Merchandise Planner

Lacoste; New York (NY); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Lacoste is seeking a merchandise planning professional to drive seasonal and annual sales, margin and inventory plans across categories. You will manage Open-to-Buy, adjust receipts, and analyze weekly performance to inform forecasts.

You will partner with Merchandising and cross-functional teams to optimize assortments, promotions and inventory productivity in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Merchandising or related field.
• 2-3 years of experience in merchandise planning, financial planning or a related retail function.
• Strong understanding of retail financial metrics including sales, margin, inventory, sell-through, turn and Open-to-Buy.
• Advanced Excel skills and ability to work with large datasets.
• Experience with merchandise planning systems; Anaplan experience is a plus.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to translate data into business recommendations.
• Strong commercial acumen and curiosity about product and customer performance.
• Strong communication and cross-functional partnership skills.
• Proactive, organized and comfortable working in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop seasonal and annual sales, margin and inventory plans by category and business area.
• Manage Open-to-Buy and recommend adjustments to receipts based on business performance, trends and future opportunities.
• Analyze weekly sales, margin, sell-through and inventory performance versus plan, prior year and forecast.
• Identify risks and opportunities and translate findings into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Develop and update forecasts throughout the season based on actual performance and evolving business trends.
• Partner with Merchandising to develop assortment strategies, investment levels and product/category plans.
• Evaluate product performance and recommend actions to maximize sales, margin and inventory productivity.
• Support promotional and markdown planning through analysis of sales, inventory and margin impact.
• Conduct seasonal and post-season analysis to identify learnings and inform future plans.
• Develop and improve planning tools and reporting to increase visibility, accuracy and efficiency.
• Partner cross-functionally with Inventory Planning, Demand Planning, Allocation, Finance, Supply Chain and Commercial teams to support overall business objectives.

Skills

Analytical

Advanced Excel

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem-solving

Organized

Leadership

Communication skills

Education

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

Tools

Anaplan

Job description

At the crossroads of fashion and sport, Lacoste creates and liberates movement. Both universal and timeless, the brand transcends cultures and generations, elevating the crocodile as a rally sign.

An iconic French brand present in nearly 100 countries, Lacoste stand out for its unique know-how in each of its areas of expertise, from garment factory to omnichannel distribution.

At Lacoste, elegance goes beyond style. This elegance guides all of its actions and its social and environmental commitments.

Working at Lacoste is belonging to a community of 8,500 employees on the move to build the future. Committed to making equal opportunities a reality and to revealing potential, the company brings together talents from all walks of life, embracing their differences.

Lacoste is one of the inspiring brands driven by passionate people within the MF Brands Group, alongside Aigle, Gant and Tecnifibre (http://mf-brands.com/).

Summary

• Develop seasonal and annual sales, margin and inventory plans by category and business area.
• Manage Open-to-Buy and recommend adjustments to receipts based on business performance, trends and future opportunities.
• Analyze weekly sales, margin, sell-through and inventory performance versus plan, prior year and forecast.
• Identify risks and opportunities and translate findings into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Develop and update forecasts throughout the season based on actual performance and evolving business trends.
• Partner with Merchandising to develop assortment strategies, investment levels and product/category plans.
• Evaluate product performance and recommend actions to maximize sales, margin and inventory productivity.
• Support promotional and markdown planning through analysis of sales, inventory and margin impact.
• Conduct seasonal and post-season analysis to identify learnings and inform future plans.
• Develop and improve planning tools and reporting to increase visibility, accuracy and efficiency.
• Partner cross-functionally with Inventory Planning, Demand Planning, Allocation, Finance, Supply Chain and Commercial teams to support overall business objectives.

Skills And Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Merchandising or related field.
• 2-3 years of experience in merchandise planning, financial planning or a related retail function.
• Strong understanding of retail financial metrics including sales, margin, inventory, sell-through, turn and Open-to-Buy.
• Advanced Excel skills and ability to work with large datasets.
• Experience with merchandise planning systems; Anaplan experience is a plus.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to translate data into business recommendations.
• Strong commercial acumen and curiosity about product and customer performance.
• Strong communication and cross-functional partnership skills.
• Proactive, organized and comfortable working in a fast-paced environment.

CORE COMPETANCIES

• Initiative: Actively strives to achieve goals beyond the minimum level of performance. A self-starter who has the ability to work well without close supervision and in a fast-paced environment
• Mathematical: Must be proficient working with numbers to ensure correctness of date produced when compiling large volumes of data on a spreadsheet for analysis.
• Analytical: Must be able to identify and react to business trends in various markets.
• Organized: Must be able to develop a system that will enable you to gather and retrieve information quickly.
• Communication: Able to communicate clearly and productively with various business partners to foster open communication and to establish good working relationships within the business.
• Experienced people leader who’s able to manage to multiple direct reports, prioritizing their teams growth & development

Equal Opportunity Employer

At Lacoste, we’re committed to providing equal opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment regardless of their race, color, religion, creed, gender/sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, pregnancy, military status, veteran status, and/or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, and local laws.