Merchandise Planner

CSD Brands; City of Melbourne; On-site; AUD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

CSD Brands is seeking an experienced Merchandise Planner to own the numbers, insights and decisions behind seasonal ranges across retail and wholesale channels. This hands-on role goes beyond last-week reporting, using sales, inventory, forecasts and market insights to guide future buys and stock investments.

You will collaborate with Buying, Sales, Production, Retail, Warehouse and Finance to plan assortments, manage buy plans and forecast demand, ensuring optimal stock levels and profitable

Qualifications

• Previous merchandise planning or inventory planning experience.
• Forecasting, buy planning, allocation and replenishment experience.
• Strong Excel skills with large data sets.
• Experience with ERP or inventory management systems.
• Experience in apparel/fashion/retail environment.
• Apparel21 experience is essential.

Responsibilities

• Build and manage seasonal merchandise and buy plans.
• Forecast product and inventory demand.
• Support seasonal assortment and range planning.
• Manage stock allocation and replenishment across channels.
• Monitor sales, margin, sell-through, stock turn.
• Analyze product performance and identify opportunities/risks.
• Coordinate with suppliers and internal teams on availability and demand.
• Turn data into clear commercial recommendations.
• Continuously improve inventory planning processes.

Skills

Forecasting

Buy planning

Allocation

Replenishment

Excel skills

ERP experience

Inventory planning

Merchandise planning

Stock management

Tools

Apparel21

Job description

Great product is only half the equation.

Knowing what to buy, how much to buy, where it needs to go and when to make the next move is where great merchandise planning comes in.

CSD Brands is looking for an experienced Merchandise Planner to join our team and take ownership of the numbers, insights and decisions behind our seasonal ranges across our retail and wholesale channels.

This is a hands-on commercial role for someone who understands that merchandise planning isn't simply reporting on what happened last week. You'll use sales performance, inventory, forecasts and market insights to help us decide what happens next.

THE ROLE

• You’ll work closely with our Buying, Sales, Production, Retail, Warehouse and Finance teams to plan seasonal assortments, manage buy plans, forecast demand and ensure we’re making smart decisions about our stock investment.
• You’ll have visibility across the full product lifecycle - from initial assortment and buy planning through to allocation, replenishment, promotional activity, markdowns and end-of-season management.

Your world will include:

• Building and managing seasonal merchandise and buy plans
• Forecasting product and inventory demand
• Supporting seasonal assortment and range planning
• Managing stock allocation and replenishment across channels
• Monitoring sales, margin, sell-through, stock turn and weeks of cover
• Analyzing product performance and identifying opportunities and risks
• Managing product grading and recommending stock movements
• Identifying underperforming stock and recommending promotional or markdown strategies
• Reviewing inventory commitments against forecasts and commercial targets
• Supporting wholesale sales order and inventory requirements
• Partnering with suppliers and internal teams around product availability and demand
• Turning merchandise data into clear commercial recommendations
• Helping us continuously improve the way we plan, buy and manage inventory.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

We're looking for someone who genuinely understands merchandise.

You can move comfortably between a spreadsheet and a commercial conversation. You understand the impact that buying decisions have on sales, margin and inventory - and you're confident challenging a plan when the numbers are telling you something different.

You’ll ideally bring:

• Previous merchandise planning, retail buying or inventory planning experience
• Strong experience with forecasting, buy planning, allocation and replenishment
• Experience analyzing sales, stock, margin and product performance
• Strong Excel skills and confidence working with large data sets
• Experience working within an ERP, merchandise or inventory management system
• Strong commercial instincts and attention to detail
• The ability to identify stock risks before they become stock problems
• Confidence communicating insights and recommendations across different teams
• Strong organization and the ability to work across multiple seasons and priorities.

Experience within apparel, fashion, footwear, streetwear or a multi-brand retail/wholesale environment will be highly regarded.

Experience with Apparel21 is essential.