Merchandise Planner, Travel Retail

Description

The Planner is responsible for driving sales and inventory planning for an assigned region within the Victoria's Secret Travel Retail business.

This role serves as a key business partner to Regional Area Managers and cross-functional teams, translating sales trends, market insights, and regional nuances into actionable plans that maximize sales and inventory productivity.

The Planner will own regional sales and Open-to-Buy forecasts across all merchandise categories, identify risks and opportunities, and influence inventory and business decisions in partnership with MP&A, Merchandising, Operations, and in-market teams.

This role requires a strong combination of analytical expertise, commercial curiosity, and relationship-building skills to support continued growth of the Travel Retail business.

• Own regional Sales and Open-to-Buy forecasts, ensuring alignment to financial objectives and business priorities.

• Develop category sales and inventory plans using selling trends, market insights, regional preferences, and seasonality.

• Forecast retail and shipped sales across Partners and Brands, reconciling top-down targets with regional bottom-up plans.

• Identify sales and inventory risks and opportunities and recommend actions to maximize sales and inventory productivity.

• Partner with MP&A and Operations to support timely and productive inventory allocation and deployment.

• Serve as a trusted business partner to Regional Area Managers and in-market teams, building a strong understanding of local markets, customers, and business needs.

• Partner cross-functionally with Merchandising, MP&A, Operations, and regional teams to connect financial plans with product and commercial strategies.

• Translate business performance and market insights into clear recommendations that influence decisions and drive regional growth.

• Bring a proactive, commercial perspective to partner discussions, identifying opportunities to improve performance and ways of working.

• Analyze regional selling, product performance, inventory ownership, and shipment trends to identify key business insights, risks, and opportunities.

• Develop clear and concise reporting and recommendations that enable cross-functional teams and leadership to make informed business decisions.

• Communicate business performance and key callouts effectively, translating complex data into a clear story and recommended actions.

• Identify opportunities to simplify and enhance planning processes, reporting, and ways of working across the Travel Retail organization.