Strategic Category Assortment Planner

Meijer; Grand Rapids (MI); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Weekly pay

Scheduling flexibility

Paid parental leave

Paid education assistance

Team member discount

Advancement programs

Job summary

Meijer is seeking a Category Assortment Planner to develop and execute category plans that align with corporate goals. You will analyze market trends, sales data, and consumer insights to optimize assortments across merchandising, buying, marketing, and supply chain teams.

You will also collaborate on planograms, shelf optimization, and cross-functional initiatives while monitoring performance and reporting insights to leadership. Strong analytical and communication skills are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Merchandising, or related field.
• 3+ years of experience in merchandising, buying, or category management.
• Strong analytical skills to interpret sales data and market trends.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• Proficiency in assortment planning and merchandising software.
• Demonstrated strength at presentation to varying levels of leadership.
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational and project management skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple priorities.
• Preferred Qualifications: Retail experience in a similar category planning role.
• Advanced Excel and data analysis skills.
• Experience with omnichannel retail strategies.

Responsibilities

• Develop comprehensive category assortment plans based on market analysis, sales data, and consumer trends.
• Identify product gaps and opportunities within the current assortment.
• Collaborate with buyers and merchandisers to select products aligned with strategic objectives.
• Balance the mix of products to ensure a diverse and appealing assortment for customers.
• Conduct space-to-sales analytics to deliver on shelf availability and inventory metrics.
• Build physical test sets to showcase changes at shelf and produce core planogram recommendations.
• Project governance of category transition milestones.
• Facilitate market research to understand industry trends and competition (Nielsen, IRI, dunnhumby, Placr.ai).
• Analyze household performance data to identify top-performing products and categories.
• Monitor and report on market changes impacting assortment.
• Track and report assortment performance to senior management.
• Cross-functional collaboration with buying, marketing, and supply chain teams.
• Work with visual merchandising to ensure in-store and online displays align with strategy.
• Track performance: sales, margin, and inventory; provide data-driven recommendations.
• Prepare and present regular reports on assortment performance to senior management.

Skills

Merchandising

Buying

Category management

Analytical skills

Communication

Presentation skills

Organizational skills

Project management

Omnichannel knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Excel

Merchandising software

Planogram software

Job description

Meijer is seeking a Category Assortment Planner to develop and execute category plans that align with corporate goals. You will analyze market trends, sales data, and consumer insights to optimize assortments across merchandising, buying, marketing, and supply chain teams.

You will also collaborate on planograms, shelf optimization, and cross-functional initiatives while monitoring performance and reporting insights to leadership. Strong analytical and communication skills are essential.