Merchandise Planner Optical Retail - Vision express

Job description

**Role Purpose** The Merchandise Planner is responsible for planning, allocating, and replenishing optical products across the retail network to ensure the right products are available at the right store, at the right time, and in the right quantity. The role focuses on optimizing inventory productivity, maximizing product availability, supporting new store openings, and driving efficient stock management through close collaboration with Buying, Supply Chain, and Retail Operations. **Key Responsibilities** **1. Store Assortment Planning & Management** **Objective:** Maintain the optimal assortment across stores based on customer demand and business strategy. **Responsibilities** - Execute approved assortment plans across store clusters. - Allocate new products as per assortment strategy. - Monitor assortment compliance and identify assortment gaps. - Support seasonal launches, product introductions, and assortment refreshes. - Analyze assortment performance and recommend improvements. - Ensure planogram compliance across stores. **2. Inventory Planning & Replenishment** **Objective:** Ensure optimum inventory levels while maximizing product availability and minimizing stock inefficiencies. **Responsibilities** - Generate and monitor replenishment orders for all stores. - Validate order quantities based on sales trends, stock norms, and MBQ. - Ensure timely order execution and warehouse dispatch. - Track fill rates and resolve stock shortages. - Maintain display stock along with four weeks of buffer inventory. - Monitor Minimum Base Quantity (MBQ) compliance across stores. - Identify stock ageing, slow-moving inventory, and Stock-in-Transit (SIT). - Recommend inter-store stock transfers to improve inventory productivity. - Monitor overstock and understock situations and initiate corrective actions. **3. New Store Openings & Store Closures** **Objective:** Ensure seamless merchandise planning for store expansion and closure activities. **Responsibilities** - Prepare assortment and inventory plans for new store openings. - Coordinate with Buying, SCM, and Retail Operations to ensure timely merchandise availability. - Monitor new store inventory readiness until launch. - Plan inventory liquidation for store closures. - Ensure complete SAP inventory clearance during store closure. **4. Reporting & MIS** **Objective:** Provide timely and accurate planning reports to support business decisions. **Responsibilities** - Prepare weekly and monthly merchandising reports. - Maintain inventory, replenishment, and assortment MIS. - Track key inventory and availability KPIs. - Support business reviews with analytical reports and actionable insights. **Cross-Functional Collaboration** - Work closely with Buying to execute assortment strategies. - Coordinate with Supply Chain and Warehouse teams to ensure timely product availability. - Partner with Retail Operations to improve stock availability and planogram compliance. **Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)** - Assortment compliance across stores - Product availability (In-Stock %) - Replenishment fill rate - MBQ compliance - Inventory turnover - Stock ageing - Overstock and understock reduction - Inventory productivity - Timely execution of new store assortment - MIS accuracy and reporting timelines **Skills & Competencies** **Technical Skills** - Merchandise & Assortment Planning - Allocation & Replenishment - Demand Forecasting - SAP - Advanced Microsoft Excel - Power BI (Preferred) **Core Competencies** - Analytical Thinking - Inventory Optimization - Data Analysis - Problem Solving - Planning & Prioritization - Cross-functional Collaboration **Qualifications** - Bachelor's degree in Business, Commerce, Supply Chain, Retail Management, Engineering, or a related discipline. - MBA/PGDM in Retail, Supply Chain, or Operations is preferred.