Assistant Merchandise Planner

Halfords Group; Redditch; Hybrid; GBP 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading retail company in Redditch seeks an Assistant Merchandise Planner to support merchandise planning teams. You'll handle forecasting, stock management, and work on high-impact projects across various functions. Ideal candidates possess analytical skills, excel in data handling, and are passionate about retail. The role offers a dynamic work environment, hybrid working options, and a commitment to employee development, making it an exciting opportunity to grow your career.

Benefits

Hybrid working policy

Employee discounts

Annual leave plus bank holidays

Discretionary bonus scheme

Well-being resources

Qualifications

• Passionate retail professional thriving in fast-paced environments.
• Direct or transferable retail experience is acceptable.
• Exceptional customer experience delivery through data-led decisions.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate on sales forecasts based on trading insights.
• Monitor stock intake to align availability with sales targets.
• Assist in achieving Merchandise Planning KPIs.

Skills

Analytical skills

Problem-solving

Data interpretation

Customer experience

Team collaboration

Excel proficiency

Tools

SAP

Power BI

Job description

Job no: 562218 | Work type: Full time | Site: Redditch | Location: West Midlands | Salary: Up to £30,000 | Business Area: Halfords Support Centre

About us

At Halfords, our mission is to inspire and support a lifetime of motoring and cycling. As a specialist retailer, we lead the market through customer-driven innovation and a distinct product range. We are dedicated to providing our customers with an integrated, unique, and convenient service experience—from e-bike and electric vehicle servicing to on-demand solutions. Our commitment is to foster customer loyalty by offering compelling reasons to keep coming back to our stores, ensuring a lifetime of motoring and cycling enjoyment.

The teams at our Redditch Support Centre work with every other area of our business, putting them at the heart of the action and playing a key role in our success and growth. Everyone brings their knowledge and experience to work every day, working as one team to keep things moving smoothly.

If you’re willing to get stuck in, you’ll love it here too. Put yourself at the heart of a dynamic, fast-paced working environment where expertise and focus take people far.

About the role

Working in partnership with the Buyers, Marketing, Store Development, Quality, Operations, Digital teams and Suppliers, our Assistant Merchandise Planners play a pivotal role within the business, supporting our merchandise planning teams to make sure we have the right products, in the right place, at the right time for both our store and online customers.

You’ll gain hands-on experience across the full merchandising cycle, from forecasting and stock management to promotional planning and range reviews. With exposure to multiple functions and high-impact projects, you’ll develop the technical and commercial skills needed to fast-track your career in a dynamic, fast-paced supply chain environment.

Key responsibilities

• Collaborate with the Merchandise Planner to build accurate sales forecasts, incorporating insights from trading, seasonal trends, new product launches, and promotional activity.
• Help manage stock intake plans to ensure product availability aligns with sales targets and business objectives.
• Monitor and support the delivery of Merchandise Planning KPIs, including Distribution Centre and store stock availability.
• Assist in maintaining inventory levels within agreed stock budgets, contributing to efficient stock control.
• Provide recommendations to the Merchandise Planner on resolving stock issues and identifying performance trends across product areas.
• Liaise with the Distribution Centre to ensure administrative and logistical processes run smoothly and accurately.
• Work cross-functionally with teams including Space Planning, Digital, Retail Operations, and Marketing to drive cohesive planning and execution.
• Support range reviews and promotional launches, ensuring timely and accurate delivery to stores.
• Assist in managing the clearance of obsolete and redundant stock in line with business strategy.
• Act as a key day-to-day contact for suppliers, ensuring clear and timely communication.
• Generate and analyse category performance reports to support strategic planning and decision-making.
• Serve as a secondary point of contact for store-related queries, offering responsive and effective support.

About you

• A passionate and driven retail professional who thrives in fast-paced, high-energy environments.
• Direct or transferable experience within retail – if you have the core transferable numerical and customer experience skills, we can teach you the rest!
• Obsessed with delivering exceptional customer experiences through smart, data-led decisions.
• Analytical and commercially savvy, with a talent for problem-solving and spotting opportunities.
• Experience in Forecast and Replenishment planning tools – SAP and Power BI experience would be a bonus but is not essential.
• Confident handling and interpreting large data sets, with advanced Excel skills to match.
• A true team player who collaborates seamlessly across departments to get things done.
• A fair and competitive salary evaluated against market data, annual discretionary bonus scheme, pension, life assurance, 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays and enhanced family leave.
• Commitment and dedication to your ongoing personal and professional development. We help you to own and grow your potential so you can be at your best in your current role and to support your future career aspirations.
• We offer hybrid working in our Support Centre; you will be based at our Support Centre 3 days a week with an optional 2 days working from home.
• You will have access to a wealth of employee discounts across the Halfords suite of products and services.
• Wellbeing and inclusion are at the heart of our colleague experience. We offer resources and ongoing support to enhance your wellbeing at work and active Colleague Networks supporting inclusion initiatives across Halfords.

Not sure you meet all the criteria? We'd encourage you to take the wheel and apply anyway! At Halfords we are committed to creating an inclusive workplace for our colleagues. We're an equal opportunities employer and proud to welcome applications from all backgrounds and embrace diversity within our one Halfords Family.

Additional information

At Halfords, we operate a hybrid working policy with 3 days per week on-site at our Support Centre in Redditch Worcestershire.

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