Position:Merchandise Planner 206 Department:Planning & Allocation Reports to:Manager of Planning Direct Reports:No FLSA Status:Exempt Location:3880 N Mission Los Angeles, CA 90031 With new owners and strong leadership, Forever 21 is evolving into what can only be described as a well known retail turnaround!
Now owned by SPARC Simon Property Group and Authentic Brands Group and led by CEO Daniel Kulle, 2020 was a year of reconstructing the foundation of this popular fashion brand to deliver amazing products that our customers expect to be trendy, relevant and value to them.
We’re implementing new strategic priorities across the company, determined to make Forever 21 a place where top technologists, creatives, and merchandizers will come to make their mark on the future of fast fashion retail with an enhanced commitment to sustainability and community engagement.
We welcome anyone to apply who has big ideas and is willing to roll up their sleeves to make those ideas a reality.
There are no ” Ivory tower” roles at Forever 21.
From the C-Suite to the Brand Associates, we’re making our transformation happen together.
If youre obsessed to serve our customer, if you elevate any team you work on, and if you are passionate about fashion, we want to hear from you!
Job Purpose: The Merchandise Planner will develop strategic merchandise plans for an assigned group of product categories to maximize sales and to meet financial objectives through the analysis of sales trends and forecasts.
The Planner will lead open-to-buy meetings with Divisional Merchandise Managers and Senior Buyers, providing strategic and analytical support to ensure the achievement of sales, gross margin, and key financial goals.
Deliverables: Manage the development of annual, seasonal, monthly, and weekly merchandise plans for assigned product categories Maintain area OTB to maintain appropriate stock levels, capitalize on emerging sales trends, and guide receipt flow to ensure volume driving product is received in a timely manner.
Partner with merchants to develop and propose business tactics in response to current business trends, advising them on open-to-buy, optimum unit purchasing, etc.
Develop multiple class level pricing recommendations and strategies in alignment with company financial objectives Re-forecast sales, margin, and turn OTB on a weekly basis and conduct bi-weekly meetings with buyers to discuss current business and plans of action as a team.
Develop projections and inventory flow for key items and collections, supporting buying team with weekly and monthly reports and event/promotion recaps Analyze and assess the sales performance of assigned product categories; revise in-season plans accordingly to maximize sales and profitability Partner with the Allocation team to develop and implement seasonal strategies according to region, climate, and other associated variables Routinely present recommendations and other analysis to senior leadership and executive management related to driving short and long-term business goals including hind-sights, color/pattern selling, etc.
Provide support, guidance, and sign-off to any merchandise plans developed by the Associate Planner Knowledge, Skills, and Qualifications: Must have a BABS degree; Finance, Operations, Retail Management, Business Management or an analytical focus is strongly preferred Must have 5-7 years of experience in retail merchandise planning; 2-3 year of experience in a lead or supervisory role is preferred Proficiency in Microsoft Excel required, including v-lookups, pivot tables, and basic macros; Must be able to manipulate large quantities of data in Microsoft Excel to drive business decisions Must have excellent time-management and organization skills Must be a self-starter, able to multi-task, and prioritize work in a fast-paced environment Must be able to effectively communicate, written and orally, with all levels of employees Knowledge of retail math, including return on investments, gross margin, initial markup, etc.
is essential What we Expect Customer Obsession; you know who your customer is and working in service to them is working in service to our end consumer.
Commitment to Top Talent; you are passionate about working with the best possible people.
You know how to attract them, develop them, and teach others to do the same.
Retail is Detail; the details tell the real story!
You are obsessed with quality product, quality experience, quality regardless of the segment of the company that your role occupies.
Even if you find some details challenging, you know who to ask for backup because what is most important is that your customer has the most excellent experience possible.
Entrepreneurial Spirit; your work is not just your job, its your passion.
You have and act on ideas about how to make your role, your department, and the company a better place.
You know why you want to be part of building Forever 21s future, are a highly collaborative and resourceful individual who can function at a high level, and are committed to collaborating every day.