Head of Merchandising

Contract: Secondment - up to 12 months

Closing date: Monday 23rd February

Recruitment Partner: Shannon Linton

A key strategic pillar at the heart of Store Development the Head of Merchandising leads a function of experts in the delivery of optimised planograms to ensure our ranges are displayed in a customer friendly easy-to-navigate and operational-friendly fashion across our varied store Estate. Customer insight and shopping behaviour forms the basis of our merchandising strategy and must be balanced against the optimisation of our commercial opportunities.

What youll be doing

As leader of the function youll set the tone and energy for delivery of the agenda across key strategic and tactical rebuilds and MPP programme across our total store Estate. Youll be leading a team of Merchandise Managers who drive and motivate their teams in the creation of planograms for implementation in our stores keeping the customer at the front of all decisions and managing a cross-section of competing activity to ensure right first-time delivery every time.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and develop a high performing and motivated team to deliver the overall goals and ambitions of the business and the team.

• Execute the merchandising strategy through the delivery of key strategic rebuilds and interventions influencing Heads of Trading on the optimisation of micro space and merchandising solutions.

• Develop merchandising standards to ensure all planograms and associated materials are commercially focused relevant for customers and effective for stores.

• Lead the team driving for continuous improvements and driving stretching KPI and development agendas

• Blend customer insight commercial acumen and operational ease in order to create a framework for the team to deliver optimum displays for our customers

• Accountable for all product placements in all BUK and ROI store formats spanning many senior stakeholders with competing priorities and agendas.

• Implement and maintain differentiated planograms by store Format; based on latest customer demographics and shopping behaviours. Optimising the base planograms to ensure

• Harness the collective power of Store Development to ensure collective considered execution in store.

What youll need to have

• Youll have the ability to build and maintain meaningful relationships with a variety of different senior stakeholders cross-functionally; influencing at level 2 and 3 across Customer & Commercial Property and Central Operations.

• Able to embrace endorse and positively react to change; leading for resilience across the team.

• Confident in expressing ideas opinions and solutions with a variety of senior stakeholders and the ability to listen and understand the views of others

• Build external relationships with Project-delivery agencies building confidence trust and rapport to enable flexibility in delivery

• Develop merchandising standards to ensure all planograms and associated materials are commercially focused relevant for customers and effective for stores.

• A strong people leader able to motivate and lead a diverse team with continuous improvement at its heart.

• Expertise of the in-store environment shopper psychology and the specifics of the Boots UK

Rewards designed for you

• Boots Retirement Savings Plan

• Discretionary annual bonus

• Generous employee discounts

• Enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption leave pay and gift card for anyone expecting or adopting a child

• Flexible benefits scheme including option to buy additional holiday discounted gym membership life assurance activity passes and much more.

• Access to free 24/7 counselling and support through TELUS Health our Employee Assistance Programme.

Theres lots more in our benefits and discounts MyBoosts - there to give you that little lift in your everyday. Find out more at Exclusions may apply; eligible roles only.

About The Boots Group

The Boots Group is a trusted leader in healthcare pharmacy and retail operating across 11 countries - including the UK Ireland Thailand and Mexico. The Boots Group brands - including Boots Boots Opticians No7 Beauty Company Farmacias Benavides and Alliance Healthcare - are trusted and well recognised healthcare and beauty businesses serving millions of customers and patients every day in communities around the world. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer passionate about embracing the diversity of our colleagues and providing a positive and inclusive working environment for all.

Whats next

If you apply our team will be in touch to let you know the outcome of your application or to arrange next steps. Where a role is advertised as full-time we are open to discussing part-time and job share options during the application process. If you require additional support as part of the application and interview process we are happy to provide reasonable adjustments to help you to be at your best.

We hope to hear from you soon.

Be brilliant with Boots.