Merchandising Planner - Mandarin

ZipRecruiter; London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in designer toys seeks a Merchandising Planner/Senior Planner in London. The role involves ownership of forecasts and inventory across multiple European markets, ensuring successful product launches, and requires fluency in Mandarin. Ideal candidates will have significant experience in category management and strong analytical skills.

Benefits

Selected POP MART toys as appreciation gifts every month

Structured bonus scheme based on performance

Comprehensive training and development programs

Regular team social events

Paid rest breaks

Qualifications

• 5-8 years of experience in merchandising planning or commercial forecasting.
• Solid background in managing high-SKU portfolios.
• Fluent in English and Mandarin.

Responsibilities

• Develop detailed sales and demand forecasts by SKU, country, and channel.
• Own the planning and sell-through monitoring of all launches.
• Prepare dashboards and reports to track category performance.

Skills

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Collaboration skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree or above

Tools

Excel

Planning systems

Business Intelligence tools

Job description

Job Description

Merchandising Planner / Senior Planner (Mandarin speaking)

Industry: Designer toys and collectible pieces

Location: Canary Wharf, London

Job type: Full time Permanent

About POP MART

Founded in 2010, POP MART is a market-leading entertainment company and a global champion of designer toy culture. Through global artist development, IP operations, and designer toy culture evangelism, we have built an integrated platform covering the entire designer toy value chain. Besides our original and iconic IPs such as Molly, Hirono, Skullpanda, and LABUBU, POP MART collaborates with top-tier toys and lifestyle brands including Disney, Universal Studios, and Sanrio to create collectible art toys featuring their iconic characters.

POP MART has established a strong presence across key European markets, including the UK, France, Italy, Netherlands, Germany and Spain. As part of our strategic growth initiatives, we are focused on expanding our retail network into additional high-potential markets across Europe, continuing to strengthen our brand's position in the region.

For more information, please visit www.popmart.com and our LinkedIn Career page.

What to Expect

POP MART is a fast-paced company with a and multicultural team where you can expect to:

• Take full category-level ownership of forecasts and inventory flow across multiple European markets
• Work across cross-functional teams, including HQ, supply chain, retail, and business development
• Play a key role in ensuring product launches are commercially successful and inventory risks are proactively managed
• Grow your expertise in regional assortment planning, demand analysis, and product lifecycle decision-making
• Join a supportive, ambitious merchandising team with clear development pathways

Benefits

POP MART offers our employees:

• Selected POP MART toys as appreciation gifts every month
• A structured bonus scheme in line with the company’s and the individual’s performance
• Comprehensive training and development programs
• Regular team social events
• Paid rest breaks

The Role and Candidate

We are hiring Regional Merchandising Planners (Europe) to take ownership of category-level planning across multiple countries and channels. This role is responsible for aligning forecasts, tracking sell-through performance, and adjusting inventory flow for key product categories within the POP MART assortment.

Reporting to the Merchandising Planning Manager, you will act as the go-to category expert for commercial planning, launch execution, and lifecycle analysis. You will work closely with HQ Merchandising, Retail, and Supply Chain to ensure that product launches are well-executed and that stock remains healthy throughout each product’s life.

Responsibilities

Category Forecasting & Commercial Planning

• Develop detailed sales and demand forecasts by SKU, country, and channel, tailored to category dynamics and market seasonality
• Consolidate commercial goals with bottom-up market data to build accurate, forward-looking category plans
• Maintain forecast integrity from pre-launch through post-launch performance

Product Lifecycle Management

• Own the planning and sell-through monitoring of all launches, replenishments, and discontinuations in your category
• Identify ageing stock early and coordinate mitigation actions such as markdowns, reallocation, or liquidation proposals
• Guide product exit timing and lifecycle decisions in partnership with Merchandising and Retail

Planning Governance & Market Coordination

• Act as the lead category contact for country retail teams, BD managers, and HQ stakeholders
• Collaborate with the Supply Chain team to ensure inventory flow and launch readiness align with warehouse and allocation timelines
• Participate in S&OP, campaign planning, and cross-functional readiness meetings as needed

Reporting & Commercial Insights

• Prepare regular dashboards and deep-dive reports to track category performance, sell-through, forecast accuracy, and stock risk
• Present insights and recommendations to the Merchandising Planning Manager to support decision-making and seasonal reviews
• Continuously refine tools and planning templates to improve data clarity and usability

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or above
• 5–8 years of experience in merchandising planning, category management, or commercial forecasting
• Solid background in managing high-SKU portfolios and supporting multi-country or multi-channel retail businesses
• Excellent analytical skills and comfort working with Excel; experience with planning systems or BI tools is a plus
• Strong communication and collaboration skills; able to work effectively across functions and regions
• Fluent in English and Mandarin to communicate with local design and product team

Desirable but Not Essential

• Experience in fashion, beauty, lifestyle, or collectible goods
• Prior involvement in high-frequency product drops or trend-led categories
• Familiarity with regional vs HQ planning processes in international businesses
• Passion for youth culture, art toys, or the creative consumer space