employer scheme.