What are the responsibilities and job description for the Merchandise Planner (Apparel) position at Lucchese?
Job Summary:
The Merchandise Planner (Apparel) owns the Open-to-Buy (OTB), inventory management, and in-season financial execution for the Apparel category. This role translates high-level departmental financial plans into actionable category-level strategies and is accountable for delivering performance against approved sales, margin, and inventory targets. The Planner partners closely with the Buyer, Product Development, Allocations, and Senior Leadership to proactively identify risks and opportunities, recommend business adjustments, and support long-term category growth. This position plays a critical role in strengthening Lucchese’s planning infrastructure as the Apparel and Accessories businesses continue to scale.
Scope of job:
The Merchandise Planner (Apparel) is an individual contributor role responsible for executing and managing category-level financial plans developed by the Sr. Director of Merchandise & Planning and executive leadership. While high-level revenue, margin, and inventory targets are established at the departmental level, this role owns the detailed Open-to-Buy management, forecasting, inventory strategy, and in-season financial adjustments required to achieve those targets.
This position:
- Owns and manages the Apparel Open-to-Buy (OTB) and inventory flow
- Is accountable for performance against assigned category financial plans
- Independently manages tactical in-season adjustments within approved financial guardrails
- Provides data-driven recommendations to mitigate risk and maximize opportunity
- Partners cross-functionally but does not independently establish company-level financial targets
Duties/Responsibilities:
Financial Planning & Ownership
- Own and manage Open-to-Buy (OTB) for the Apparel category, ensuring alignment with approved financial targets.
- Translate executive-level financial plans into detailed category-level sales, margin, and inventory forecasts.
- Develop and maintain rolling forecasts and financial models to support in-season decision-making.
- Accountable for delivering category performance against assigned budgets.
- Analyze weekly and monthly performance trends, identifying risks and recommending corrective actions to mitigate downside or maximize opportunity.
Inventory & Risk Management
- Monitor inventory productivity, including sell-through, turns, aging, and weeks-of-supply.
- Recommend rebuys, transfers, markdowns, or assortment shifts to optimize performance.
- Identify vendor, production, or demand risks and propose strategic adjustments to protect margin and inventory health.
- Support forecasting for domestic production and replenishment needs.
Strategic Partnership
- Partner with Buyer to support assortment strategy with data-driven insights.
- Provide scenario modeling and financial analysis to evaluate category growth opportunities.
- Advise leadership on category performance, risk exposure, and recommended business actions.
- Support expansion of Apparel as part of broader diversification strategy beyond Footwear production capacity.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Work closely with Product Development to align financial strategy with sourcing and development timelines.
- Collaborate with Allocation and Store Operations teams to optimize product flow and store-level inventory management.
- Communicate financial and inventory insights clearly to leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.
Required Skills/Abilities:
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Excellent interpersonal skills.
- Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Strong analytical and financial modeling skills.
- Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
- Ability to translate data into actionable strategic recommendations.
- Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects concurrently.
- Advanced proficiency in Excel; experience with planning systems preferred.
- Ability to work independently while managing category-level financial accountability.
- Demonstrates sense of urgency and results orientation.
Education, Experience, and/or Certifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Merchandising, or related field required.
- 5–7 years retail planning or merchandise planning experience preferred.
- Experience managing or supporting Open-to-Buy (OTB) processes preferred.
- Experience in apparel or specialty retail preferred.
Physical Requirements:
- Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
- Must be able to lift up-to 15 pounds at times.
- Must be able to hear, and listen, to effectively communicate.
- Travel required up to 20% of the time.