Role: Merchandising & Planning Assistant Location : Leeds Salary: £30,000-£33,000 pa - depending on experience Hours : Flexi-hours, 40 hours per week Hybrid: 2 days available About the role: Our client, a premium retail business based in Leeds, has an exciting opportunity for an experienced Merchandising & Planning Assistant to join their dynamic team. In this role, you will support the Head of Planning in driving strategic decision making across the company's key categories. Key responsibilities include forward planning and trading within your assigned areas, grounded in strong analytical work and close partnership with the buying teams. Your role will help ensure we have the right products, in the right place, at the right time, delivering exceptional customer experiences and strong business results. Key responsibilities of the Merchandising & Planning Assistant: Team up with the Head of Planning and Buyers to shape the perfect product mix for every category, channel and stock profile, the strategy behind what shoppers love (and buy again!). Join key internal meetings as the go to planning sidekick, bringing knowledge, insights and a sharp commercial eye. Dive into last season's performance, crunch the numbers and turn them into clear, actionable insights that help shape smarter decisions. Keep every buy on track by ensuring it aligns with the signed off plan. Own the WSSI setup by loading budgets and forecast KPIs, making sure the numbers tell the right story. Keep an eye on availability for core lines, regularly reviewing performance, stock cover and potential exposure. Monitor new season launches like a pro, highlighting risks and spotting golden opportunities to boost sales. Oversee carry over styles, managing rebuys and identifying areas that need a little extra love (or a rethink). Track and communicate about any variances against the sales plan or year on year shifts. Analyse trials and new initiatives, turning results into clear, confident recommendations the business can act on. Create engaging commentary for markdown events, from End of Season Sale to Warehouse Clearance, helping the wider team understand trends, performance and next steps. Skills & Experience Required: A minimum of 2 years' experience in a similar Merchandising role is essential. Strong commercial awareness, with hands on experience working with WSSIs. Proactive, takes ownership and uses initiative to drive results. Consistently works to high standards with strong attention to detail. Highly analytical and confident in interpreting and communicating data. Advanced proficiency in Excel. This role is perfect for someone with experience in merchandising who's ready to make their mark in a growing planning function. What our client offers: Salary, £30,000-£33,000 pa - depending on experience Hours, Flexi-hours - 40 hours per week Hybrid, 2 days available Holidays: 23 days plus bank holidays Free on site car parking 50% staff discount Staff events Casual dress If you're an experienced Merchandising & Planning Assistant - ambitious, determined and want to be the best at what you do, we'd love to hear from you. Apply today! Our Guarantee Thank you for your initial expression of interest in our available vacancy. If we have not contacted you within 5 working days of your application, please understand that the CV received, and the information provided does not meet the requirements of the current vacancy. However, we will consider all applications for any available opportunity, present or future, and proactively contact you should we deem there to be a suitable match. Here at Impression we are committed to supporting the principles of equal opportunities and prohibit discrimination/ harassment of any kind based on race, colour, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic.