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Associate Merchandise Planner - Women's Fashion
Lucky Brand
Los Angeles, CA, United States
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Overview
Lucky Brand is true blue American. Born and bred in Los Angeles, Lucky shipped its first pair of vintage-inspired jeans in 1990 and quickly became known as a pioneer and innovator in the world of modern denim. Synonymous with the easy Southern California lifestyle and the fearless American spirit, Lucky Brand creates great fitting, good quality, distinctively Lucky jeans and fashion that works with the American lifestyle. Our collections are carried at better department and specialty stores and over 200 of our company-owned stores across the U.S.A., as well as online at LuckyBrand.com.
Rooted in Americana, Lucky Brand is inspired by active Californian types like surfers, cowboys, artists, musicians, and photographers, as well as anyone who embodies our fun-loving, friendly vibe.
The Women's Fashion Associate Planner will develop, execute, and communicate strategic merchandise financial plans that support the company’s financial, product, and marketing objectives for 6-12 departments or one division. Strategically drive the business in order to maximize sales and margin, and optimize inventory. Contribute to the development of Brand initiatives, and ensure that all planning activities support annual goals.
Responsibilities
Planning
• At a department/division level, develop sales, gross margin, and inventory plans that support the company’s profit objectives. Collaborate with merchandising to ensure that financial objectives align with product opportunities.
• Guide the merchandising team, utilizing historical data and current trends, to capitalize on new opportunities, and identify risks. Communicate opportunities and risks to key business partners including merchandising, finance, marketing, visual, and brand leaders.
• Build and maintain a strategic promotional calendar, in partnership with merchandising and marketing
• Provide guidance on key/peak weeks
Weekly Business Management
• Provide updated weekly forecasts to merchandising team detailing category opportunities and risks, recommending markdowns, and reflowing inventory as needed. Ensure that all decisions are based on historical data and/or current trends.
• Present “action points” to cross functional teams and senior management and gain consensus on business.
• Manage seasonal liabilities, inventory by source, and recommend reflow of new deliveries as needed.
Owner of the Strategic Forecast Review (SFR)
• Partner with merchandising, visual and marketing to develop 90 day forecast for sales, margin, and inventory.
• Develop analytics to support business approach including monthly and seasonal forecasts.
• Pre-meet with divisional leadership to gain consensus prior to monthly strategic meeting.
• Lead and direct the monthly forecast meeting providing guidance to business leaders and finance. Recommend strategic actions to maximize sales and margin, optimize inventory, and mitigate risk.
• Collaborate with the merchant team on the receipt reconciliation process. Ensure that on order and committed receipts are delivering in time to support forecasts. Recommend “chasing” or “reflowing” receipts as appropriate.
Managing and Developing Talent
• Partner with lead merchants to create a team environment that encourages collaboration and creativity within the business unit.
• Lead planning silo ensuring that all company objectives and current and future business plans are executed.
• Create collaborative relationships with merchant team.
Assortment Planning & Assortment Planning Prep
• Review historical performance at the category and key item level. Present analysis by source, delivery, and category to merchants to understand prior performance and develop future goals.
• Pre season create department, category and item plans to support the development of the line.
• Provide receipt plans, margin and IMU goals, and flow strategies to merchants and associate planner to drive assortment execution.
• Review and reconcile assortments with allocation to ensure appropriate breadth and depth. Provide guidance on layered buys maximizing each store grouping.
• Lead and facilitate buy finalization meeting with merchant. Present pre season plans that support new assortment. Identify risks and opportunities relative to product, flow, and presentation. Gather historical item sales data that supports buy quantities.
• Gain consensus on assortment and plans from senior management. Lock plans seasonally and ensure that any re-forecasting of sales, margin, or inventory (based on changes in trends) is reflected as new assortments are delivered.
Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required
• Minimum 2+ years merchandise planning experience; 3 or more years of total work experience
• Demonstrated experience
◦ Presenting and recommending strategies and building a business case
◦ Strategic forecasting for a multidimensional business
◦ Assuming additional areas of accountability successfully
◦ Influencing and negotiating at a variety of levels
• Well-developed written and verbal communication skills including presenting complex material in an organized and compelling manner
• Well-versed in planning and allocation systems, as well as advanced Microsoft windows applications
• Adapt to a fast pace ever changing environment
Physical Capabilities:
• Effectively use office equipment including computers, telephones, copiers and faxes
• Sit for extended periods of time in one position
• Possess normal manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination
• Strong written and verbal communication skills