Associate Merchandise Planner

Disney Store; London; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the entertainment sector is seeking a Merchandise Planner to enhance financial and unit plans for various categories. This role involves strategic planning with financial insights, managing inventory, and collaborating across teams to drive profitability. This position is primarily office-based in London, emphasizing analytical skills and the ability to manage diverse stakeholders effectively.

Benefits

25 days annual leave

Private medical insurance & dental care

Free Park Entry

Disney Discounts

Excellent parental and guardian leave

Employee Resource Groups

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a similar role within merchandising.
• Strong relationship management skills in a matrix organization.
• High accuracy and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Develop financial plans for category growth and profitability.
• Collaborate with teams to optimize SKU productivity.
• Reforecast sales and inventory based on performance.

Skills

Analytical skills

Stakeholder management

Organizational skills

Financial principles understanding

Problem-solving

Cultural awareness

Education

Degree-level education in a related field

Tools

Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Business intelligence software

Job description

About The Role & Team

With the Merchandise Planner, use business insight and analytics to develop financial and unit plans for a category assortment base, accounting for trends within the Marketplace and consumer segment. Assist the Merchandise Planner in the development of high-level revenue benchmarks to drive key growth initiatives in the category and across channels. Responsible for evaluating the assortment, reacting to in-season performance, trends and learnings, to inform and adjust future season assortment and inventory position.

This role requires you to work four days a week in our London office located in Hammersmith.

What You Will Do

• With the Merchandise Planner, be responsible for developing financial plans for category growth and profitability that align with key product strategies and initiatives across all channels.
• Use your knowledge and understanding of product releases to address any financial gaps year over year. Collaborate with the Merchandise Planner to create strategies that optimize SKU productivity and ensure effective inventory management.
• Plan and oversee the flow of goods through initial hit planning and ongoing flow management to maximize turnover for all channels and multiple distribution centres. Utilize weekly business insights to assess item-level performance, seizing in-season opportunities and minimizing liability.
• Manage and input retail category plans in the Merchandise Financial Planning System (MFP), making relevant recommendations as needed. Gather information from the e-commerce analytics team on traffic, conversion, and Average Order Value (AOV) key performance indicators for the category.
• Reforecast sales, inventory, and margin on a weekly or monthly basis based on category performance to maintain an accurate forecast. Work closely with the Merchandise Planner to provide product status updates for monthly open-to-buy meetings.
• Partner with the trading team to identify pricing and liquidation strategies and opportunities for the relevant category.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• Degree-level education in a related field or equivalent work experience
• Experience in a similar level role within merchandising
• Demonstrated experience in building and maintaining strong relationships at all levels, effectively managing stakeholders within a large, multi-national, matrix organization
• Proficiency in using key Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and working knowledge of business intelligence software (reporting tools)
• Understanding of financial principles and strong analytical skills
• Excellent written and spoken English for business use
• Excellent planning and organizational skills with the ability to prioritize workload and deliver within challenging timeframes
• High levels of accuracy and attention to detail
• Strong problem-solving abilities
• Cultural awareness and sensitivity

The Perks

• 25 days annual leave
• Private medical insurance & dental care
• Free Park Entry: the opportunity to enter any of our parks with your family and friends for free
• Disney Discounts: entitled to discounts on designated Disney products, resort F&B and ticketing
• Excellent parental and guardian leave
• Employee Resource Groups – WOMEN @ Disney, Disney DIVERSITY, Disney PRIDE, our new disability & neurodiversity focused group - ENABLED, and our Mental Health & Wellbeing Group, TRUST.

The Walt Disney Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strive to be a diverse workforce that is representative of our audiences, and where all can thrive and belong. Disney is committed to forming a team that includes and respects a variety of voices, identities, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.