Planner - Women's Classic Collections

Position Summary:

Position Summary   

Planners are responsible for the overall financial direction of a category or department(s) with the goal of meeting/ exceeding sales, margin and turn targets. 

The major responsibilities include:

• Developing seasonal merchandise financial plans and by-door plans, identifying and planning replenishment items, developing and managing to allocation strategy, and supporting the Buyer with a department(s) open to buy. 
• Work with Buyers in assortment and buy planning by facilitating layering of assortments and validating the integrity of initial allocation volumes.
•  In-season, Planners provide in-depth analysis of product performance and make recommendations to maximize business opportunities. 

Essential Functions

• Develop merchandise financial plans, vendor or class as appropriate

• Provide analytical inputs to support the Buyer in merchandise strategy planning, assortment planning and buy planning processes

• Develop replenishment budget and provide analytics required for planning and managing replenishment items

• Analyze sales, margin, turn and open-to-buy/ forecast performance against pre-season strategies and goals

• Provide forecasts and recommendations to support the Buyer in open-to buy process to manage business in season and maximize opportunities

• Reforecast replenishment budget to inform Open-to-Buy

• Oversee the creation of store plans

• Reconcile merchandise and by-door plans against top-side goals and assortment plans

• Oversee the development of allocations by store and replenishment analysis/forecasting

• Oversee style/SKU count analysis

• Develop and maintain vendor matrix

• Build a high quality planning team by developing partnerships, leading, coaching and providing constructive feedback

• Travels to all major markets and store trips as necessary

Requirements/Qualifications:

Position Requirements

Education & Experience:

• Bachelors degree strongly preferred

• 4-7 years of retail experience; 2-3 in merchandise or financial planning

• Proficient in business-related computer software (Microsoft Windows, Word, Excel, etc.)

Competencies:

• Possesses strong merchandising, product and marketing skills

• Demonstrates strong analytical and problem solving skills

• Is highly organized and able to multitask

• Builds and maintains productive relationships with peers and members of the merchant team

• Demonstrates leadership and decision-making skills

• Takes calculated risks to achieve results

• Demonstrates strong listening, written and oral communication skills

• Analyzes business to the lowest level to identify opportunities in sales, inventory, and margin by store, department, and class

• Reacts to business trends in a timely and efficient manner

• Adapts to shifting circumstances in a business environment

• Maintains professionalism in work relationships and habits

• Provides direction, counseling and coaching to staff

• Develops creative solutions to business issues

• Works effectively with staff and Divisional/BSS management to achieve sound financial and merchandising solutions based on analysis, input and experience

• Communicates effectively with stores and vendors

Physical:

• Available and able to travel

• Computer proficient.

• Able to sit for long periods of time and enter/review/revise analytical data

For reasonable accommodation information for an ADAAA qualified disability please see Belk Associate Handbook for policy and procedures.