Senior Merchandise Planner

To maximise Sales and Profitability in the Business by providing effective Merchandise Strategies, Planning and In Season management of Assortments and Inventory by Department /Concept/Territory/Class/Sub-Class and Item levels to achieve or exceed strategic targets set by the Business.

• Prepare a Post Seasonal Analysis of past performance at Concept/Territory and Department levels down to Class/Sub-Class and Item levels.
• Discuss and prepare a SWOT analysis of the above and document action plans in preparation for the Strategic Planning Process.
• Derive Seasonal Strategies on Sales, Pricepoint, Supplier, Brands, Size, Colour and Assortment Dimensions (where applicable) at Concept/Territory levels down to Class/Sub-Class levels together with the Buyers taking into account past performance and future trends.
• Presentation of the Departmental Strategies to the Management for approval
  .
• Prepare and Derive Seasonal Budgets at Concept/Territory levels down to Class/Sub-Class levels based on the approved Strategy to match the Financial targets set for Sales, Opening/Closing Stocks, Inflows, Forward covers and Sales Margins.
• Prepare and Drive Merchandise Financial Plans for Sales, Opening and Closing stocks with Forward covers and Planned Inflows for by month and Season with agreed Inflow and Sales Margin Percentages at Dept/Class/Subclass levels (where applicable).
• Prepare Store Grading at Class/Sub Class levels to determine the width and depth of ranges for large, medium and small stores with order quantities (where applicable).
• Prepare a Theoretical Range Plan and present to the Planning Manager for approval.
• Share the above with the Buyers and together finalise into a Buy Plan (Range Plan) by month at Class/Subclass levels to match the Strategy Plans for (Quantities, Options, Prices and Suppliers) and financial parameters (OTB/Inflows) set by Month.
• Prepare reports to measure actuals against plan for In‑Season management of all of the above (where applicable).

• Monitor Orders being placed against Open to Buy targets by month on the Buy Plan ensuring that the orders are placed timeously and according to assortment plans.
• Ensure that Order Status and Deliveries are followed up and that proposed actions are communicated to the buyers for action to be taken, where deliveries deviate from the plan to ensure availability.
• Monitor Reports on Performance of Dept/Concept/Territory performance down to Class/Subclass (where applicable) to identify any exceptions to Sales, Stockholdings, Forward Covers and Inflows and propose actions on out‑of‑line situations to the Buyers in a weekly Department meeting with action to be taken by the Planner (where applicable).
• Monitor Good and Bad selling Items to agreed parameters and propose actions to be taken on Reorders or Price Adjustments for Slow sellers
  .
• Ensure the availability of all replenishment items and that a scheduled review of Replenishment Orders take place to ensure availability and that there are no stock outs
  .
• Check that all stock received in Territories is allocated to Stores and is selling
  , discuss out‑of‑line situations with the Buyers and inform Territories of out‑of‑line situations for action to be taken.
• Check for Items that need consolidation to agreed parameters and inform Territories for action
  .

• Monitor Seasonal Budget performance against Plan and reforecast taking into account past performance and trends for Sales, Opening and Closing Stocks and monthly Inflows/Open to Buy (monthly).
• Monitor Sales Margins to ensure that margins are being achieved across Territories by department (Bi‑Monthly).
• Propose any adjustments or actions for the exceptions above
  , propose actions to be taken together and with the agreement of the Buyers to Management for approval on a (Monthly).
• Identify consolidations of stock based on agreed parameters and propose with the Buyer to Management for approval and communicating to the Territories on actions to be taken.
• Identify and propose Price Adjustments to be actioned on slow sellers with the Buyer to Management for…