Junior Merchandise Planner

Invigorate; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 22,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

Invigorate is seeking a commercially minded Junior Merchandise Planner in Leeds to join our Merchandise Planning team. You will work closely with the Head of Planning, Merch Planner and Buying teams to plan and trade product categories, analyse performance and support strategic decisions.

You will use data and commercial insight to identify opportunities, manage stock levels and maximise sales across channels, with responsibility for range planning, buy visibility and KPI tracking.

Qualifications

• Previous experience in a Merchandising, Assistant Merchandiser or Junior Planning role.
• Strong analytical and numerical skills with excellent attention to detail.
• Experience working with WSSI reporting and forecasting.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to prioritise and manage multiple tasks.
• A proactive approach and a desire to continuously improve processes.

Responsibilities

• Analyse previous seasons to identify trends, risks and opportunities.
• Support the creation of category and channel mix strategies with heads of planning and buying.
• Attend range planning and product selection meetings.
• Maintain visibility of the total seasonal buy including original buys, top-ups and promotions.
• Manage supplier buying dashboards to support commercial negotiations.
• Populate and maintain budgets, forecasts and KPIs in WSSI systems.
• Monitor availability and performance of core product lines and optimise stock levels.
• Review new season trading and identify opportunities to maximise sales and profitability.

Skills

Analytical skills

Merchandising

Planning

Microsoft Excel

Stakeholder management

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Job description

We are looking for a commercially minded and analytical Junior Merchandise Planner to join a Merchandise Planning team in Leeds. This is an exciting opportunity for someone with merchandising or planning experience who is ready to take the next step in their career.

Working closely with the Head of Planning, Merch Planner and Buying teams, you will play a key role in planning and trading product categories, analysing performance and supporting strategic decision-making. You'll use data and commercial insight to identify opportunities, manage stock effectively and help maximise sales across all channels.

Key Responsibilities for the Junior Merchandise Planner :

• Analyse previous seasons to identify trends, risks and opportunities.
• Support the creation of category and channel mix strategies alongside the Head of Planning and Buying teams.
• Attend range planning and product selection meetings.
• Maintain visibility of the total seasonal buy, including original buys, top-ups and promotional selections.
• Manage supplier buying dashboards to support commercial negotiations.
• Populate and maintain WSSIs with budgets, forecasts and key performance indicators.
• Monitor availability and performance of core product lines, recommending actions to optimise stock levels.
• Review new season trading and identify opportunities to maximise sales and profitability.
• Monitor carry-over lines and recommend rebuys where appropriate.
• Track performance against sales plans and year-on-year targets.
• Analyse new initiatives and provide clear, actionable insights.
• Produce trading commentary and performance analysis for markdown and clearance events.

About You

We're looking for someone who is highly analytical, commercially aware and passionate about fashion and retail planning. You will already have experience within a merchandising or planning environment and be confident working with large volumes of data to support business decisions.

Skills required for the Junior Merchandise Planner:

• Previous experience in a Merchandising, Assistant Merchandiser or Junior Planning role.
• Strong analytical and numerical skills with excellent attention to detail.
• Experience working with WSSI reporting and forecasting.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to prioritise and manage multiple tasks.
• A proactive approach and a desire to continuously improve processes.