Merchandising Assistant

Are you passionate about a career in Merchandising?

Do you want to work for an iconic brand across home, fashion and technology?

Are you great at analysing data and building relationships?

If so, this could be the role for you.

You will be joining an experienced team of Merchandising Partners in the John Lewis Commercial team who are responsible for the management of millions of pounds worth of stock each week, across all product categories. It’s a fast-paced environment with seasonal ebbs and flows and you will be provided with all the tools and support you need to succeed.

You will mainly be working with one product category and building relationships with those internal teams and external suppliers. You will have an active say in the way we operate, performing daily analysis around key operational areas (including stock flow and supplier availability) and proposing actions to support Trading activity.

In addition to your contractual pay, any time worked between 22:00 - 06:00 will attract Night Premium at a rate of £4.25 per hour. This will also apply to existing Partners who have enrolled onto Enhanced Hours Premium arrangements.

• This is a hybrid working role. The normal place of work for this role is our London Central Office in Pimlico. The expectation is a minimum of 3 days per week in the office as team collaboration is critical in this role - core days will vary across teams

• We have permanent opportunities​

• The salary band is £28,000.00 - £38,900.00; however, we are looking for candidates up to the salary up to £32,000​

• The application process will include uploading your CV, answering some application questions and completing a numerical test

• Interviews are planned to take place virtually for 1 week only Tuesday 14 July - Thursday 16 July 2026

Your key responsibilities will be:

• Using various systems to run and create reports, in order to conduct analysis of sales and stock levels

• Maintaining and adjusting forecasts at a product level using insight and analysis in order to allocate stock to shops & Online to support promotions, marketing campaigns and new season launches

• Building effective relationships with internal teams (Merchandisers, Buyers, Supply Chain, Product Category Teams) and external suppliers in order to support the profitability of the category

• Raising orders with suppliers based on product level forecasts, moving orders to drive availability and chasing late or missing orders

• Maximising availability and minimising out of stocks across all channels (shops and Online) and identifying opportunities to drive trade 

Essential skills you’ll need 

• An analytical mindset, with experience of analysing data and using the facts to make recommendations

• The ability to build strong relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders, working collaboratively to benefit the customers and the business

• An understanding of the importance of making well informed decisions that support key business objectives

• Experience of working in an agile way, with the ability to work in a high pressured environment and prioritise workloads effectively

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Desirable skills 

• Accuracy and good attention to detail 

• Proactive and use initiative, with a focus on continuous improvement 

• An understanding of the John Lewis Partnership and the wider retail industry 

• Advanced knowledge of either Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel would be an advantage

Internal Use Only:

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We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.  

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.   

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect. 

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective. 

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.  

Important points to note:  

It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.  

We occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications, and therefore, we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application please contact us as soon as possible.

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview. 

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