Apprenticeship - Assistant buyer and merchandiser (level 6)

Location: BEDFORD (MK41 0HS)
Closing Date: 19 days from now (Saturday 31 October 2026 at 11:59pm)
Posted on: 9 October 2026

Summary

Build buying and retail skills with a great team. Wage £16,016 to £25,445.42, depending on your age.

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work:

• Welcome customers, understand their needs and recommend suitable sports products and services
• Support product selection by researching trends, customer demand, competitors, prices and sales performance
• Help maintain product ranges, displays and stock levels so the right products are available at the right time
• Process deliveries, receive goods, replenish stock and assist with regular stocktakes
• Monitor sales and stock data, update spreadsheets and help prepare reports and forecasts
• Communicate with suppliers and colleagues to track orders, deliveries, lead times and product information
• Support merchandising activities, including pricing, promotions and creating attractive in-store displays
• Help maximise sales by promoting the loyalty scheme and identifying opportunities to improve the customer experience
• Assist the school wear department during busy periods and support printing, embroidery and engraving services when required
• Keep the shop floor, displays and stock areas clean, organised and presentable
• Complete apprenticeship training and apply new buying, merchandising and retail skills in the workplace

Where you'll work

25 SHUTTLEWORTH ROAD ELMS FARM INDUSTRIAL ESTATE BEDFORD MK41 0HS

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

FAREPORT TRAINING ORGANISATION LIMITED

Training course

Assistant buyer and merchandiser (level 6)

What you'll learn

• Apply understanding of customer and business operations to inform decisions on product and service portfolio management.
• Selects and merchandises products that enhance the company brand image and product portfolio.
• Anticipates the need for products and ensures that the buying process enables their effective delivery to the customer.
• Delivers and articulates supported recommendations regarding the introduction or withdrawal of a product and product range.
• Analyse and react to main influences on Buying and Merchandising plans, taking appropriate actions as a result.
• Leads the team to construct the key buying and merchandising objectives and plans for the specific product range to reach or exceed sales at forecasted levels.
• Makes appropriate managerial decisions to ensure the departmental approach to selecting products and services balances quality and commerciality.
• Uses management-based monitoring procedures throughout the buying and merchandising process, taking account of legal and other requirements to ensuring product compliance is maintained.
• Critically evaluate and advocate opportunities presented by new technologies taking account of how they will impact on the product range, fulfilment and consumer behaviour.
• Analyses appropriate cost and income influences on buying and merchandising plans to make informed decisions.
• Through their influence as a leader, looks to use digital opportunities to drive sales and profitability across all channels where appropriate.
• Demonstrates how to negotiate in a manner that obtains the optimum outcome for the business.
• Through their leadership and management of the team, demonstrates a strategic approach to the relationship with other departments.
• Anticipates potential problems and opportunities through the effective liaison at the appropriate level with other teams and functions.
• Critically reviews and revises plans and forecasts for the function, taking into account the latest trend analyses, to produce the range.
• Develops and implements a ‘People Plan’, that is effective in ensuring sufficient team capacity and capabilities to deliver on business objectives.
• Demonstrates an effective leadership style in achieving the key business objectives.
• Ensure continuous personal and team development to enhance delivery.
• By using data, analyse and predict the customer’s current and future needs and purchasing trends, including how the customer journey is impacted.
• Using critical research, construct a customer engagement plan identifying the effective and profitable channels to market.
• Demonstrate effective problem solving and time management skills, and an expert written and verbal communication style.
• Assess the impact that they have on key external relationships, and adjusts their style to ensure that they achieve maximum benefit for the business.
• Assesses and implements the relevant approach required from a buying and merchandising strategy, to take account of differing types of delivery channel, product and customer.
• Work in partnership with the customer engagement team to achieve better outcomes for both existing and new customer groups.
• Critically evaluates the current and future methods of digital delivery, and anticipates customer changes in respect of the use of digital and Artificial Intelligence.
• Being able to implement techniques such as business planning, pricing strategies, product design and product manufacturing to maximise sales and profitably.
• Ensures that the organisation’s ethical and legal policies and procedures are monitored and adhered to by the team and suppliers.
• Ensures compliance with company operating standards in the sourcing of range.
• Can identify when problems are likely to occur, and manage action required to resolve them.
• Effectively analyses the key buying criteria to help shape the planned product range for third party products.
• Has the ability to ensure that the right product is available at the right time, in the right place.
• Produces and delivers accurate forecasts which demonstrate creative and ambitious suggestions for future strategy.
• Demonstrates customer insight in preparing forecasts.
• Demonstrates the activities needed to ensure that the forecast is underpinned by financial considerations and business strategy.
• Ensures that all team members operate within current legal guidance.
• Makes commercial decisions based on product, category and departmental performance.
• Maximises every trading opportunity in order to deliver sound commercial outcomes for the organisation.
• Using IT skills, develop strong spreadsheet and pivot table creation knowledge to enhance and optimize reporting and analysis data, so as to improve sales and profitability.
• Prepare executive level reports on current and forecasted performance, and using advanced presentation skills, ensure the communication of the outcomes is delivered in the most effective and profitable way.
• Effectively liaises with other key stakeholders to ensure a joined-up approach across the business.
• Delivers to the critical path plan in order to ensure that delivery deadlines are met, and that intakes meet stock levels.
• Delivers timely and accurate forecasts to ensure that customer needs are met.
• Communicates directly with suppliers to ensure receipt of stock.