About the Role: The Merchandise Planner is responsible for developing and executing merchandise plans that support overall business goals. This includes both pre-season planning and in-season open-to-buy management. The role focuses on monitoring sales performance, inventory flow, and key business trends to provide insights and recommendations that help optimize inventory and drive results.
Responsibilities
- Create and manage open-to-buy plans to support business goals
- Monitor inventory performance, sales trends, and forecast accuracy
- Analyze business results and recommend actions to address risks and opportunities
- Partner with cross-functional teams to support receipt planning and inventory flow
- Develop seasonal plans across product categories and key classifications
- Provide guidance around markdowns, inventory strategy, and overall planning decisions
- Review performance regularly and adjust plans as needed
Qualification
- Strong analytical skills and understanding of retail math
- Experience with financial metrics, inventory planning, and forecasting
- Ability to compile, analyze, and interpret large sets of data
- Experience building reports, models, and business analysis tools
- Strong communication and organizational skills
- Comfort working cross-functionally in a fast-paced environment
- Proficiency in Excel, including formulas, lookups, and pivot table
- At least 2 years of relevant experience in merchandise planning, inventory management, buying, or finance within a retail environment
- Bachelor’s degree preferred, or equivalent experience