Senior Merchandiser in Stoke Newington Central, England at UOE Store

About UOE

UOE is a fast-growing, award-winning, independent retailer offering stationery, gifting, printing and Post Office services across London and the Home Counties. We’ve just scaled to over 42 stores and 200 employees and are currently undertaking a brand transformation to our new name, STAMP!
We’re on a mission to prove that high street retail still matters and we’re backing that with bold growth, serious investment, and an entrepreneurial team who are in it to win it.
If you’re ready to lead from the front, drive results, and help shape our product offering for the 9 million customers we’ll serve in 2026, this is the role you’ve been looking for.

The Role

Reporting to the Head of Buying, the Senior Merchandiser plays a key role in supporting our buying team to deliver a commercially strong, well balanced and customer-focused product range. This role will bring broad expert knowledge to the team, ensuring that we have the right products, at the right time, in the right place and in the right quantities for our customers. You will work closely with the buying teams to plan and build the ranges, taking control of stock levels to maximise sales and profit. Your remit will be to deliver agreed KPIs including; sales, profit, stock, availability, margin and risk management. You will maximise opportunities as they arise and lead the in-season trading to potentialise the outcome for both customers and your category.

Key Responsibilities

• You will be accountable for accurately planning and forecasting Sales, Stock, Profit and SKUs

• Support Head of Buying to strategically shape plans, collaborating with the Senior Buyer to drive the best outcome for business.

• Lead weekly & monthly trade reporting, summarising performance vs KPIs to the commercial team and the wider business, relating to customer, sales, AOV & profit. Proactively make trading recommendations to Head of Buying to maximise opportunities for the business

• Through your inventory team, you will manage the flow of stock, controlling inventory levels and open to buy. You are accountable for maximising availability whilst minimising inventory holding and other supply chain costs.

• You will work at pace and with agility within a collaborative environment internally, as well as externally building a strong relationship with suppliers and Brands.

• In collaboration with Buying, you will need to make season trading and volume decisions along with the commercial terms and product lifecycle with the suppliers.

• You will work collaboratively with supply base to innovate solutions and processes within production planning and critical path management

• You will be People Manager to a small team, providing Coaching, development and feedback.

What We're Looking For

• Proven experience in Forecasting & Planning, WSSI management, influencing & stakeholder management.

• Proven 5 Years' Experience in Merchandising:

• Demonstrated expertise in merchandising practices, including assortment planning and stock management.

• Using industry best practice, ability to set up new merchandising systems & processes

• Experience in a variety of Category Areas

• Strong Analytical and Numerical Skill.

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel or similar analytical tools.

• Strong Communication and Presentation Skills

• Understanding of Retail Operations and Supply Chain Management

• Proactive Approach to Learning and Development

Desirable Skills you may have:

• Previous relevant category experience in Home, Stationery or Gifting

• Advanced in MS Excel & Google Sheets, including PivotTables, VLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH and Data Tables

Why Join UOE

• Competitive salary bracket of £60,000-£70,000pa

• Real career growth opportunities as we scale as a business

• Friendly and approachable team

• Challenging work and autonomy in your role

Our Culture

At UOE, our culture is shaped by three core values:

Expert & Trusted – We know our stuff and do what we say we’ll do.
Hub of the Community – We’re here for our customers and each other.
Surprisingly Fun! – We take our work seriously, but not ourselves.

We’re committed to building an inclusive and supportive workplace, where people of all backgrounds, identities, and abilities feel respected, valued, and able to thrive. If you need any reasonable adjustments during the application or interview process, just let us know — we’re here to help

To apply, please include your CV and a short cover letter (written by you, not AI!) explaining why your skills meet our needs and how you match our company values.