The Merchandise Planner is responsible for creating and maintaining monthly department and item financial plans for their assigned categories and effectively partnering with the Product Developers and Merchants on identifying and implementing strategies to achieve the approved plans.
Primary Responsibilities:
Develop yearly/monthly category merchandise financial plans in accordance with company goals, historical performance and trend analysis.
Create sales and inventory plans by item ensuring the correct levels to support the category plan.
Continuously analyze and reforecast the business and recommend/implement strategies to maximize opportunities and minimize risk.
Manage inventory levels to stay in line with the turn and inventory plan. Partner with vendor to place and adjust on order monthly.
Develop pricing strategy for new products, promotions and markdowns.
Evaluate stock and sales by location for replenishment product and make recommendations to balance inventory and optimize margins.
Partner with Merchant and Product Developer to create seasonal merchandise and financial strategies that support the company targets and objectives. Present strategies to Senior Management.
Quarterly conduct detailed hindsight analysis and present findings and go forward actions to management team.
Provide strategic leadership to the Merchant team.
Desired Skills and Experience
Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent business experience
Minimum 5 years’ experience in Merchandise Planning, allocation or buying
High proficiency in Excel
Thorough understanding of retail math
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Self-motivated and able to work in an ever-changing environment with efficiency and accuracy
