Senior Merchandise Planner: Forecasting & Inventory Strategy

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

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.