Retail Planner - Merchandise Planner

Merchandise Planner

- Maximise Sales and profitability for the department/category

- Support in determining high-level financial goals including pre-season financial plans, in-season projections, open-to-buy management and new store budgets

- Prepare and maintain department/category merchandise MIS analytics based on actual sales, sales forecasts, company order parameters, inventory checks, forth coming events, replenishment needs etc

- Assist in the creation of merchandise plans for the category based on insights gained from merchandise analytics, customer preference, historical trends and future outlook projected by the buyer

- Assist in discussing, deciding and freezing the department/category merchandise strategic plans around the following factors

Financials

- Sales, Stock, OTB, Margins, Forward Cover etc

Store

- Subgroub level Sales, Order Quantity, Allocation, Replenishment etc

Assortment

- Style, Price, Brand, Supplier etc

- Communicate the merchandise strategic plan to buying team for necessary execution

- Ensure effective in season management across territories (stock balancing, markdown management, stock analysis, stock vs sales performance)

- Help review the merchandise plans on a periodic basis to ensure profit is maximized and maintained to reach target levels

- Ensure that the standards of Merchandise procedures and Methodologies are maintained and kept Uniform

- Ensure optimum category inventory levels are maintained at Concept/Territory keeping in mind store requirements as well as working capital constraints

Category Promotions

- Provide inputs on the expected margins, possible price points and other parameters for promotions within the product category

- Help analyse the effectiveness of the promotions in achieving the targeted levels of sales and margins

- Help analyse the existing stock levels and liaise with the Buying/VM/Marketing team for timely roll out of promotional campaigns to maintain the territory / warehouse inventory holding norms as well to achieve targeted sales

- Ensure performance is monitored against plan for the assigned category/department, regularly supported by exception reporting

- Ensure effective in season management of the assigned category/department through regular analysis and action planning across concept and territory, based on the performance around the following anchors

- Monitor trainee development and facilitate complaint resolution

- Oversee team deployment and drive motivation levels of the trainees

Skills

Skills

- Graduate degree in commerce or business administration/ NIFT or equivalent

- Post Graduate degree in Business Administration / Diploma in - Retail discipline

- Minimum Experience: 2-3 years

- 1-2 years in retail industry in planning or inventory control role

- Good knowledge of Merchandise planning and an analytics

- Good knowledge of Retail Industry and products

- Planning and organising skills

- Analytical skills

- Good knowledge of MS Office