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WHSmith North America · 1 month ago

Merchandise Planner

Las Vegas, NV

Full-time

Onsite

Entry, Mid Level

$70K/yr - $85K/yr

2+ years exp

WHSmith North America is seeking a Merchandise Planner who will be responsible for managing the timely flow of inventory and supporting the Planning Manager in delivering the overall merchandise plan. The role involves developing strategies to drive sales and profitability while preparing accurate forecasts and leading a small team of Replenishment Planners/Analysts.

Retail

Responsibilities

Work closely with the Planning Manager and Buying team to ensure close management of available OTB and a good understanding of the category strategy, including new initiatives or areas of growth opportunity

Accountability for category in store availability targets, ensuring that appropriate reporting is in place to understand availability opportunities at various levels of granularity

Work closely with Planning Manager and Buying team to ensure that OTB / Availability risks are clearly understood and communicated with appropriate category and functional leaders – where possible recommending action to mitigate or improve

Work closely with the Buying teams and their own direct reports to identify and recommend areas of improvement to support increases in sales or stock turn, ex. Optimization of store assortments or range rationalization

Fully manage basic/core items in terms of projecting, ordering and store replenishment such as order calculation, submission, confirmation, order maintenance, PO allocation, etc

Work closely with vendors, stores and internal customers to resolve order and invoice discrepancies, compliance issues, RTVs and cycle count recommendations

Fully utilize analytical tools including Smartlook and Aptos Analytics to prepare standard and ad hoc reports for self and the team

Effectively allocate merchandise and balance inventory levels by store by merchandise category, identifying any issues to the flow of inventory and finding solutions or seeking support to resolve

Build and maintain all Allocation & Replenishment (A&R) forecast models, seasonality curves, lead times, dynamic min/max, and vendor review schedules to effectively manage vendor on order, backstock inventory, and daily store replenishment

Build new store inventory and assortment plans in partnership with Merchandise Planners and Buyers

Carry out post launch analysis of new store openings or new initiatives to ensure appropriate replenishment metrics are in place, taking remedial action if required

Effectively plan and manage entrance/exit strategies of seasonal products, including sell through reporting and risk reporting

Develop good working relationships with vendors and internal field leadership teams, ensuring any communication is timely, focused and supportive

Visit stores regularly to gain a full understanding of our customers and their needs and to gain firsthand perspective of the results of the planning and allocation process

To demonstrate every day the values of WHSmith North America

Qualification

Retail planningAnalytical skillsData managementExcel proficiencyMerchandising experienceProblem-solvingCommunication skillsTeam leadership

Required

Bachelor's degree with coursework in math or statistics preferred

2+ years of work experience in a retail corporate office or stores preferred

2+ years of experience in a retail planning or allocation role would be preferred

Experience with merchandising, analytics, planning, and/or allocation systems preferred

Robust problem-solving, analytical, and data management skills

Good knowledge of MS Office packages (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) with a high proficiency in Excel (pivot tables, lookups, and advanced formulas, power query a plus)

Satisfactory Criminal Background Check and Drug Testing May be required depending upon location