Demand Planner / Analyst

About the role

A.F. Blakemore & Son Ltd, one of the largest privately owned companies in the UK and owner of 300 SPAR convenience stores, is looking for a Demand Planner with an analytical mindset. The role sits within a team of Demand Planners whose aim is to maximise availability while minimising wastage, so that the demand planning strategy is delivered. The post is based in the Head Office, on a permanent basis, 40 hours per week.

Key responsibilities

• Forecast customer demand for an FMCG business ordering multi-temperature products from suppliers.
• Maximise group availability across products in certain commodity groups with varied, seasonally driven sales, and communicate opportunities and risks.
• Hold huddles to challenge, share, understand and act on progress so the team stays on track.
• Optimise and deliver targeted pre/post chop KPIs using Power BI data sources.
• Identify stock anomalies to avoid wastage in line with budgets.
• Build relationships with suppliers to provide forecasts for stock requirements, future promotions and seasonal activity, and challenge and measure supplier inbound performance.
• Work with other departments to achieve end-to-end availability and maintain strong trading and supplier relationships.
• Maintain the demand planning programme and product file, manage and analyse stock to meet holding targets at commodity group level, and produce data-based reports.

Required profile

• An analytical mindset, motivated and driven.
• Experience with Relex or similar forecasting and ordering solutions is advantageous.

What we offer

• Training and development, and hands-on experience in a high-volume, fast-paced company.
• EarlyPay early access to pay, 24/7 access to payslips and rosters, and a 10% staff discount in SPAR stores.
• Colleague benefits scheme covering retail, holiday and leisure discounts.
• Life insurance worth 1x annual salary, company pension scheme and NEST pension scheme.
• Additional holidays, long service awards, cycle-to-work bicycle scheme and employee volunteering opportunities.