Strategic Merchandise Planner

Lids; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Lids Sports Group, headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, is seeking an Associate Merchandise Planner to drive financial sales, gross margin, and inventory plans across pre-season and in-season periods. This role works closely with Buying & Merchandising to align local assortments with profitability targets and deliver analytics to executives.

The ideal candidate has 0–3 years in merchandising, strong retail math skills, and the ability to translate data into actionable insights, with proficiency in

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Marketing, Fashion Merchandising, or a related field is required.
• 0–3 years of experience in merchandising, planning, buying, or equivalent experience preferred.
• Strong understanding of retail math and financial reporting.
• Proven ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Ability to operate a computer and use relevant software programs.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data to actionable insights.
• Financial and business acumen with ability to evaluate performance indicators.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills with rigorous logic.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate development of annual, seasonal, monthly, weekly, and daily merchandise plans.
• Construct merchandise purchase schedules, including initial deliveries and in-season flow.
• Manage monthly department-level Open-to-Buy activities.
• Provide analysis on trends and recommendations to influence assortments.
• Analyze historical performance to identify opportunities and risks.
• Prepare preseason promotional and markdown strategies with Buying and Merchandising teams.
• Develop, maintain, and update tools and reports to support business needs.
• Establish processes and tools to review product assortments and support decision-making.
• Maintain business processes and serve as a resource for process improvements.
• Partner with Allocation and Supply Chain teams for in-season replenishment strategies.

Skills

Analytical skills

Strong communication

Problem-solving

Independent work

Education

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

Tools

Excel

Job description

Lids Sports Group, headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, is seeking an Associate Merchandise Planner to drive financial sales, gross margin, and inventory plans across pre-season and in-season periods. This role works closely with Buying & Merchandising to align local assortments with profitability targets and deliver analytics to executives.

The ideal candidate has 0–3 years in merchandising, strong retail math skills, and the ability to translate data into actionable insights, with proficiency in