Merchandise Planner

As a Merchandise Planner, you will play a key role in driving commercial performance through effective range planning, demand forecasting, buying, and in-season trading. You will work closely with key stakeholders and cross-functional teams to optimise sales, inventory, sell-through, and markdown performance.

Job Responsibilities:

• Partner with franchise markets to develop seasonal Open-to-Buy (OTB) plans and align merchandise strategies with financial targets and business objectives.
• Forecast demand and order quantities for assigned categories based on sales performance, trends, and market insights.
• Support pre-season planning activities, including launch planning, allocation, new-season pricing, range planning, and assortment development.
• Curate and optimise product assortments by market and category, ensuring the right products are available at the right time and in the right quantities.
• Manage product performance throughout the lifecycle, identifying opportunities for repeats, consolidation, stock optimisation and markdowns.
• Build strong relationships with franchise partners and cross-functional teams to drive alignment and business performance.
• Understand market and country-specific nuances, customer preferences, and the competitive landscape to identify opportunities and optimise business performance.
• Leverage data and technology to improve planning effectiveness, reporting, forecasting accuracy, and decision-making.
• Participate in system, automation, analytics, and productivity improvement projects.

Requirements:

• Degree in Business/ Finance/ Retail Management/ Business Analytics/ Statistic/ Mathematics/ Supply Chain, or a related discipline.
• At least 2 years of relevant experience preferred. Candidates without prior experience would be considered.
• General knowledge of merchandising, buying processes, retail operations, and product management.
• Strong analytical and numerical skills, with a keen eye for detail and the ability to translate data into actionable insights.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel; knowledge of Power BI, SQL, SAP, or other data analytics and visualisation tools is an advantage.
• Comfortable leveraging AI and automation tools to improve analysis, reporting, forecasting, and productivity.
• Strong planning, organisational, and prioritisation skills.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work effectively across teams and cultures.
• Proactive, adaptable, and resilient, with the ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong presentation and report-writing skills.
• Interest in fashion, retail, and consumer trends, with a keen sense of product and commercial awareness.