Visual Merchandising Assistant, Food

Job Introduction

Selfridges today is more than just the sum of its products - it's a shopping experience that promises to surprise, amaze and amuse its customers by delivering extraordinary customer experiences. Our people are central to us achieving this. 

A bit about the role

• Working in our food team you will be a passionate foodie
• You will be a key part of the team.
• You’ll be attending a weekly 1-2-1 with your team and your Manager about current and future schedules.
• You’ll assist with the VM presentation of your area (supported by the Senior Visual Merchandiser and your line manager).
• You’ll also assist with product presentation and the setting and agreeing of standards and benchmarks against competitors.
• You should be proactively involved in implementing themed installations within your departments, working within a close knit cross-functional team that is able to ‘Own It & Deliver’.
• You’ll work with the Senior Visual Merchandiser and the Retail Operations team to build on their understanding of merchandising standards and maintenance.
• You’ll also work closely with key contacts in Buying & Merchandising and Retail Operations to agree brand adjacencies and product layouts in order to maximise sales potential, supported by the Senior Visual Merchandiser.
• Along with the Senior Visual Merchandiser and/or your line manager, you’ll regularly perform comparative ‘shops’ of new and inspirational places to maintain an understanding and awareness of competition, direction and key brands.

Weekly tasks and priorities:

• These will be driven by floor walks in store.
• On floor walks, you’ll need to “Think Customer” and work closely with Retail Operations and the Buying team, identifying commercial opportunities and monitoring department performance. 
• You’ll need to build good relationships with these teams to put actions in place.
• You should be learning to understand how sales drive business decisions.
• You’ll have weekly updates with the Stock Control team, ensuring stock is returned and booked back in, and communicate updates as required.

Day-to-day you should:

• Be a good representative of the Visual department.
• Consider both the internal and external customer in all activities, including department layout, merchandising and presentation.
• Maintain all vinyl signage and branding; including ordering, installation and delivering consistent standards.
• Perform floor walks each morning to check and maintain basic recovery standards and make sure that actions are carried out prior to store opening.
• Assist and support the Senior Visual Merchandiser and your line manager in communicating standards and guidelines.
• Ensure your area is organised so it runs effectively and efficiently.
• Demonstrate good standards in the Visual studio and storage areas and with fixtures and tool kits.
• Comply with our Health & Safety standards, policies and procedures and ‘Show & Earn Respect’ to your tools, equipment and environment.
• You must also work to our company policies and procedures, e.g. absences, time, attendance and holidays, etc.

A bit about you

You will come from a Creative/ art background

A passionate Foodie

Ideally you will have spent some time in a visual merchandising department previously

Retail Operations experience is essential

Good planning and organising skills

Creative understanding and the ability to translate this into practical solutions

The ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment

Good communication skills

A ‘Pacey & Positive’ working attitude and the ability to inspire it in those around you

A bit about us

We are a shop run on imagination: a place where the world’s most covetable brands combine with the most extraordinary spectacles, events and ideas for an experience like no other.

We have challenged the rules of retail from day one, whilst demonstrating our unwavering commitment to sustainability.  In 2016, we were the first to be awarded with recognition for the ‘World’s Best Sustainability Campaign by a Department Store’ at the IGDS Global Department Store Summit, in-line with its focus on buying better and inspiring change. We are also recognised as the Best Department Store in the World (2010, 2012, 2014 & 2018) underlining our place at the forefront of retail. In 2018 we were recognised as a LinkedIn Top Company to work for.

Our vision is to be the destination for the most extraordinary customer experience, and our people are central to us achieving this.  As an employer we are committed to making Selfridges an exciting, inspiring and fun place to work