Strategic 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

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.