Planning Manager, Franchise & Owned Retail - EMEA

Alliance Consumer Growth, LLC; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private Medical Insurance (PMI)

Group Life Assurance

Income Protection

Critical Illness

Pension Scheme

Modern Health

ClassPass

Job summary

SKIMS is expanding its world-class planning capabilities across the EMEA region, focusing on inventory optimization and profitability for owned retail and franchise channels. The Planning Manager collaborates with Merchandising, Buying, Supply Chain, and Finance to develop sales plans and forecasts in a fast-growing environment.

The ideal candidate brings strong commercial acumen and analytical expertise, balancing strategic planning with day-to-day execution across multiple international

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a related field.
• 5–8 years in planning/merchandise/inventory or financial planning in retail or consumer brands.
• Experience with owned retail and franchise planning.
• Strong understanding of OTB, forecasting, assortment planning, and inventory management.
• Experience in international or multi-market retail organizations.
• Advanced Excel and data modeling skills.
• Experience with ERP/BI platforms (SAP/Oracle/Anaplan/NetSuite/Tableau/Power BI).
• Excellent analytical, presentation, and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop seasonal and annual sales, margin, inventory, and receipt plans across EMEA owned retail and franchise channels.
• Own weekly and monthly forecasting; identify risks and opportunities and recommend actions.
• Analyze sales trends, inventory productivity, sell-through, and key planning metrics for commercial decisions.
• Collaborate with Buying and Merchandising to build balanced assortments aligned with finances and demand.
• Coordinate with Supply Chain and Operations to ensure inventory availability and replenishment plans.
• Manage Open-to-Buy budgets and advise on inventory investments.
• Support new store openings with inventory strategies and launch plans.
• Monitor partner performance and seasonal planning with Franchise teams.
• Prepare weekly, monthly, and quarterly business reviews for leadership.
• Identify opportunities to improve planning processes and reporting.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Analytical thinking

Presentation skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Data-driven decision making

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Finance/Merchandising/Economics/Mathematics

Tools

SAP

Oracle

Anaplan

NetSuite

Tableau

Power BI

Job description

SKIMS is a solutions-oriented brand creating the next generation of underwear, loungewear, shapewear, and essentials. We are setting new standards by delivering technically innovative, comfort-driven products with elevated design for everybody.

At the intersection of culture, innovation, and commerce, SKIMS is a global brand redefining modern apparel. Our teams are built on creativity, collaboration, and operational excellence, and we are committed to fostering an inclusive, high-performance environment where ambitious, curious, and values-driven individuals can do the best work of their careers.

As we drive towards expansion across EMEA, we are building world-class planning capabilities that support our owned retail, franchise, and wholesale businesses. This role will play a critical part in ensuring inventory is optimized, commercial opportunities are maximized, and our regional growth is supported through data-driven decision making.

Position Summary

The Planning Manager, Franchise & Owned Retail – EMEA is responsible for driving inventory and financial planning across the EMEA retail business, supporting both owned stores and franchise partners. This role partners closely with Merchandising, Buying, Supply Chain, Finance, Retail Operations, and Regional Leadership to develop sales plans, inventory strategies, and forecasting that maximize profitability while delivering an exceptional customer experience.

The ideal candidate combines strong commercial acumen with analytical expertise and thrives in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. They are comfortable balancing strategic planning with day-to-day execution and enjoy collaborating across multiple international markets.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop seasonal and annual sales, margin, inventory, and receipt plans across EMEA owned retail and franchise channels.
• Own weekly and monthly forecasting, identifying risks and opportunities while recommending actions to optimize performance.
• Analyze sales trends, inventory productivity, sell-through, stock-to-sales ratios, and key planning metrics to drive commercial decisions.
• Partner closely with Buying and Merchandising teams to build balanced assortments aligned with financial objectives and regional customer demand.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain and Operations to ensure inventory availability, allocation strategies, and replenishment plans support business needs.
• Manage Open-to-Buy (OTB) budgets and recommend inventory investments based on business performance and future demand.
• Support new store openings across EMEA by developing initial inventory strategies, launch plans, and ongoing sales forecasts.
• Partner with Franchise teams to monitor partner performance, inventory health, and seasonal planning requirements.
• Prepare weekly, monthly, and quarterly business reviews for regional and global leadership.
• Identify opportunities to improve planning processes, reporting, forecast accuracy, and inventory optimization.
• Build and maintain planning tools, dashboards, and reporting that provide actionable business insights.
• Support long-range planning, annual budgeting, and strategic commercial initiatives across the EMEA region.
• Develop strong cross-functional relationships with global Planning, Finance, Retail Operations, Logistics, and Commercial teams.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Merchandising, Economics, Mathematics, or a related field.
• 5–8 years of planning, merchandise planning, inventory planning, or financial planning experience within retail or consumer brands.
• Experience supporting both owned retail and franchise businesses is highly preferred.
• Strong understanding of Open-to-Buy (OTB), forecasting, assortment planning, inventory management, and financial planning principles.
• Experience working within an international or multi-market retail organization.
• Advanced Excel skills, including Pivot Tables, Power Query, complex formulas, and financial modeling.
• Experience with ERP, planning, and BI platforms such as SAP, Oracle, Anaplan, NetSuite, Tableau, Power BI, or similar.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills with the ability to translate complex data into commercial recommendations.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills with confidence presenting to senior leadership.
• Highly organized with exceptional attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.

Success Profile

The ideal candidate is:

• Commercially minded and driven by delivering profitable growth.
• Naturally analytical with strong financial and numerical capability.
• Curious and proactive, always looking for opportunities to improve performance.
• Comfortable working in ambiguity within a rapidly scaling global business.
• Collaborative and influential, able to build strong relationships across multiple functions and international markets.
• Highly organized with exceptional project management skills.
• Confident making recommendations backed by data and commercial insight.
• Adaptable, resilient, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced environment with evolving priorities.

Benefits, Culture and Perks

Benefits and Culture

Private Medical Insurance (PMI)

Group Life Assurance

Income Protection

Critical Illness

Pension Scheme

Modern Health

ClassPass