Merchandise Planner

Sweet Apparel Inc; New York (NY); On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

401k

Paid Vacation, Sick days, and Holidays

Summer Fridays

Growth opportunities

Job summary

Sweet Apparel Inc. in New York City is seeking a full-time Merchandise Planner to lead open-to-buy, seasonal buy planning and inventory optimization for multiple brands.

This on-site role in Midtown Manhattan requires an analytical mindset and strong Excel skills to translate data into actionable plans for the merchant team. You will manage an Assistant Planner, build weekly item-level sales and inventory projections, and collaborate with cross-functional partners to drive gross margin and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 5+ years in merchandising planning or inventory management.
• Advanced Excel skills (pivot tables, lookups, data modeling).
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Create and maintain Open-to-Buy (OTB) for each brand with monthly reforecasts.
• Develop seasonal buy plans to guide merchant team on OTB investments.
• Generate weekly sales and inventory performance reports for stakeholders.
• Conduct end-of-season reviews and analyze sell-through for opportunities and risks.
• Manage and grow an Assistant Planner/Allocator.
• Build weekly item-level sales, gross margin and inventory plans.
• Create item-level pricing strategies to maximize sales and gross profit.
• Reforecast in-season and present revised projections to cross-functional partners.
• Create allocation strategies to meet store inventory needs.
• Plan assortments (item, color, size) per product category.
• Oversee replenishment to avoid stockouts and missed SKUs.
• Place orders for seasonal and replenishment buys.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams on product strategies.

Skills

Merchandise planning

Data analysis

Excel

Communication

Organization

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Inventory planning systems

Job description

Sweet Apparel Inc. is a leader in Junior's, Women's, Men's, and Kids fast fashion apparel. Sweet Apparel designs, manufactures, and imports apparel under its own labels as well as multiple Private labels. Our clothing can be found at major retailers including TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Ross, Macy's, and more.

We are growing and looking for a full-time Merchandise Planner!

Please note: this is an on-site position in Midtown Manhattan where we work in office 5 days/week!

Key Responsibilities

• Create and maintain Open-to-Buy (OTB) for each brand including reforecasting monthly
• Create seasonal buy plans to guide the merchant team on where to invest OTB in
• Generate and distribute weekly reports on sales performance and inventory status to stakeholders including qualitative feedback and suggested actions
• Conduct in-depth end-of-season reviews, analyzing sell-through rates to pinpoint opportunities and risks for future seasons
• Manage and grow an Assistant Planner/Allocator
• Build financial sales, gross margin and inventory plans at a weekly level at the item level
• Create pricing strategy by item that maximizes sales and gross profit
• Reforecast business in-season based on current performance, present revised projections and recommendations to cross functional partners and senior leadership
• Create allocation strategies, incorporating the merchandise plan and flow strategy to meet store inventory needs
• Create and plan product assortments (item, color, size) for each product category
• Manage replenishment plans to ensure that sales are optimized and stores are without missing skus
• Place orders for both seasonal and replenishment product buys
• Collaborate with cross functional departments to ensure success of product strategies

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree
• 5+ years of experience in merchandise planning, retail planning, or inventory management
• Strong analytical mindset with advanced Excel skills (pivot tables, lookups, data modeling)
• Ability to translate data into clear business insights and actions
• Experience with planning or inventory systems (preferred)
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Solid understanding of retail metrics including sales, margin, and inventory turnover

What We Offer

• Medical insurance
• 401k
• Paid Vacation, Sick days, and Paid Holidays
• Summer Fridays
• Growth opportunities

Target compensation for this role starts at $100k/yr dependent on experience