Merchandise Planner

We're hiring a Merchandise Planner!

Job Purpose

The Merchandise Planner is responsible for actively contributing to the development of his/her brand, focusing on the buying process and new product development for the brand's established stores. He/she is responsible for achieving sales and profit targets for the stores by maximizing profitability.

Job Responsibilities

• Develop close relationships with the shops and maintain daily communication with the franchisor.
• Select collections or products aligned with current market trends and cultural influences. Analyze the targeted market segment for the store's products, ensuring appropriate pricing markup and margins.
• Oversee the entire buying process and manage product flows throughout the season, ensuring seamless operations and alignment with sales goals.
• Engage with buyers to discuss seasonal trends, collaboratively establishing agreements on the seasonal launch plan, product selection, and sizing distribution.
• Monitor orders placed against monthly open-to-buy targets on the buy plan, ensuring they are placed promptly and in accordance with assortment plans (weekly/monthly).
• Ensure the availability of all replenishment items by reviewing and placing replenishment orders on a weekly basis to prevent stock-outs.
• Assist in the analysis and planning of the Open-To-Buy (OTB) and agree on the budget provided by the retail analysis team, ensuring alignment with financial goals and market trends.
• Manage stock levels by aligning them with forecasted seasonal sales and product follow-up, including commercial calendar planning. Supervise stock availability and collaborates with the brand manager to formulate the brand's pricing strategy based on comparative reports.
• Conduct regular sales reporting in close coordination with the shops to identify margin opportunities and risks, ensuring strategic adjustments are made as needed.
• Conduct weekly forecasts at territory/subclass levels to identify and address exceptions, such as over-performance or under-performance in sales patterns. Manage weekly stock holdings, forward covers, and inflows, and propose necessary actions in consultation with the commercial team when needed.
• Monitor product flow by identifying both slow sellers and best sellers, ensuring appropriate allocation or relocation as necessary to optimize sales and inventory management.

Job Specifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, or a related field.
• Two to four years of experience in Fashion Retail, or a similar role.
• Experience in purchasing is a plus.
• Fluency in English.
• Fluency in French is a plus.
• Proficiency in MS Office.

* AZADEA is committed to equal employment opportunity for all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, gender, age, marital status, disability, or any other classification.

* We aim to give our candidates the best experience possible. But due to the amount of applicants applying, we will only get in touch if you have been shortlisted for the role.