Sr. Planner (Retail-Fashion)

FINANCIAL PLANNING & ANALYSIS

• Work on the Brand Annual Budgets : sales, margins & markdowns
• Prepare a Post Seasonal Analysis of past performance at Department levels down to Class/Sub-Class and Item levels
• Propose Seasonal Strategies on Sales , Pricepoint ,Size,Colour and Assortment Dimensions at Brand level down to Class/Sub-Class levels together with the Buyers taking into account past performance and future trends
• Prepare and Propose Seasonal Budgets/OTB at Brand level down to Class/Sub-Class levels based on the approved Strategy to match the Financial targets set for Sales , Opening /Closing Stocks , Inflows , Forward covers and Sales Margins.
• WSSI : Prepare and Propose Merchandise Financial Plans For Sales , Opening and Closing stocks with Forward covers and Planned Inflows by month and Season with agreed Inflow and Sales Margin Percentages at Brand level.
• Prepare Store Grading at Class/SubClass levels to determine the Width and Depth of Ranges for Medium and Small stores with display and total stock holding capacity
• Share the above with the Buyers and together finalise into a Buy Plan (Range Plan) by season at Class/Subclass levels to match the Strategy Plans for (Quantities & Options) and Finacial paremeters (OTB/Inflows) set by Month/Seasons
• Prepare reports to measure actuals against plan for In Season management of all of the above.
• Monitor Reports on Performance of Brand down to Class/Subclass( where Applicable) to identify any exceptions to Sales , Stockholdings, Forward Covers and Inflows and propose actions on out of stock situations to the Buyers in a weekly Department meeting with action to be taken by the Planner
• Analyse Promotions and Events and communicate the performance results to the Buyer and Management Team with lessons learnt.
• Monitor Seasonal Budget performance against Plan and reforecast taking into account past performance and trends for Sales, Opening and Closing Stocks and monthly Inflows/Open to Buy
• Maintain and update the OTB tracker with details on orders placed & cancellations to get visibilty on excess or underbuys.

INVENTORY MANAGEMENT

• Ensure the availability of all replenishment items and that a scheduled review of Replenishment Orders take place to ensure availability and that there are no stock outs.
• Check that all stock received in Warehouse is allocated to Stores and is selling, discuss out of stock situations with the Buyers and inform Stores for action to be taken
• Prepare the Allocation plan for season/product launches based on range plan received from the Buyers and the store assortment grade to ensure timely launch. Ensure the same for all wholesale partners.
• Manage season and product level sell-thru’s to optimize mark downs
• Check for Items that need consolidation to agreed parameters and inform Stores for action
• To Analyse Ageing Stocks and proposing actions to management for approval and communicating to Stores on actions to be taken.

PRICING & MARGIN MANAGEMENT

• New shipment pricing based on brand guidelines and target intake margins. Ensure alignment with Buyer.
• Monitor Good and Bad selling Items to agreed parameters and propose actions to be taken on Reorders or Price Adjustments for Slow sellers.
• Identify and propose Price Adjustments to be actioned on slow sellers with the Buyer, to Management for approval and communicate to the Stores for action to be taken.
• Promotion and EOSS planning , pricing and discount strategy

STORE/COMP VISITS

• Visit Stores on an agreed frequency to be abreast with Product performance and trends.
• Be in tune with Brand/Store specific requirements with regard to Quantity, Range, Price and Customer base.
• Visit Competitors to identify their Range Composition, Options and Prices

SYSTEM MAINTENANCE & ENHANCEMENT

• Ensure that there are adequate reports to measure performance to plan for all of the above
• Ensure that systems are maintained, and that data integrity is sound.
• Ensure that any additional system requirements are communicated to the Line Manager

Desired Candidate Profile

Basic Qualification / Education / Vocational Training Bachelors Degree from NIFT / Pearl Academy / Degree in Retail Fashion Management or similar course

Advanced

Qualification / Certification / Specialist Training Post Graduate from NIFT / MBA in Retail Management or similar course

Specific / Relevant Experience Minimum years experience in retail industry in Planning role. Candidates should be from a Fashion Retail background

Skills and Capabilities • Good knowledge of Merchandise planning and analytics

• Good knowledge of Retail Industry and products
• Planning and organising skills
• Analytical skills
• Good knowledge of MS Office