New Store Opening Planner

WHSmith; Nevada (IA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee Discount

Employer-Paid Life Insurance

Flex Time Off

Disability Insurance

Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance

401(k) with company match

Job summary

WHSmith is opening a new store and seeks a seasoned Planner to lead the end-to-end merchandise planning and inventory management for openings, remodels, and closings. The role partners with Buyers to optimize assortments, drive sales, and maintain KPI health across forecasts and replenishment.

You will build detailed plans, produce timely reports, and influence decisions with data-driven insights, ensuring execution aligns with business goals in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• 3+ years in retail merchandise planning, forecasting, allocation and replenishment.
• Advanced Excel skills including pivots, lookups and formulas; Power Query a plus.
• Experience with merchandising analytics, planning processes, and retail systems.

Responsibilities

• Own department-level inventory management, forecasting, and replenishment strategy; communicate risks and opportunities to leadership.
• Partner with Buyers to manage assortments, SKU counts, and weekly performance, including reorders and promos.
• Lead allocation, replenishment, and new-store planning, including store-level inventory balancing and post-launch analysis.
• Develop analytics and reporting using Aptos Smartlook and Aptos BI to track performance and reveal insights.
• Serve as a cross-functional partner across merchandising, planning, and field teams, ensuring clear communication.

Skills

Retail forecasting

Merchandise planning

Excel advanced

Inventory management

Cross-functional collaboration

Data analysis

Tools

Aptos Smartlook

Aptos BI

Job description

New Store Opening Planner - (SSC-10622.1)

Job Title

New Store Opening Planner

Location

Support Center - Las Vegas, NV 89119 US (Primary)

Job Type

Full-time

Category

Planning & Allocation

Education

Job Description

Join our Support Center and be a pivotal resource to our field and distribution teams where innovation, cross-functional collaboration, and career growth come together in an exciting environment!

Location: Support Center, 6600 S Bermuda Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89119

Schedule: Monday - Friday, Weekends as needed, 40-50 hours per week

Job Type: Full-time, Part-time, Temporary/Contract

• Employee Discount
• Employer-Paid Life Insurance
• Flex Time Off
• Disability Insurance
• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• 401(k) with company match

The NSO Planner is responsible for building and maintaining the overall merchandise plans and management of the inventory and allocation/replenishment for store openings, closures, and remodels. In partnership with the buying team, they will develop strategies to effectively drive sales and profitability by consistently and pro-actively identifying key issues and areas of opportunity and devising creative solutions to solve problems and improve business.

They will prepare timely and accurate forecasts and plans for all KPI's including sales, markdowns, margin, inventory, receipts, turnover, and assortment breadth and depth. They will create detailed analyses and reports to accurately assess the performance of the business.

Key Responsibilities

• Own department-level inventory management, forecasting, and replenishment strategy; communicate risks and opportunities to leadership with clear, actionable plans in weekly and monthly business reviews.
• Partner closely with Buyers to manage assortments, SKU counts, and weekly business performance, including reorders, best-seller replacement, store transfers, promotions, markdowns, and seasonal entrance/exit strategies.
• Lead allocation, replenishment, and new-store planning, including store-level inventory balancing, backstock management, daily replenishment, new store builds, and post-launch hindsight analysis.
• Develop and deliver analytics and reporting using Aptos Smartlook and Aptos BI to track performance, identify trends, uncover opportunities, and produce standard and ad-hoc insights.
• Serve as a cross-functional partner across merchandising, planning, and field teams, building strong relationships and ensuring timely, positive, and effective communication

Job Requirements

Qualifications

• 3+ years of retail merchandise planning, forecasting, allocation, and replenishment experience, with exposure to both corporate and/or store environments.
• Advanced Excel proficiency required (pivot tables, lookups, advanced formulas; Power Query a plus) with strong overall data management capabilities .
• Hands-on experience with merchandising, planning, analytics, allocation, and proprietary retail systems.
• Advanced understanding of retail math, sales trends, and inventory forecasting, with the ability to analyze performance and drive business insights.
• Highly analytical problem-solver with strong attention to detail, accountability, and a commitment to data accuracy.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and time-management skills, with the ability to work cross-functionally, independently, and in fast-paced, deadline-driven environments.

Additional Requirements

• Limited standing, walking, climbing, crouching, bending, pushing, or pulling
• Limited travel or overnight
• Occasional travel or overnight
• Frequent travel or overnight; including international
• Normal or corrected vision and hearing
• Can distinguish varying or specific colors, patterns, or materials
• Fluency in English is required for training, customer interactions, and ensuring compliance with company policies and procedures
• Typically, indoors
• Typically, in a consistent temperatureLift 0-25 lbs.
• Use of fine motor hand functions

About Us

WHSmith is a leading global travel retailer with over 1,700 stores across 30 countries worldwide. WHSmith North America, incorporating Marshall Retail Group (MRG) and InMotion, represents over half of the Company’s international store estate, with a collection of attractive, successful specialty retail stores located in airports and resorts across North America.

EEO/ADA/DFWP

WHSmith North America is committed to employing a diverse workforce. Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, national origin/ancestry, age, gender identity, gender expression, military/veteran status, marital status, disability status or any other basis prohibited by law. Reasonable accommodation will be provided for qualified individuals with disabilities.