Job Overview
The Merchandise Planner will be responsible for developing and managing sales, inventory, assortment, and merchandise plans to support retail growth and profitability. The role involves forecasting demand, optimizing stock levels, managing Open-to-Buy (OTB) budgets, analyzing retail performance, and providing commercial recommendations across brands, categories, stores, and sales channels.
The successful candidate will work closely with Buying, Merchandising, Supply Chain, Retail Operations, Marketing, and Finance teams to ensure the right products are available at the right time and in the right quantities.
Key Responsibilities
Merchandise and Sales Planning
- Develop seasonal, monthly, and weekly merchandise plans aligned with sales targets and commercial objectives.
- Prepare sales, inventory, stock intake, and demand forecasts by category, brand, store, and sales channel.
- Analyze historical sales performance, market trends, seasonality, customer demand, and promotional activity to improve merchandise forecasts.
- Track actual performance against budgets, forecasts, and business targets and recommend corrective actions where required.
- Support assortment and range planning based on customer preferences, product performance, and commercial opportunities.
- Identify sales trends and recommend actions to improve revenue, profitability, and stock productivity.
Inventory and Stock Management
- Maintain appropriate inventory levels to support product availability while minimizing excess stock.
- Monitor key inventory indicators including stock cover, sell-through, stock turn, ageing, and availability.
- Identify overstocked, understocked, slow-moving, and non-performing products and recommend appropriate inventory actions.
- Work with Supply Chain and Retail Operations teams to improve replenishment and stock allocation.
- Develop store-level allocation and replenishment plans based on sales performance and inventory requirements.
- Support new store openings by preparing initial merchandise, assortment, and stock requirements.
- Monitor inventory movements and identify potential stock risks before they affect sales performance.
Open-to-Buy and Financial Planning
- Manage and monitor the Open-to-Buy (OTB) plan in coordination with Merchandising and Finance teams.
- Track planned versus actual sales, purchases, inventory levels, and financial commitments.
- Analyze available inventory budgets and recommend future purchasing requirements based on sales trends and stock positions.
- Support markdown, promotional, and clearance planning to improve sell-through and reduce aged inventory.
- Monitor merchandise investment and ensure purchasing decisions remain aligned with financial targets.
Retail Reporting and Commercial Analysis
- Prepare regular merchandise performance and trading reports for management.
- Analyze important retail KPIs, including:
- Sales and sales growth
- Sell-through percentage
- Inventory turnover
- Stock cover
- Gross margin
- Average selling price
- Inventory ageing
- Product availability and out-of-stock percentage
- Markdown performance
- Identify commercial risks, sales opportunities, and inventory challenges through data analysis.
- Provide clear, actionable recommendations to improve merchandise and business performance.
- Maintain accurate merchandise planning data, forecasts, reports, and performance records.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner with Buyers and Merchandisers to translate category and brand strategies into effective merchandise plans.
- Work closely with Retail Operations to understand store-level sales performance, customer demand, and stock requirements.
- Coordinate with Marketing teams on promotions, product launches, campaigns, and seasonal activities.
- Collaborate with Supply Chain teams to support timely stock delivery, replenishment, and product availability.
- Work with Finance to align merchandise plans, OTB budgets, purchasing decisions, and financial targets.
- Communicate planning insights and recommendations effectively to relevant business stakeholders.
Key Performance Indicators
Performance in this Merchandise Planner role in Dubai may be measured through:
- Sales achievement against budget and forecast
- Merchandise forecast accuracy
- Inventory turnover
- Sell-through percentage
- Stock availability
- Inventory cover
- Gross margin performance
- Reduction in aged and slow-moving inventory
- Open-to-Buy accuracy and control
- Replenishment effectiveness
- Inventory productivity
Qualifications and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Retail Management, Supply Chain, Merchandising, or a related discipline.
- 3–5 years of experience in merchandise planning, retail planning, commercial planning, or a similar position.
- Experience in beauty, cosmetics, fashion, lifestyle, or specialty retail is preferred.
- Strong practical experience in sales forecasting, inventory planning, replenishment, assortment planning, and commercial analysis.
- Experience managing multiple brands, product categories, stores, or retail channels is an advantage.
- Strong understanding of retail sales and merchandise planning processes.
Technical Skills
- Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including Pivot Tables, XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP, SUMIFS, and data analysis.
- Strong knowledge of retail planning and merchandise performance KPIs.
- Experience with ERP, merchandise management, business intelligence, or retail planning systems.
- Strong numerical, analytical, and data interpretation skills.
- Ability to work with large datasets and convert analytical findings into practical commercial recommendations.
- Good understanding of forecasting, inventory management, and retail performance analysis.
Key Competencies
- Analytical and data-driven thinking
- Strong commercial awareness
- Merchandise and retail planning
- Inventory optimization
- Forecasting and demand analysis
- Open-to-Buy management
- Problem-solving and decision-making
- Stakeholder management
- Strong communication and collaboration
- Planning and organizational skills
- Attention to detail
- Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
- Proactive and results-oriented approach
- Understanding of customer behavior and market trends