Merchandise Assistant Planner

Ralph Lauren; Greater London; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent lifestyle brand in Greater London is seeking an analytical professional to manage reporting and support seasonal meetings. The role involves collaborating with various teams on stock delivery schedules and markdowns while conducting competitor analysis. Candidates should possess strong communication skills and proficiency in Microsoft Excel. This position offers a dynamic work environment that values resilience, attention to detail, and a positive attitude towards training and development.

Qualifications

• Strong commercial awareness through store visits and competitor analysis.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently while managing multiple priorities.
• Attention to detail and resilience during challenging periods.

Responsibilities

• Manage weekly and monthly reporting while supporting key seasonal meetings.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including Buying and ECOM.
• Update and forecast department line cards to maximize sales potential.

Skills

Commercial awareness

Analytical skills

Effective communication

Microsoft Excel proficiency

Retail mathematics aptitude

Problem-solving

Organizational skills

Team collaboration

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Overview

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.

Position Summary

The position involves managing weekly and monthly reporting, maintaining WSSI updates, and supporting key seasonal meetings with analysis. Core responsibilities include managing stock delivery schedules, seasonal markdowns, and line‑card optimisation across channels.

The role requires strong commercial awareness through store visits and competitor analysis, while building effective partnerships with cross‑functional teams including Buying, Allocations, ECOM and retail store teams. The ideal candidate should possess strong analytical and communication skills, be proficient in Microsoft Excel, and demonstrate ability to work independently while managing multiple priorities. They should also have strong retail mathematics aptitude and maintain resilience during challenging periods.

Operation / Financial

• Update reports on a weekly, monthly, and ad‑hoc basis.
• Actualises the department’s WSSI weekly.
• Attends and prepares for weekly trade meetings and is 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.
• Undertake competitor analysis on a regular basis and present any relevant points.

Training & Development

• Adopt a positive and proactive approach to own training and development as well as that of peers.
• Proactively promote improvements to working practices and systems.
• Participate in company initiatives as appropriate.

Communications & Partnerships

• Create and maintain strong working relationships within cross‑functional teams: Buying, Allocations, ECOM and the retail store teams.
• Liaise with Assortment Planning and Buying partners to review and assist in the formation of the seasonal lessons learned. Influence future buys, using analysis and historical data to ensure commercial decisions are made.

Qualifications

• Commercial and Analytical.
• Effective communicator – able to communicate messages clearly and concisely to a variety of audiences.
• Able to work autonomously.
• Able to demonstrate logical analysis and problem‑solving skills.
• Able to organise, prioritise tasks and manage time well in order to meet deadlines.
• Able to build and maintain productive relationships within a 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.