Retail Planner

Toys R Us is currently looking for an enthusiastic, professional, highly motivated, analytical, business savvy and resilient individual who will thrive in a fast-paced environment.

**Purpose**

The Merchandise/Retail Planner develops, maintains, analyzes and executes category level item plans for one or more departments. The Planner is also responsible for store allocations and works directly with Buyer and Merchandise & Planning Manager to achieve strategic goals. The position works directly with suppliers to exchange orders, sales data and item availability information. Manage, train and monitor the Orders Clerks.

**Chain Item Planning**
- Develop and maintain item sales and inventory plans
- Overall management and utilization of inventory procurement plan
- Develop item unit plan using the replenishment system software
- Develop inventory plan by week by chain.
- Recommend changes to assortment, markdowns, markups, and to promote items based on current rate of sales and go forward plans
- Track weekly sales performance and make adjustments to sales, forecast receipts and markdowns as needed
- Review item plans (forecasted sales and inventory) with Buyers and suppliers to ensure product availability
- Communicate inventory concerns for promotional and inline sales through the proper communication vehicles.
- Work with Buyers to develop consensus on forecast sales
- Provide Buyers with promotional forecast for input into ROI and marketing submissions

**Replenishment / Allocation**
- Order and manage inventory investments according to OTB and to ensure the right product arrives in the right location in the right quantity at the right time
- Analyze and determine allocation methods for items (Supplier to DC or Direct to Store), based on range profile, store profile and ranking
- Analyze, determine and execute initial orders for new items to include quantity and timing
- Utilizing the ordering, replenishment and inventory procurement plans, review, maintain and execute vendor orders to ensure proper flow of product from supplier to all stores/DC, within given Open To Buy, Weeks Of Supply, and in stock goals\
- Works directly with suppliers sharing orders, information on sales plans, performance metrics, and gathering data on item availability\
- Maintain the supplier/category ordering calendar to optimize inbound flow of goods.
- Analyze store and DC inventory and in-stocks to ensure appropriate store replenishment; execute changes either manually or utilizing allocation tools
- Collaborate with stores and marketing team to develop specific allocation segmentations, support critical roto and Key Item processes, and store specific merchandise requests
- Collaborates with Sales and Operation Team to address supply chain and system issues
- Collaborates with Logistics Team to ensure proper prioritization of hot/ needed product.
- Manage exception reporting to ensure proper allocation down to store level

**Assortment Planning**
- Maintain and partner with Buyers in understanding of store profiles for each category
- Work directly with Buyers to ensure that assortment plans and item eligibility directly coincide with replenishment plans
- Working with the same team and store planning, suggest appropriate store groupings and bin allocation.
- Validate presentation minimums to ensure enough inventory is available to support periodic events like end caps and feature space

**Financial Analysis, Pricing / OTB Planning**
- Responsible for maintaining financials including Open-to-Buy planning based on the inventory procurement plans.
- Engage with Buyers to manage current and future OTB status, identify issues and opportunities and develop strategies to optimize OTB planning
- Develop financial plans with Buyers to achieve the department’s annual sales and net margin goals
- Analyze sales data to identify key performance drives of sales performance and opportunities for expansion
- Analyse margin data to ensure budget goals are met
- Prepare and develop, plan and implement pricing strategies; implement price reductions

**SKU/Product/System Management**
- Review outliers, focus on items that doing well as well as those that are less successful to guide buying
- Consistently evaluate SKU count to ensure dominance of best-selling products and optimal range.
- Liaise with Buying team on system maintenance updates and changes, which include - delisting’s (product and/or suppliers), price changes (sell and cost), product loading, promotions, conditional pricing, product hierarchy, supplier details etc.

**Marketing/ Advertising & Promotions**
- Partner with the Buyers and Marketing team to review promotions and proofs all advertising before release
- Process catalogues and insert submissions on the system
- Track shipping and local orders on all advertised items and prioritize orders for warehouse and locals
- Proof ad copy/photography and proof advertising (pricing, codes, pagination)
- Track sales on advertised materia