Apparel Planning Lead: Forecasts, Merch & Growth

Kroger; Portland (OR); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare benefits

Flexible scheduling

Tuition reimbursement

Associate discounts

Career growth opportunities

Job summary

Kroger is seeking a category finance and planning professional in Portland to collaborate with buyers, plan weekly and annual sales, and ensure budgets align with corporate goals. You will analyze performance, optimize inventories, and support advertising and on-floor presentations.

Responsibilities include supervising staff, creating financial plans by period, and driving assortment and markdown strategies to boost sales and margins across department stores and formats.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business or a related field plus two years of assistant buyer/assistant planner experience or equivalent
• High level of accuracy with strong attention to detail
• Ability to handle high complexity in item difficulty, promos, regionality, and growth goals
• Self-motivated and able to work independently in a fast-paced retail/office environment

Responsibilities

• Supervise and coach direct reports and conduct performance reviews
• Create and manage financial plans by period including sales, gross margin and turnover
• Create/manage assortment plans; perform product allocation for department, marketplace and food stores
• Provide analysis to drive sales, margin and inventory strategies
• Support advertising and on-floor presentation plans and turnover
• Re-forecast in-season sales and margins based on trends; propose improvement actions
• Communicate status of open-to-buy and inventory to stakeholders
• Analyze seasonal/fashion categories and plan for the following season
• Lead team meetings and coordinate with Replenishment to manage store/warehouse inventory
• Create markdown reports and forecasts for department stores
• Determine plan-o-gram minimums and communicate results to vendors
• Conduct enterprise-wide store tours and monitor industry trends
• Analyze promotions/markdown results and align with business goals
• Ensure stores are planned and inventory allocated to maximize sales
• Travel for vendor appointments and store visits

Skills

attention to detail

ms office

retail terminology

fast-paced environment

self-motivated

Education

bachelor's degree in business or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Kroger is seeking a category finance and planning professional in Portland to collaborate with buyers, plan weekly and annual sales, and ensure budgets align with corporate goals. You will analyze performance, optimize inventories, and support advertising and on-floor presentations.

Responsibilities include supervising staff, creating financial plans by period, and driving assortment and markdown strategies to boost sales and margins across department stores and formats.