Junior Merchandiser

Robert Dyas has a long and fascinating history spanning over 140 years. It was bought in July 2012 by former Dragon’s Den investor Theo Paphitis, owner of the Theo Paphitis Retail Group, which comprises Ryman, Robert Dyas, Boux Avenue and the London Graphic Centre.

The 90+ stores and Robert Dyas website are supported by a Retail Support Centre in Wimbledon, the Distribution Centre in Hemel Hempstead and the Customer Support Centre in Crewe.

We are a people oriented Company which thrives on supporting its colleagues by providing them with the knowledge, tools, policies and procedures they need to excel in their role. We are committed to providing our colleagues with development opportunities, job satisfaction and of course some fun whilst working!

Purpose of the Job

Creation and implementation of the dropship department strategy. Using analytics to deliver a product offer that exceeds customers’ expectations and achieves sales and profit targets through planning, trading and managing all aspects of stock to deliver company KPI’s in an efficient and effective manner. 

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Forecast process set-up & improvement
• Working in conjunction with Suppliers, Buyers and Vendor Management to develop and progressively improve the forecasting process, improving accuracy and reducing forecast volatility through coordinated activity
• Analysis of historical trend and market trend on weekly basis using analysis tools to generate weekly forecast. Collect and review sales forecast on weekly basis, identifying trends on fast & slow moving products. Maintain seasonality trend and impact of exceptional market changes
• Conduct meeting with relevant team members to confirm sales forecast. Manage agreement and drive judgment towards realistic and accurate forecast & delivery plan. Collate, share and input weekly forecast data to suppliers
• Monitor supplier performance including supplier non-conformance to enable process improvement in the Supply Chain. Provide fact based analysis with corrective action plan
• Build on collaborative working relationships with suppliers to drive forecast accuracy, process improvements, free flow of information and generally enhance working relations#
• Conduct weekly meeting with key supplier to get stock availability updates and share rolling forecast 
• Monitor performance against budget, taking appropriate action to maximise sales and income.

Identify new business opportunities to grow sales and profitability

• Responsible for commitment forecasts to suppliers to ensure continuous availability of supply.
• Responsible for managing all aspects of stock lifecycle (stock statuses) from initial creation through to discontinued, maximising all opportunities to deliver the financial KPI’s and maximising cash margin by efficient management of stock
• Contribute to future supplier strategies

What we would like to see in you

• Prior knowledge and experience of forecasting large volume of skus manually
• Good overview of the commercial process, production planning and order fulfilment
• Experience working in Garden/Outdoor Furniture desirable
• Highly Proficient in using Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, V-lookups, formulas) and confident using new systems
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to work assertively to challenge forecasts or tackle issues and reach a consensus between all parties
• Good presentation skills
• Excellent organisational and administration skills & attributes
• Highly focussed and capable of sustaining a fast pace in a dynamic environment