Assistant Merchandise Planner

Ralph Lauren; Watford; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Ralph Lauren Corporation is seeking an Assistant Merchandise Planner to support the merchandising team with planning, analyzing and executing product strategies that drive sales, margin and stock availability. You will update weekly, monthly and ad hoc reports and contributes to trade meetings with accurate data.

You'll participate in setting seasonal stock levels, tracking performance and ensuring the right products are available across channels.

Qualifications

• Experience in merchandising planning and stock allocation.
• Strong numerical and analytical skills.
• Excellent communication across cross-functional teams.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Ability to work autonomously and meet deadlines.
• Retail mathematics aptitude.

Responsibilities

• Update reports on a weekly, monthly, and ad hoc basis.
• Actualise the department's WSSI weekly.
• Attends and prepares for weekly trade meetings and deliver a trade message independently.
• Provides accurate data to support analysis for key seasonal meetings including hindsight and sign offs.
• Updates and forecasts department line cards to maximise sales potential and optimise stock availability across channels.
• Systematically updates seasonal recodes.
• Owns department stock delivery schedule and communicates updates to team.
• Responsible for actioning seasonal markdowns & communication to stores.

Skills

Commercial

Analytical

Communication

Autonomy

Time management

Excel

Retail math

Resilience

Product knowledge

Allocation experience

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) is a global leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in five categories: apparel, accessories, home, fragrances, and hospitality. For more than 50 years, Ralph Lauren's reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The Company's brand names, which include Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps, among others, constitute one of the world's most widely recognized families of consumer brands.

At Ralph Lauren, we unite and inspire the communities within our company as well as those in which we serve by amplifying voices and perspectives to create a culture of belonging, ensuring inclusion, and fairness for all. We foster a culture of inclusion through: Talent, Education & Communication, Employee Groups and Celebration.

The Assistant Merchandise Planner supports the merchandising team in planning, analysing and executing product strategies that drive sales, margin and product inventory. They play a key role in supporting with reporting and trackers so the department can ensure the right products are available at the right time and in the right quantities to meet customer demand.

Operation/Financial

• Update reports on a weekly, monthly, and ad hoc basis.


• Actualise the departments WSSI weekly.


• Attends and prepares for weekly trade meetings and able to formulate and deliver a trade message independently.


• Provides accurate data to support analysis for key seasonal meetings including hindsight and sign offs.


• Updates and forecasts department line cards to maximise sales potential and optimise stock availability across channels.


• Systematically updates seasonal recodes.


• Owns department stock delivery schedule and communicates updates to team.


• Responsible for actioning seasonal markdowns & communication to stores.

Commercial Awareness

• Participate in regular store visits, collating store reports prior and assisting in creating follow up presentations.


• To undertake competitor analysis on a regular basis and present any relevant points.

Training and development

• To adopt a positive and proactive approach to their own training and development as well as that of their peers.


• Proactively promotes improvements to working practices and systems.


• Participates in company initiatives as appropriate.

Communications & Partnerships

• Creates and maintains strong working relationships within cross-functional teams: Buying, Allocations, ECOM and the retail store teams.


• Liaises with Assortment Planning and Buying partners to review and assist in the formation of the seasonal lessons learnt. Influencing future Buys, using analysis and historical data to ensure commercial decisions are made.

• Commercial and Analytical


• Effective communicator - able to communicate messages clearly and concisely to a variety of audiences


• Able to work autonomously


• Able to demonstrates logical analysis and problem-solving skills


• Able to organize, prioritise tasks and manages time well in order to meet deadlines


• Able to build and maintain productive relationships within team environment


• Competent in using Microsoft excel


• Attention to detail


• Show ability or aptitude in retail mathematics and able to learn technical applications quickly


• Able to demonstrate resilience and remain positive during challenging periods


• Desire to have fun at work and an appreciation for product


• Allocation experience preferred