Junior Location Planner Power Fashion at Mr Price Group

Job Description

• Under general direction create the department's astute pre-season & in-season store sales plans that meet the store's needs in terms of the correct buy shape per store profile & maximize store sales, clearance and space. The above is done under guidance & in direct collaboration with the line manager.                                                    

Responsibilities
Current Trade:

• Extract & analyse store KPI's by sub-department season.
• Complete a draft report highlighting all issues impacting performance.
• Can lead a discussion to develop an action plan that will maximize store sales, clearance & space.
• Assist the location planner with regards to re-forecasting in-season store sales to adjust for the current trade variances.
• Convert the store sales plan to a stock plan in OTS (Open to Ship) in order to adjust SAS (Strategic Allocation System) allocations.
• Monitor store size service levels on replenishment lines in order to maximize replenishment sales.
• Analyse store cover ratio to ensure optimum distribution of stock.

Post Mortem:

• Collaborating with the location planner to review the previous season's zero-based plan (ZBP) in order to conclude the previous seasons missed opportunities.
• Summarize in the post-mortem the previous seasons performance (sub dept. store season KPI's, grade & portfolio) based off current trade reports & compile key lessons learnt.
• Complete store grading in APS (Assortment Planning System) in order to provide the merchant planning team with unit buy recommendations which will inform their strategy      

Seasonal Strategy:

• Collaborating with the location planner develop a seasonal strategy for the sub department which will include strategic objectives & a top line financial plan which is aligned to the previous seasons post mortem & growth opportunities in comparable, new, enhanced stores as well as reduced & discontinued stores.
• Contribute to the strategy discussion & aggregate the seasonal strategy to be presented to the management team ensuring it is aligned to key company growth initiatives.                

Building an Assortment:

• Collaborating with the location planner build the assortment plan in order to balance the assortment back to key strategic store requirements.
• Amend where required store grading & unit buys in order to finalize assortment to buy.
• Contribute to the preparation of the required presentation documents in order to articulate variances to strategy in respect of profiles, grades & stores.                                                                          

Product Allocation/Stock Allocation:

• Amend the in-season store sales plan in order to check that all store performance deviations are accounted for before final allocations are finalized.
• Adjust & balance the forward allocations checking that required units per store are met & that the strategic assortment shape is executed as per the OTS (Open to Ship) plan.
• Monitor units being accrued for new store openings & report on variances.
• Perform store consolidations in order to optimize store stock levels.                                                           

Coaching & Development:

• Provide coaching to trainee location planner within your greater team.

Qualifications
Education:

• A Degree or Diploma is required with 2-3 related quantitative or supply chain subjects.

Experience:

• 1 Year in equivalent role or trainee program.

Knowledge/ Skills:

• Professional Skills include: current trade, post mortem, build a seasonal strategy & assortment.
• Technical Skills include: computer literacy & planning system.
• Candidate should have retail knowledge, brand and product understanding, customer & retail market