Merchandise Planner

About the role

Foschini is looking for a Merchandise Planner to lead a small team of a planner and allocator. The role covers seasonal and annual merchandise planning, forecasting and inventory control, working closely with Buyers, Supply Chain, Logistics, Stores and Finance.

Key responsibilities

• Develop seasonal and annual merchandise plans aligned to company financial targets.
• Forecast sales, margin, inventory and profit at department and category level.
• Manage Open-to-Buy (OTB) budgets and adjust stock investments based on trading performance.
• Partner with Buyers to create balanced and commercially effective assortments.
• Analyse sales trends, stock productivity and customer demand to identify risks and opportunities.
• Drive markdown and clearance strategies to maximise sell-through and profitability.
• Monitor key retail metrics such as GMROI, sell-through, inventory turn, weeks of supply and margin performance.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain, Logistics, Stores and Finance to ensure effective stock flow and availability.
• Lead a small team consisting of a planner and allocator.

Required profile

• Degree or diploma in Business, Retail, Supply Chain, Finance, Mathematics or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of retail merchandise planning experience.
• Strong understanding of inventory management, forecasting, OTB and retail financial planning.
• Strategic and commercial thinking, strong analytical and numerical ability, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Behavioural expectations: drives results, ensures accountability, plans and aligns, adapts to situations and thinks strategically.

Required skills

• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
• Experience with retail planning systems.
• Inventory and OTB management expertise.