MERCHANDISING SPECIALIST
Listing reference: woolw_001119
Listing status: Under Review
Apply by: 19 March 2025
Position summary
Industry: FMCG & Supply Management
Job category: FMCG, Retail, Wholesale and Supply Chain
Location: Western Cape
Contract: Permanent
Remuneration: MARKET RELATED
EE position: No
Introduction
To develop, operationalize & successfully integrate the category selling solutions, initiatives and merchandising strategies for an enhanced customer shopping experience in order to optimize sales and profit growth.
Job description
- Provide operational input into category strategy based on review of previous years’ operating plan
- Review and influence selling formats to optimize in store displays that is strategy reflective
- Co-create, co-ordinate and update input for annual format and blue print review i.t.o macro space allocation, flows and adjacencies in line with category strategic shifts.
- Co-ordinate and co-create the category annual Capex requirements
- Formulate design and implementation briefs for sign-off
- Manage trials and conduct rollouts and PIR’s
- Manage Seasonal execution in line with the ILF by:
- Translating the seasonal strategy into a fully integrated FOF per trading phase
- Manage the Seasonal model store process & workshops
- Create and deliver a Demo & tastings plan to enhance customer experience
- Co-create and develop Communication tools – implementation briefs, seasonal trading note, KTS, MSW communication
- Co-create and develop execution principles with annual review & update
- Drive seasonal trade through:
- Delivery of trend analysis and data interpretation to influence tactical plans across the category and stores
- Managing the delivery of sell more unit campaigns
- Ensure the successful Selling execution of New & modernised stores
- Conduct regular store visits to identify opportunities for execution improvement and sales opportunities to drive L4L performance.
- Ensure the effective communication and in store implementation of agreed macro and micro space and merchandising principles in line with category strategies.
- Continuously improve category merchandising and proactively seek opportunities to drive category and business growth.
- Deliver to category launches in line with the Integrated Launch Calendar.
- Ensure the delivery of agreed macro and micro space and merchandising principles in line with category strategies.
- Ensure that micro space layouts (shop within shop) accurately reflect the customer decision tree and category strategy.
- Continuously improve category merchandising and proactively seek opportunities to drive category and business growth.
- Deliver to category launches in line with the Integrated Launch Calendar.
- Identify and influence range and catalogue opportunities and ensure micro space optimisation.
- Participate in setting selling and category team objectives, goals and agreed ways of working.
- Coach & develop store candidates and divisional launch teams to enable succession pipeline
- Drive integration and partnership with key stakeholders to enable strategy execution and effective launch of initiatives.
Minimum requirements
- Relevant business degree or diploma (preferred)
- 3-5 years relevant retail experience (or combination for store/buying/planning)
- Demonstrates passion for and commitment to excellence, the customer, the Woolies brand and organisation, each other, South Africa, transformation and sustainability
- Role models the Woolies values: Quality and Style, Value, Service, Innovation, Integrity, Energy
- Demonstrates a commitment to high performance – is delivery focused and goal driven, flexible and thrives on and responds to performance feedback
- Understands themselves and the impact they have on the people they interact with and the organisational culture
- Adjusts their behaviour accordingly
- Plays a leading role in driving sustainable transformational initiatives at an operational level
- Is recognised by their leadership team, peers and reports as competent
- Builds strong networks and strategic relationships with internal and external stakeholders
- Engages and connects people to enable delivery of BU operating plan.
- Consistent in their decision making and owns the consequences thereof due to strong business understanding and commercial knowledge.
- Demonstrates attention to detail and reacts to commercial and customer issues within their operation.
- Manages people to execute BU operating plan.
- Manages delivery in a positive and consistent way
- Plan and Organise
- Think and act commercially (Trade Optimisation)
- “Conceptualise” or “generate ideas”
- Formulate selling solution and implement shorter-term tactical plans that are cost-effective, efficient and realistic
- Able to analyse and interpret data
- Communicate and influence at various (using networks and relationships)
- Project management skills
- Retail Space and Display Management
- Able to provide input into Range and Catalogue Management
- Able to provide input into Supply Chain Management
- Able to provide input into Value chain optimization
- Knowledge of Foods and the buying groups
- Good communication and business writing skills
- Good understanding of the Foods retail business and Brand DNA
