Dobbies Garden Centres
Buying & Merchandising Assistant
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
We have an exciting opportunity for a Buying & Merchandising Assistant to join our team based in our Central Support Office in Lasswade. Your role will be to provide support to the Buying team, working closely also with stores and suppliers. The role focuses on product data management, supplier liaison and sample management, maintaining the critical path for the Buying team and general administrative tasks.
Our Buying & Merchandising Assistant role offers a hybrid pattern of home working and working from our Central Support Office. You can choose to work more frequently in the office if you'd prefer.
Responsibilities
- Critical path oversight to ensure delivery of team objectives
- Managing and maintaining the sample library - ensuring samples are delivered and returned to suppliers on time and to critical dates for sign off deadline and other key events (including press and marketing events)
- Ensuring suppliers and all products are set up accurately on the systems
- Liaising with suppliers to resolve any issues regarding purchase orders, samples, delivery dates and other ad hoc requests
- Inputting key product information into the range plan and inputting short codes and product attributes into back-office systems
- Creating group purchase sheets and uploading them into intranet for store use
- Creating Dobbies barcodes for products as required
- Resolving scanning queries received from store
- Setting up promotions and assisting in the preparation of seasonal product catalogues
- Providing analytical reports where required
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Who We Are Looking For
- High level of computer literacy, including word, excel and power point
- Excellent organisation skills with strong attention to detail
- Strong team player
- Proactive
- Focussed on getting things right
- Strong planning, prioritisation, presentation and problem-solving skills
- Comfortable managing multiple tasks with tight deadlines
- Strong interpersonal skills, building strong relationships across the business
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Can demonstrate our values at all times – we’re one team, getting better everyday. We bring a smile. We live and breathe gardens. We make it work for our customers.
What We Offer
- Holiday – enjoy a well deserved break with 33 annual leave days per year (pro-rata for part time)
- Discount – treat yourself with generous uncapped discount across our stores with 50% off in our Restaurants, 25% off in the Garden Centre and 10% off in our food halls
- Hybrid working – a combination of office and home working to help balance your work life balance
- Pension – save for the future with our company contributed enhanced Group Pension Plan
- Season ticket loans – spread the cost of travel with an interest free loan
- Access to Stream – support your financial wellbeing, with ability to access earnings ahead of pay day, save for the future and financial advice
- Access to Retail Trust – seek confidential support, access to a Virtual GP, free counselling service and discounted retail rewards with our employee wellbeing platform
- Access to Dobbies Academy – continue your development with our eLearning platform and development programmes
- Study assistance – invest in your professional development with funded courses and qualifications
- The little things to keep you going through the day – free tea, coffee, and milk
- Collaborative office space – with access to our wellbeing room, learning resources and even a book swap
- Invites to our annual company conference, summer and Christmas social events
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
About Us
At Dobbies, we’re proud to have a history dating back to 1865. We were founded by James Dobbie and are the only garden centre retailer to have stores in every nation across the UK.
Our passion and joy for gardens and plants is what makes us special. In our stores, we showcase this through own brand and branded products, concession partners and services. We champion garden living all-year-round.
Many of our stores feature a restaurant or coffee shop, where customers can enjoy refreshments or meals in a relaxed and welcoming environment.
We offer a calendar of events and experiences that bring people and communities together, and we have a national charity partner that both our colleagues and customers raise money for.
We’re committed to being a great place to work. We’re one team and we encourage our colleagues to be the best version of themselves, every day; to share their wins and celebrate success. Together, we make it work for our customers.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills