Associate Merchandise Planner — Sports Retail Analytics

Lids; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Lids Sports Group, headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, is the largest licensed sports retailer in North America, offering fan and fashion-oriented headwear and apparel across the US and abroad.

As Associate Merchandise Planner, you will build financial sales, gross margin, and inventory plans, partnering with Buying & Merchandising to maximize sales and profitability, providing analytics to executives and stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Marketing, Fashion Merchandising, or related field.
• 0–3 years experience in merchandising, planning, buying, or equivalent.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret quantitative and qualitative data.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate the development of annual, seasonal, monthly, weekly, and daily merchandise plans.
• Construct merchandise purchase schedules, including initial product deliveries and in-season merchandise flow.
• Manage monthly department-level Open-to-Buy (OTB) activities.
• Provide analysis on trends and recommendations to influence cancellations, future purchases, and assortment strategies.
• Analyze historical performance to identify areas of opportunity and risk.
• Prepare preseason promotional and markdown strategies in partnership with Buying and Merchandising teams.
• Develop, maintain, and update tools and reports to support business needs.

Skills

Analytical skills

Problem-solving

Financial acumen

Independent work

Effective communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Marketing, Fashion Merchandising, or related field

Tools

Excel

Data visualization tools

Job description

Lids Sports Group, headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, is the largest licensed sports retailer in North America, offering fan and fashion-oriented headwear and apparel across the US and abroad.

As Associate Merchandise Planner, you will build financial sales, gross margin, and inventory plans, partnering with Buying & Merchandising to maximize sales and profitability, providing analytics to executives and stakeholders.