Merchandise Planner (Hybrid)

Claire's; Hoffman Estates (IL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A retail company in Hoffman Estates is seeking a Merchandise Planner to oversee specific product categories. The successful candidate will create sales and receipt plans, analyze data to inform business decisions, and collaborate with merchandising teams. Essential qualifications include a bachelor’s degree and 3-5 years of experience in merchandising or retail planning. Proficiency with Microsoft Office and strong analytical skills are required. The position demands a fast-paced work ethic and effective communication skills.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of merchandising, retail buying, or planning experience.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to analyze data.

Responsibilities

• Create and manage channel level sales and receipt plans.
• Analyze data to support reforecasting and business decisions.
• Drive category performance and present insights to management.

Skills

Merchandising experience

Analytical skills

Retail math skills

Communication skills

Leadership skills

Problem-solving skills

Microsoft Office proficiency

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

PowerBI

Job description

The Merchandise Planner position serves as the business manager for specific product categories. This role is responsible for the creation of channel level sales, receipt plans and forecasting KPI’s. The planner is responsible for analyzing data, correlating historical and current trends to support forward reforecasting, presenting, and supporting the plan positions through regular communication of risks and opportunities. This position works concurrently across multiple seasons to optimize inventory and sales to achieve financial results.

Category Ownership

• Create and maintain business plans on the category/department/division level by month in accordance with corporate goals
• Create and manage OTB based on timely and accurate forecasts
• Drive category performance across all key KPIs inclusive of sales, receipts, and gross margin
• Present at monthly business meetings and provide detailed insights and strategic recommendations to upper management

Business Analysis

• Prepare, update, and distribute key daily/weekly reports
• Review and analyze data to help inform recommendations and reforecasting
• Analyze performance down to an item level on a weekly basis to optimize assortment, pricing strategies and inventory management
• Prepare and analyze hindsight documents to measure past performance inform future season plans and buys.
• Support the merchandising team with pricing and promotions based on weekly analysis against plans and forecasts
• Support merchandising team in pulling analysis to support key assortment and investment strategies.

Strategic Partnership

• Collaborate and partner with Merchandising to formulate pre-season sales/GM/Inventory flow goals that tie to the topline benchmark metric and reflect learnings from hindsight process.
• Partner with Merchandising to build assortment strategies that tie to topline metrics.
• Support Merchants in presenting pre-season financials and strategies to upper management.

Cross Functional Expertise

• Manage effective cross-functional relationships to drive business through recommendations on pricing/promotion and inventory allocation/management.
• Provide direct support to the Planning Manager and Merchandising team on all planning functions and initiatives.
• In conjunction with Manager, make recommendations for business adjustments based on analysis of current business; be involved with the decision-making process.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree

Essential Criteria & Skills

• 3-5 years of merchandising, retail buying, planning experience
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic, collaborative environment
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with ability to analyze data and draw conclusions and recommendations
• Strong retail math skills and sound understanding of merchandise planning
• Strong organizational, planning, presentation, and written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrate effective leadership skills, being able to work autonomously as well as in a team
• Sense of urgency with demonstrated success in a fast-paced and deadline-oriented environment
• Flexibility and the ability to prioritize multiple deliverables
• Self-motivated with high level of accountability, critical attention to detail, deadlines and reporting
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (PowerPoint and Excel), PowerBI