Strategic Merchandise Planner | Inventory & Forecasting

Placements24; East London; On-site; ZAR 240,000 - 360,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and retirement benefits

Employee discounts on merchandise

Professional development opportunities

East London location

Competitive salary with bonuses

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a strategic Merchandise Planner in East London to forecast demand, optimize inventory, and ensure the right products are available when needed. You will partner with buying, marketing, and store operations to create impactful merchandise plans and maximize profitability.

The role requires strong analytical skills, retail math proficiency, and experience with planning software. You will contribute to smart purchasing decisions and drive inventory efficiency across channels.

Qualifications

• Experience as a merchandise planner or in related retail planning roles.
• Strong analytical and quantitative abilities with Excel.
• Solid understanding of retail math, inventory management, and forecasting.
• Ability to interpret sales data and market trends to inform plans.
• Excellent cross-functional communication and collaboration skills.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Finance or related field.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute seasonal and annual merchandise plans.
• Forecast demand and manage inventory to meet targets.
• Analyze sales performance and identify trends to optimize assortment.
• Collaborate with buying to align assortments with brand strategy.
• Develop allocation strategies for multi-channel distribution.
• Monitor turnover, gross margin and KPI performance.

Skills

Merchandise planning

Data analysis

Communication

Collaboration

Retail math

Forecasting

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Marketing/Finance

Tools

Excel

Planning software

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a strategic Merchandise Planner in East London to forecast demand, optimize inventory, and ensure the right products are available when needed. You will partner with buying, marketing, and store operations to create impactful merchandise plans and maximize profitability.

The role requires strong analytical skills, retail math proficiency, and experience with planning software. You will contribute to smart purchasing decisions and drive inventory efficiency across channels.