Merchandise Planner

Position Location: Remote Florida

Title: Merchandise Planner

Reports To: VP of Planning & Allocation

Position Scope and Summary: Responsible for the overall management and control of inventory capital to maximize sales, profitability and inventory turn for the assigned departments for all retail channels. Build seasonal financial plans, analyze business trends and re-forecast sales, inventory, and margin. Recommend options to maximize sales opportunities while minimizing inventory risks.

Essentials Jobs & Responsibilities Merchandise Plan Strategy

• Partner with VP of Planning and Allocations on strategic merchandise financial plans at the department and class, vendor and attribute levels, utilizing performance history, current trends and future product strategies for all retail channels (Stores, Direct, etc) that support the merchandising, marketing and financial objectives for the area of responsibility.
• Drive financial results that maximize sales, inventory and bottom-line profitability.
• Analyze and revise the financial strategy based on current trends on a weekly basis to provide executable action plans that will ensure goals are achieved.
• Communicate risks and opportunities in plans, forecasts and open-to-buy to the VP of Planning and Allocations.
• Develop stock assortment plans which allows for continual introduction of new items.
• Determine stock assortment buy quantities based on sales and turn plan objectives, in conjunction with the buying team.
• Own, develop, and maintain style counts per fixture by category, ensuring store assortments align with fixture capacity and visual merchandising standards.
• Analyze store-level allocations to ensure appropriate distribution of styles, preventing over-assortment and maximizing sales potential within fixture capacities.
• Analyze item performance, track actual vs. plan sales and reforecast inventory needs on a continuous basis. Communicate results with the buying team to formulate appropriate actionable options.
• Determine item level sales projections for promotional and feature event merchandise in conjunction with buying team.
• Develop on-going exit strategies to effectively address slow moving merchandise and communicate action items to the buying team.
• Report on sales performance at the department, class, vendor, category and item level; summarizing sales, turn, and profitability results for promotional and feature events, and key/core item categories.
• Provide weekly and monthly recaps, as assigned, to the merchandise management team that support the decision-making process.
  
  

Inventory Control

• Maintain financial controls to ensure efficient use of inventory capital for all retail channels.
• Evaluate in-season performance for sales trends, inventory turns and item profitability. Provide recommendations to adjust purchasing levels, pricing, liquidation, and allocation strategies to ensure that financial objectives are achieved.
• Reforecast the components of the OTB, including sales, receipts, markdowns and inventory.
• In conjunction with the buying team, formulate recommendations that will ensure that seasonal and annual financial objectives are achieved.
• Determine optimal inventory levels based on appropriate weeks-of-supply criteria for sales and presentation stock, at the department, class, vendor, category and item levels.
  
  

Communication

• Maintain a collaborative partnership and negotiate effectively with internal colleagues, including Buyers, Planners, Dallas DC, and Store Operations.
• Manage any department or division projects as required.
  
  

Core Competencies

• Ability to solve a wide range of complex, multi-disciplinary problems, which must consider short and intermediate term company-wide planning.
• Ability to negotiate and persuade team members in complex business situations.
• Must be flexible and be able to multi-task in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong analytical and organizational skills.
• Ability to develop strong relationships across all levels of the organization.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Experience with Fixtures, assortment, and presentation in stores.
  
  

Leadership Criteria & Skills

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to distinguish opportunities from risks given the amount of data available.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to deliver convincing presentations clearly identifying business issues and recommendations to senior executives.
• Strong computer skills with an excellent working knowledge of Excel, Word, and database query. Prior experience with retail planning systems such as ANT Toolbox and automated replenishment systems.
• Proven ability to create and execute a sound business strategy.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to prioritize and manage varying workloads.
• Flexible and adaptive to changing priorities.
• Ability to create a team-work atmosphere, at any and all levels of the organization, in a fast-paced and demanding environment.
• Able to manage and develop direct reports.
• Demonstrates managerial and leadership skills.
  
  

Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in related area.
• Minimum 3 years merchandise planning and allocation experience in a multi- store, high-paced environment with a Softlines/Fashion background preferred.
• Minimum 1 year managing distribution and allocation associates.
  

Additional Requirements

Occasional overnight travel may be required as needed.

STYLE AND CUSTOMER SERVICE OBSESSED? DIVE INTO A CAREER IN FASHION!

Everything But Water is the largest specialty retailer of women’s swimwear and resortwear in the US, with over 90 stores coast-to-coast and a leading website at everythingbutwater.com. Everything But Water offers an unparalleled, year-round selection of head-to-sandy-toe getaway essentials, from designer swimsuits, cover-ups, and sundresses to jewelry, totes, sandals, and more.

Everything But Water is an Equal Opportunity Employer.