Associate Planner

Roses Discount Stor; Henderson (NC); On-site; USD 21,000 - 30,000; Part time

Job summary

Roses Discount Store in Henderson, NC is offering a merchandising planning internship to help develop seasonal merchandise plans and support forecasting across categories. You will partner with Buyers, Planners, and stores to refine inventory and promotional strategies, while gaining hands-on experience in a fast-paced retail environment.

They seek candidates with strong analytical skills, retail math abilities, and a drive to grow in planning, forecasting, and inventory management.

Qualifications

• Retail planning, allocation, merchandising or business analysis internship preferred.
• Strong analytical aptitude to interpret data and identify trends.
• Retail math and problem-solving capabilities.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and other business software applications.
• Willingness to learn merchandising, planning, forecasting, and inventory management processes.
• Ability to quickly learn new systems, tools, and technologies.
• Demonstrated initiative, curiosity, and desire to develop a career in Merchandise Planning.

Responsibilities

• Assist in developing seasonal merchandise plans at the department and class level with Buyers and Merch Planners.
• Support forecasts for sales, inventory, and margins using historical data and trends.
• Participate in business reviews and provide observations to inform planning decisions.
• Assist in creating subclass and SKU forecasts, ladder plans, and inventory projections.
• Support Open-to-Buy management by reviewing inventory levels and forecasted demand.
• Analyze results to identify trends, risks, and opportunities affecting sales and inventory.
• Assist in promotional forecasts and inventory recommendations to support strategy.
• Support assortment planning to balance inventory levels and product mix.
• Collaborate with Buyers, Allocation Analysts, and Merch Planners to execute strategies.
• Prepare reports and analyses communicating performance and opportunities.
• Visit stores to understand merchandising strategies and market trends.
• Contribute to process improvements using planning tools and best practices.

Skills

Analytical skills

Retail math

Team collaboration

Learning mindset

Communication skills

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Description

Key Responsibilities

1. Assist in developing seasonal merchandise plans at the department and class level in partnership with Buyers and Merchandise Planners, balancing close-out and non-close-out business opportunities.

2. Support the development and maintenance of sales, inventory, and margin forecasts through analysis of historical performance, trends, and business opportunities.

3. Participate in ongoing business reviews and provide observations, recommendations, and analysis to support planning decisions.

4. Assist in creating and maintaining subclass and SKU-level forecasts, ladder plans, and inventory projections.

5. Support Open-to-Buy (OTB) management by reviewing inventory levels, sales performance, receipt timing, and forecasted demand.

6. Analyze business results and identify trends, risks, and opportunities that impact sales, margin, and inventory productivity.

7. Assist in developing promotional forecasts and inventory recommendations to support marketing and merchandising strategies.

8. Support assortment planning efforts to ensure appropriate inventory levels and product mix across categories and stores.

9. Partner with Buyers, Allocation Analysts, and Merchandise Planners to support execution of merchandising and inventory strategies.

10. Prepare reports, presentations, and analyses that communicate business performance, trends, and opportunities.

11. Collaborate with Planning, Merchandising, Allocation, Replenishment, and Marketing teams to develop a broad understanding of the retail business.

12. Visit stores periodically to gain knowledge of merchandising strategies, customer shopping behaviors, inventory flow, and market trends.

13. Contribute to process improvements by learning and utilizing planning tools, systems, and best practices.

14. Demonstrate continuous growth in planning, forecasting, inventory management, and analytical capabilities.

Qualifications

2. Retail, planning, allocation, merchandising, or business analysis internship or work experience preferred.

3. Strong analytical aptitude with the ability to interpret data and identify trends.

4. Demonstrated retail math and problem-solving capabilities.

5. Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

6. Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

7. Ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment.

8. Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and other business software applications.

9. Willingness and ability to learn merchandising, planning, forecasting, and inventory management processes.

10. Ability to quickly learn new systems, tools, and technologies.

11. Demonstrated initiative, curiosity, and desire to develop a career in Merchandise Planning.

Success Measures

1. Demonstrates increasing proficiency in merchandise planning and forecasting concepts.

2. Provides accurate and timely analysis to support business decisions.

3. Contributes to achievement of sales, margin, inventory, and productivity goals.

4. Develops strong partnerships with Merchandising, Allocation, Replenishment, and Planning teams.

5. Successfully progresses toward independent ownership of planning functions and responsibilities.

6. Continuously expands knowledge of retail planning strategies, systems, and best practices.

Equal Opportunity Employer
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