EC Merchandising Planner

Introduction

Fast Retailing Co. LTD (FR) is a leading global Japanese retail holding company that designs, manufactures and sells clothing under six main brands:
Comptoir des Cotonniers, g.u., Helmut Lang, Princesse tam.tam, Theory and UNIQLO. With global sales in excess of $10.7 billion, FR is the world’s fourth largest apparel retail company, and UNIQLO is Japan’s leading specialty retailer. Today UNIQLO has more than 1,140 stores worldwide – seven of which are in the United States. Rapid expansion is targeted for the United States, China, and Europe and UNIQLO is poised to enter new markets.

We are looking for a Junior Merchandise Planner to join the Merchandise Planning Team. This position is responsible for meeting or exceeding sales and profit objectives in partnership with the E‑commerce team and managing multiple ad hoc projects related to overall e‑commerce channel planning and strategies.

• Manage both pre‑season and in‑season sales plan by SKU level weekly, monthly and seasonally.
• Build financial sales, gross margin and inventory plans at a weekly level on a seasonal basis.
• Provide analysis to support seasonal planning decisions and directions, inventory aging, full‑priced and markdown selling, gross margin, transfers and SKU productivity.
• Identify opportunities and implement processes to create efficiencies across the department.
• Communicate and partner cross‑functionally to inform and support e‑commerce business reviews, advertising effectiveness analysis, and assortment analytics.
• Support planning projects through the development of action‑focused solutions based on analysis.
• Present findings and proposed actions to cross‑functional team members and business leaders.
• Manage workload and schedule to support and meet all deadlines with accuracy.
• Create a pricing strategy by item that maximizes sales and gross profit.
• Reforecast in‑season business based on current performance, present revised projections and recommendations to cross‑functional partners and senior leadership.
• Create allocation strategies, incorporating the merchandise plan and flow strategy to meet store inventory needs.
• Plan product assortments (item, color, size) for each product category, manage replenishment plans and ensure stores have complete SKUs.
• Place orders for both seasonal and replenishment product buys.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional departments, e.g., Marketing and Store Operations, to ensure success of product strategies.
• Other duties as assigned by supervisor.
• Frequent in‑person collaboration.

• Bachelor’s degree with 3‑5 years of experience in buying, planning, inventory management or financial forecasting.
• Strong analytical and mathematical skills.
• High level of experience and proficiency in Excel.
• Proficiency in other Microsoft Office products – Word, PowerPoint, Outlook.
• Excellent analytical and business analysis skills.
• Ability to prioritize and handle multiple tasks.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Excellent communication skills, written and verbal.

$75,000 – $88,000 annually*

Fast Retailing is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Company does not discriminate against applicants or employees because of race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, veteran status, disability, age, citizenship, marital or domestic/civil partnership status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression. The Company is committed to equal pay initiatives and will not ask candidates for their current or past salary.