What are the responsibilities and job description for the Merchandise Planner position at SBH Fashion?
Title: Merchandise Planner
Position Summary
The Merchandise Planner is a key member of the planning, merchandising and sales organization, responsible for developing and executing seasonal buying strategies, managing open-to-buy and pre-season budgets, and identifying opportunities for optimizing inventory across channels. This role bridges buying, merchandising, and analytics — ensuring the right products are available at the right time and in the right quantities to drive sell-through and pro?tability.
Responsibilities
Buying & Assortment Planning
Position Summary
The Merchandise Planner is a key member of the planning, merchandising and sales organization, responsible for developing and executing seasonal buying strategies, managing open-to-buy and pre-season budgets, and identifying opportunities for optimizing inventory across channels. This role bridges buying, merchandising, and analytics — ensuring the right products are available at the right time and in the right quantities to drive sell-through and pro?tability.
Responsibilities
Buying & Assortment Planning
- Develop and execute seasonal buying plans built from bottoms-up rollups, aligned with brand strategy and sales targets
- Manage open-to-buy (OTB) budgets across categories to maximize sell-through and minimize excess inventory
- Partner with sales, design, and brand teams to curate an assortment that re?ect customer pro?les and market trends
- Identify and pursue opportunities for in-season buys, replenishments, and discount strategies
- Analyze sales performance, margin, and sell-through data to inform assortment decisions and future planning
- Collaborate with cross functional partners to develop compelling product presentations and line sheets
- Monitor competitive landscape and retail trends to ensure the assortment remains market-relevant
- Support the development of markdown and promotional strategies to clear slow-moving inventory
- Coordinate product availability timelines with sales to align on delivery windows and launch calendars
- Develop and manage replenishment strategies for core and continuity programs
- Coordinate with warehouse, logistics, and operations teams to ensure accurate inventory tracking and timely order ful?llment
- Manage transfer order creation and inventory receipt reconciliation in NetSuite, serving as the internal point of accountability for system accuracy across the supply chain
- Build and maintain weekly, monthly, and seasonal reporting on sell-through, revenue, OTB, and account performance
- Present data-driven insights and recommendations to senior leadership and cross-functional partners
- Develop forecasts and scenario plans to support buying decisions and ?nancial target-setting
- Track KPIs against plan and communicate variances with clear action plans
- Leverage AI and analytics tools (e.g., Excel, Claude) to create scalable reporting frameworks
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Supply Chain, Merchandising, or a related ?eld
- 3 years of experience in merchandise planning, buying or a related retail planning role
- NetSuite experience
- Experience managing open-to-buy budgets and working within structured planning cycles
- Strong understanding of in-season inventory management, including sell-through, weeks of supply, and inventory ?ow
- Advanced Excel skills (pivot tables, lookups, basic modeling); experience with planning or BI tools a plus
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate data into actionable insights
- High attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
- Strong cross-functional communication skills with the ability to partner effectively with Planning, Sales, Operations, Marketing, and Production teams
- Proactive, solution-oriented mindset with a willingness to learn and take ownership
Salary : $90,000 - $100,000