Merchandising Planning Manager - General Merchandise (Warrington Based)

This role will be based in Warrington, with the expectation of a minimum of 3 days in the office.

As a Merchandise Planning Manager within the GM team, you’ll successfully develop an understanding and expertise for your category, manage a category to deliver company sales and margin targets by planning, controlling and monitoring the purchasing, intake, and distribution of merchandise.

You’ll be responsible for developing and executing a 3-year category strategy alongside the buying manager and be fully accountable for the departmental performance. It is important to continually anticipate the customers’ expectations whilst developing effective working relationships with suppliers, internal departments and, where relevant, the personnel management of direct reports. You’ll work collaboratively with key stakeholders and be expected to resolve all issues efficiently and effectively.

Some of your responsibilities will include

• Develop and maintain positive working relationships with all internal customers
• Knowledge of the customer profile and market trends
• Conduct store visits to view stock, obtain feedback, and look to enhance sales and stock packages at store and company level
• Ensure that a competitive and commercial product range, that reflects the strategy, is delivered to the customer with strong availability
• Motivate all members of your business unit to maximise their talent
• Lead the performance of direct reports to create high performing climate
• Building high-performing, engaged, diverse teams, focused on service, sales, and profitability, and driving clear accountability at all levels
• Have a vision for the department's merchandising strategy, planning a commercial product range that is in line with the company's stock and sales targets
• Operate an effective and timely sign-off process, working with the buyer, that is in line with the critical path and merchandising planning cycle
• Ensure all range documents are correctly built for the department, ensuring a balanced product mix, challenging the buyer where appropriate, and ensuring all range documents are kept updated and accurate.
• Prepares and presents a comprehensive stock and sales plan for the season ahead for the department, presenting any supporting documentation and analysis, ensuring the proposal maximises sales and profit potential
• Attend all weekly, monthly, and seasonal meetings fully prepared, ensuring all analysis and reports required are completed comprehensively and accurately, taking the lead for merchandising, challenging and influencing where needed
• Be fully conversant with all orders processing through the systems for the department and any new orders being proposed, and the effect they could have on stock, sales, margin, and budget figures
• Maximising sales and profit for the given category to meet agreed targets, through strong planning, analysis, and development of global supplier relations
• Manage all stock and intake for the department in line with company targets

Monitoring and evaluation alongside the buyer of the performance of the category against budget/forecast, constantly reviewing outstanding commitment and opportunities, and assessing any issues

About you

For this role, we’re looking for someone who has

• Clear understanding of how to serve Customer needs and requirements
• Ability to champion the customer and trade a customer-focused range
• Knowledge of the Morrisons business to ensure 1st class execution
• The ability to create environments where sharing ideas, issues, and concerns is the norm
• Ability to champion pace, change, and simplicity
• Ability to gain feedback from colleagues and customers
• Able to deliver increased sales and profit growth through sound business knowledge and retail experience
• Analytical thinking – manage multiple data sources and make the appropriate decisions for sales, stock, markdown and profit
• Ability to manage OTB
• Experience in pre-season planning to deliver a commercial range with a profitable model
• Carry out in-season trading to counter any risks and opportunities.

Stockflow and stocks in line with targets

• Strong Excel/Google Sheets skills