Women's Fashion brand is looking to Hire a Planner!
The Merchandise Planner is responsible for planning, forecasting, and managing the assortment and inventory levels of our wholesale product offerings. This role will play a crucial role in driving top-line sales and profitability for our company. By maximizing inventory opportunities and minimizing liabilities, this individual will play a pivotal role in ensuring our retail partners have the right products in the right quantities at the right time.
Responsibilities:
- Demand Forecasting: Develop accurate demand forecasts for wholesale products based on historical sales data, market trends, and customer insights.
- Assortment Planning: Create and manage product assortments that align with market demand, customer preferences, and company objectives.
- Inventory Management: Optimize inventory levels to balance stockouts and excess inventory, while minimizing costs.
- Sales Analysis: Analyze sales data to identify trends, opportunities, and areas for improvement.
- Reporting: Prepare and present regular reports on sales performance, inventory levels, and demand forecasts.
- Financial Planning: Develop financial plans for multiple accounts, including sales, gross margin, and inventory targets.
- OTB Management: Conduct weekly OTB re-forecasting to reflect trends, company direction, and address risks and opportunities
- Product Mix Optimization: Proactively identify issues and opportunities within product mix and use analytics to drive profitable solutions.
- Markdown Strategies: Develop and execute markdown and liquidation strategies to maximize store profitability.
- Pre-Season Strategy: Collaborate with the sales team to develop a comprehensive pre-season strategy that aligns financial and product opportunities across multiple departments.
- Line Building: Participate in the line building process and ensure alignment of style/color plans with merchandising strategies and financial targets.
- Promotional and Markdown Execution: Drive profitability through leading and executing promotional and markdown strategies.
- Weekly Business Analysis: Analyze the business weekly to identify trends and selling performance.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with other account managers, design, marketing, and sales teams to drive consistency and best practices.
- Gross Margin Optimization: Develop strategies to optimize gross margins by balancing product costs and pricing.
- Reporting: Provide regular retail performance reports related to sales, margin, inventory, and market trends.
- Financial Plan Development: Develop plans driving the Annual Financial Plan targets, including reporting tools and standardized processes.
- Team Collaboration: Coordinate with design, marketing, and sales teams for smooth product launches and promotions.
- Profit Report Analysis: Analyze profit reports from retail partners to identify areas for improvement and challenge them to enhance profitability.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in business administration
- Minimum 2-4 years of experience in retail planning, forecasting, inventory management, including knowledge of buying and allocation
- Strong analytical and storytelling skills.
- Ability to build close partnerships with other functions.
- Focus on executing best-in-class customer experience while delivering/exceeding financial targets.
- Experience in pro-actively managing the business to maximize sales, margin, and inventory across all customer channels (direct consumer business).
- Accountability for departmental success.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Power Point.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in Multiband Retail/Department Stores.
- Experience with Skypad and/or 42Tech.
Salary $90,000-$100,000
