Sr. Merchandising Store Planner

POSTING - SR. Merchandising Store Planner and Allocator

Who we are:

Go Retail Group is based in Austin, Texas, and is the world’s largest operator of holiday pop-up stores. We are the dominate retailer of calendars, games and toys products in shopping centers nationwide. We opened our first stores in 1993, and operate over 630 stores in malls, outlets, shopping centers, and lifestyle centers across the United States under Go Calendars, Go Games, and Go Toys brands.

Our business has grown to include year-round stores, in-house brands, e-commerce, 3PL services, and 380,000 square feet of warehouse space.

Go Retail Group is a family of brands comprised of Toys”R”Us Mall of America,Babies “R” Us , Calendars.com, Go Toys and Games, Calendar Club Australia/New Zealand, Calendar Club Canada, Calendar Club UK, Attic Salt, Snoozimals, NIQUEA.D, Carousel Worldwide, Tiny Headed Kingdom, and Kobioto.

We are established retailers with a passion for innovation, operations, and community.

Our Values:

We are a family-owned business and believe in operating responsibly and with heart. Our values are the foundation to our business.

• Innovate and collaborate: We never want to stop dreaming and bringing ideas to life as a team.
• Integrity and transparency: How we show up in everything we do matters to us.
• Community: We take pride in being a supportive and flexible employer, building deep relationships with our partners, and have a positive impact on our diverse communities and ecosystems.
• Fun: At the core, Go Retail Group is about bringing joy to our customers. The process to get there should be fun and challenging.

What we are looking for

Come and be part of a great company. We are looking for a self-starter with excellent organizational skills, excellent communication skills, impressive follow-through, and intuitive, thoughtful, kind, outstanding time management skills, with the utmost attention to detail.

Exciting opportunity to become a team member for our Merchandise Department as a Sr. Merchandise Store Planner and Allocator to support our stores. This role will be an in-office role reporting directly to the Sr. Director of Merchandise Planning and Allocation. The goal is to maximize company sales growth and profitability by working closely as a team on designing and implementing thoughtful inventory strategies that promote profitable sales growth and satisfy customer demand.

The successful candidate will work with collaborative team that likes to have fun and must thrive in a fast-paced environment. Looking for an excel wizard with an understanding of the business side of retail. Gather data, analyze and leverage it for positive changes. You have experience working with stakeholders across multiple departments, including merchandising/buying teams, distribution centers, information systems, and ecommerce roles. Direct experience in a similar role is helpful but not required; what is required is a firm grasp of retail data analysis, and some working experience in either buying, planning, or allocations. A good sense of humor is a big plus. If this sounds like the role for you, we want to hear from you

Overview:

The Sr. Merchandise Store Planner and Allocator maintains appropriate inventory levels in stores, responds to store requests, analyzes sales trends and supports the Product Planning department. The Planner will build strong relationships with buying team, planning team, and our stores to better understand and address store needs. Will also work with key partners to deliver business goals for all company stores. Provides in-season financial projections and strategies. Drives and/or contributes to projects resulting in improved departmental systems and efficiencies.

Essential Functions:

• Respond to store requests
• Helps drive store level sales through merchandise allocation strategies and assortment of product.
• Monitor and report sales trends to ensure that buy quantities and stock levels meet current trends and
• Work with stores to actively manage inventory levels. This includes product requests, proactively increase target orders on key core items and major initiatives, recommending titles to add, increasing/decreasing inventory, resolving discrepancies as they arise
• Responsible for reviewing stock to sales ratios, responding to changes sales and ensuring plan sales, plan markups and plan markdowns are achieved
• Assist in merchandising of stores and create store plan o grams; determine product and shelving needs per store
• Perform in-season and post-season reviews to identify opportunities to maximize sales and minimize loss
• Work with buyers and visual merchandisers to create productive store presentations, assorting merchandise across categories
• Work with Director to manage allocation for incoming merchandise, maintain on hand product targets by stores, keep store inventory levels appropriate to store size and sales volume
• Work with Director to collaborate with distribution manager to achieve inbound/outbound flow strategies.
• Shipment tracking and resolution
• Work with buyers to optimized product mix per store concept
• Reviewing sales reports
• Some weekend work required
• This position is in office at the Austin, Texas corporate office

Qualifications/Basic Job Requirements:

• 3+ years of experience in merchandising, planning/allocation, buying or equivalent experience preferred
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
• Strong financial acumen, analytical skills including the ability to read, analyze and interpret retail sales, present data and analysis and inventory reports.
• Excellent organizational skills and able to prioritize tasks daily and weekly
• Excellent attention to detail
• Passionate, energetic, with a desire to drive results
• Advanced Excel skills and a knack for manipulating data
• Strong analytical, verbal and written communication skills, including ability to follow up, give clear instructions, ask the right questions, and be professional
• Experience with merchandising, retail, and customer service
• Enthusiasm for planning and strategy
• Ability to work productively in a team environment
• Result driven, strategic, conceptual and innovative thinker

Benefits and perks

• Medical, Dental, Vison, Life Insurance, Short Term & Long-Term Disability
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• A generous employee discount to our retail stores
• Bonus opportunities
• Very relaxed dress code
• Strong 401K Match
• Generous PTO program
• Paid maternity leave
• Birthday Day Off
• Other fun perks
• Great working environment and team
• Family atmosphere
• Good place to work and plan your career
• Company events

This job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this position. The actual duties, responsibilities, and qualification may vary based on assignment.

Go Retail Group is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, gender, age, national origin, religion, marital status, veteran status, or sexual orientation.