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Junior Merchandiser
Junior Merchandiser
About JD Group
Established in 1981 with a single store in the Northwest of England, JD Sports Fashion Plc is a leading omni-channel retailer of sports fashion, outdoors, and gym products. Their colleagues work across stores, retail fascias, and global markets, with operations scaling from listing on the London Stock Exchange in 1996 to becoming a FTSE100 publicly quoted company in 2019.
They aim to be the leading global omnichannel retailer in the sports and outdoor industry, and they welcome candidates who embody their strategic goals of a people-led, innovative, and customer-focused organisation.
Role Overview
As a Junior Merchandiser, you will play a vital role within the Merchandising team, supporting the department’s goals related to customer satisfaction, sales growth, and operational excellence.
Key responsibilities include:
- Ensuring the right stock levels and intake planning to meet customer demand.
- Maximising product and store potential through data-driven decision-making.
- Collaborating with cross-functional teams, including warehousing, marketing, and store operations.
- Acting as a mentor and trainer for junior team members.
You will work strategically to deliver results while driving innovation and developing key commercial insights.
Responsibilities
Strategy
- Support the development of historical analysis packs.
- Evaluate past season trends to identify opportunities and risks.
Planning
- Assist in creating product mix packs.
- Sign off documentation and manage the project’s critical path.
- Present updates in product mix and sign-off meetings.
- Maintain the central brand matrix, planograms, and range plans.
- Conduct quarterly reviews and updates for scheduling, grading, and size mapping.
- Load WSSI plans after product mix meetings.
Order & Buy Planning
- Support the team in ensuring accurate size ratios for all product purchases.
- Verify buy plans by Distribution Centre (DC) and assist with split purchase orders.
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Stock Management
- Collaborate on departmental intake plans aligned with weekly forecasting.
- Reconcile sign-off plans with the buy plan.
- Identify key bookings and work to maintain stock accuracy.
Trade & Sales Analysis
- Review sales reporting and draft weekly trade emails.
- Implement departmental trading strategies.
- Update and maintain departmental reports.
- Drive trade through commercial decisions, analysing actionable insights.
- Identify IBTs (Internal Budget Transfers) and Fast Tracks, supporting brand RTVs (Returns to Vendor).
- Set weekly team priorities and guide commercial actions.
- Monitor and review distribution amendments.
- Flag markdown lines, track spend, and check price accuracy.
- Lead weekly price adjustments with the team.
- Identify opportunities using the brand free stock list, staying aware of OBT (Out-of-Box Trade) and intake restrictions.
- Manage sales forecasts, track stock position, and recommend trading changes.
- Sync with WSSI for accurate forecasting.
- Oversee store options alignment to ensure planned availability.
- Audit AM (Account Management) linecards and flag stock discrepancies.
Event-Based Trading
- Support in creating and executing key event trading plans.
Seasonal Transitions (Exit)
- Manage inflow and outflow of seasonal stock, including inter-season recodes.
Store Operations
- Develop quarterly range plans and assist in storing de-ranging to meet plan options.
- Investigate and analyse store/area performance, identifying improvement areas.
- Oversee and guide branch trading actions.
- Monitor new store builds and adjust strategies accordingly.
- Improve market awareness by country, region, and area to inform decisions.
- Conduct regular store visits, collate feedback, and communicate key actions.
Management & Leadership
- Drive, develop, and train junior colleagues.
- Assess process improvement opportunities and propose efficiencies.
- Implement training schedules and conduct one-to-one catch-ups.
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Role Objectives & KPIs
- Ensure efficient merchandising performance in line with sales, profit, and stock goals across all channels (stores and digital), leveraging commercial opportunities.
Skills & Experience Required
To succeed in this role, you should be:
- Analytical and data-driven, with strong numeracy skills.
- Highly observational, excelling at data input and verification.
- Passionate about JD Sports Group brands and customer experience.
- A strategic thinker with a focus on long-term growth.
- Able to make independent decisions and provide strong justifications.
- A clear communicator comfortable engaging at all organisational levels.
- Proactive, self-motivated, and ready to take ownership of tasks.
- A highly collaborative team player.
- Flexible, adaptable, and familiar with business changes.
- Open to continuous learning and development.
Key Technical Skills Required
- Strong Microsoft Excel competency (advanced tasks preferred).
- Familiarity with trading metrics and retail analytics.
Training & Development
Training is hands-on, combining shadowing and online resources. Key tools covered include:
- GUI & Shogun planning systems.
- Advanced Excel for data management.
- Product mix and sign-off pack creation.
- Size ratios and mapping (including tool-based analysis).
- Planogram and WSSI training.
- Brand matrix and range planning.
- Purchase order creation, approval, and PO uploads.
- Bookings and weekly intake forecasting.
- Sales analysis and reporting systems.
- Recodes and seasonal transitions.
- One-to-one management techniques.
Benefits
- Staff Discounts on all JD Group brands. - Career development opportunities to accelerate growth and learning.
- Supportive and collaborative team culture focused on excellence and innovation.
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