Merchandise Planner

Pepkor Lifestyle; Sandton; On-site; ZAR 520,000 - 780,000; Full time

Job summary

Pepkor Lifestyle in Sandton seeks a detail-oriented Merchandise Planner with strong analytical abilities to forecast demand, manage budgets, and optimize stock turns. You will develop pre-season and in-season plans, analyze sales trends, and work with buying, product development and marketing to maximize sales and margin.

Ideal candidates have 5+ years in merchandise planning, deep Excel/G-Sheets skills, and excel in a fast-paced retail environment with tight deadlines.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in merchandise planning or inventory management in a retail environment.
• Bachelor's degree in retail management, merchandising, business administration, or a related field.
• Strong analytical skills and proficiency with data analysis.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop pre-season and in-season merchandise plans to drive assortment planning.
• Forecast product demand and pricing strategies from sales data and trends.
• Provide weekly feedback on business analysis and action plans.
• Create 12-month rolling forecasts and budget plans.
• Collaborate with buying, product development, and marketing to execute plans.
• Monitor and adjust inventory to optimize sales and minimize excess stock.
• Create reports and dashboards to track KPIs and support decisions.
• Participate in vendor meetings to ensure timely replenishment and stock turns.
• Assist in promotional strategies and markdown planning for slow-moving inventory.
• Seek out-of-the-box solutions to improve outcomes.

Skills

Analytical skills

Excel

Google Sheets

Education

Bachelor's degree in retail/merchandising/business administration

Tools

Excel

Google Sheets

Data analysis tools

Job description

We are seeking a detail-oriented and analytical Merchandise Planner to join our team. A senior level candidate with dynamic problem-solving and decision-making skills.The ideal candidate will have a passion for retail and a strong understanding of sales trends and consumer behavior. The Merchandise Planner will be responsible for managing key financial indicators, forecasting inventory needs, managing budgets, and maximizing sales and profit margins through effective planning and analysis.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop pre-season and in-season merchandise plans to drive assortment planning that aligns with organizational goals and strategic plans
• Analyzing sales data, market trends, and historical performance to forecast product demand and pricing strategies
• Provide weekly feedback on business analysis and action plans to drive business performance
• Derive 12 month rolling forecasts and budget plans. Drive business unit strategy
• Analyse competitor learnings to drive business performance. Execute new store openings and analyse store peformance to accurately drive allocations
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams, including buying, product development, and marketing, to ensure merchandise plans are executed effectively
• Monitoring and adjusting inventory levels to optimize sales and minimize excess or obsolete inventory to minimize inventory risk
• Creating reports and dashboards to track key performance metrics and make data-driven decisions
• Participating in vendor meetings and negotiations to ensure timely and cost-effective inventory replenishment and stockturn
• Assist in developing promotional strategies and markdown plans to drive sales and clearance of slow-moving inventory
• Seek out-of-the-box solutions

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in retail management, merchandising, business administration, or a related field
• 5+ years of experience in merchandise planning or inventory management in a retail environment
• Strong analytical skills and proficiency in Excel and Google sheets and data analysis tools
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills
• Ability to work in a fast-paced and dynamic environment with tight deadlines