Hybrid: We welcome applications from those looking for hybrid working, based 3 days per week in our Handforth Office.
Contract: 12 Month FTC
About the Role
As Merchandise Planner for our Dog Toys category, you'll play a key role in shaping the future of one of our most high-profile product areas. Partnering closely with the Senior Buyer, you'll help define and deliver the category strategy, using customer, market and trading insights to build compelling ranges that drive sales, profitability and customer engagement.
This is a highly commercial role with a strong strategic focus. You'll lead the planning and forecasting process, using data and trend analysis to inform range decisions, stock investment and long-term category plans. From supporting range reviews and range-building sessions through to managing stock, markdowns, clearance activity and day-to-day trading performance, you'll have end-to-end ownership across the category lifecycle.
Alongside business-as-usual trading, you'll play a key role in wider project and business planning activity, helping to drive continuous improvement and deliver strategic initiatives across the merchandising function. There may also be opportunities for international travel to support supplier and range development activities.
We're looking for someone who can hit the ground running, bring strong commercial judgement, and confidently influence decisions through insight-led recommendations. This is an opportunity to make a real impact within a category that continues to attract significant investment, attention and growth across the business.
Key Responsibilities – What you’ll be doing
About You
You'll be an experienced Merchandiser with a strong track record of driving category performance through effective planning, forecasting and commercial decision-making. Comfortable operating in a fast-paced retail environment, you'll be equally confident managing day-to-day trading activity and contributing to longer-term strategic plans.
Highly analytical and commercially astute, you're able to translate complex data into clear insights and recommendations, influencing decisions and identifying opportunities to drive sales, profitability and stock efficiency. You'll have experience leading business planning processes, building robust forecasts, and using customer and trading data to shape category strategies.
You'll also be a collaborative leader who enjoys developing talent and building strong relationships across Buying, Supply Chain and wider business teams. With excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, you'll be confident presenting recommendations, challenging constructively, and working in partnership to deliver results.
Most importantly, you'll be someone who thrives in a changing environment, enjoys getting involved in strategic projects, and is excited by the opportunity to shape the future of a key category. If you're looking for a role where you can make a real impact, influence range strategy, and help drive the next phase of growth, we'd love to hear from you.
We take our inspiration from pets in embracing people from all walks of life, and we value, respect and celebrate difference. We encourage our people to be their best selves so that we can create a better world for Pets, our Planet, and People. Our ambition is to reflect the diversity of the communities we operate in, and we are intentional in addressing and removing barriers to create opportunities for the exceptional talent and potential in our communities.
Even if your skills and experience don’t perfectly align, if you think you can make a unique contribution through your values and behaviours, we want to hear from you.
Since 1991, when we were a wholesaler with a team of just 15, we’ve been focused on getting better every day. By putting pets before profit, working as a team and taking pride in everything we do, we’ve grown into a 451 store network with more than 8,913 colleagues working in our Stores, Grooming Salons, Distribution Centres and Support Office.
We are the UK’s leading pet specialist, providing pet owners with all their product needs, as well as our Vets for Pets practices and Grooming salons. We support our colleagues to work with pride and passion, to bring honesty and integrity to work every day, and to do it all with a sense of fun and fearlessness. We never shy away from having the important conversations and doing what we say we’ll do.
Our values and behaviours are practiced daily across the business and are what really makes us an enjoyable, exciting place to work. We're always striving to develop and reward our colleagues with an extensive in-house series of training programmes, wellbeing initiatives and a comprehensive benefits package. In 2018 we were delighted to be voted top 5 in the Great Place to Work UK’s Large category.
Our colleagues are central to the success of the business and are fully trained in pet care and dedicated to animal welfare. Pets are central to everything that we do and 93% of colleagues have their own pets too!
If you like the sound of life at Pets at Home, you can find out more on our dedicated careers site: https://www.petsathomejobs.com/
