Overview
Senior Merchandise Planner Jobs in Tokyo, Japan at Jimmy Choo
Title: Senior Merchandise Planner
Company: Jimmy Choo
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Department: Merchandising Team
Reporting to: Senior Manager, Merchandising
Role Purpose:
Drive regional business performance by owning location-level planning, stock optimization and space management across the region’s store network. Build strong relationships with retail teams to translate on-the-ground insight into actionable plans. Work closely with the Planner, Allocation, Merchandising and Regional teams to create comprehensive store-level plans that maximize sales, profitability and inventory efficiency.
Key Accountabilities:
Location Planning and Budgeting
- Own location-level planning in the planning tool to meet topline KPIs set by regional leadership team
- Create, maintain and update stretch store-level sales plans aligned with retail targets
- Input daily sales phasing into planning tool aligning with company and regional calendars
- Share retail strategies with Planner to create collaborative Building Blocks
- Contribute market-level insights to seasonal and longer-term strategic planning, including input on store expansion, relocation and closure decisions
Trade and Store Optimization
- Review weekly store performance, identifying challenges and opportunities with emphasis on timely resolution
- Creating action plans for focus stores, tracking outcomes and delivering results to the wider teams
- Create and maintain comprehensive store-level calendars tracking events, holidays, weather and local factors that affect sales performance
- Conduct regular market visits to identify opportunities, validate plans and strengthen retail relationships
- Summarize in-market feedback for Region and Global teams, ensuring local insight informs central strategy
- Drive frequent and open communication with Area Managers and store management teams
- Track and report on store-level KPIs including sales vs plan, sell-through, stock cover, availability, sales density and forecast accuracy
- Identify process improvements and efficiencies in branch planning workflows, tools and reporting
Stock Optimization and Inventory Management
- Own the replenishment template strategy ensuring that they are flexed in accordance with seasonal demands.
- Managing execution of templates by Allocator
- Identify and recommend opportunities to the Allocator to improve sales performance through stock rebalancing, consolidation and transfers
- Share templates with central planning partners to ensure item forecasts reflect store & Ecom needs
- Partner with Ecom team to review templates to capture gross demand & optimizing fulfil from store rates
- Monitor inventory levels at store level, reviewing stock cover, sell-through & capacities to flag risks and opportunities
- Drive the stock planning requirements for new store openings, store events, capsules and pop-ups, sharing plans with the wider team
- Oversee the intake process to ensure timely delivery of seasonal buys and manage ad hoc delivery needs with customer services
- Participate in S&OE meetings to provide insights into stock management
- Feed into DC long range distribution plans reflecting regional inventory strategies
Markdowns and Promotions
- Manage markdown, promotion and end-of-season activity
- Identify where targeted promotions or markdowns are needed within the outlet channel to liquidate stocks, with knowledge of promotional levers and expected results
- Manage regional end of life activities e.g. sample sales
- Ensure markdown strategies align with store needs and that inventory is proactively managed
- Execution of optimal stock flows between full-price and outlet
Space and Capacity Management
- Work with the Retail team to understand each store’s individual capacity, fixture layout and space constraints
- Identify upsides from space changes and feed back to the Planner to guide future range plans
- Analyze sales density by department to ensure space allocation is aligned with commercial performance. Maintain and refine store profiles
- Support store refit, remodel and visual merchandising changes with planning input on stock impact and capacity requirements
Sizing
- Oversee the sizing strategy for seasonal buys, incorporating changing market and client profile needs
- Analyze size selling profiles by store and region.
Qualification/Education
- Graduate calibre individual
Experience Required
- 5 years merchandising planning experience within a fashion retail background, preferably within a luxury brand
Particular skills/knowledge required
- Advanced Excel skills essential, with the ability to handle large data sets
- Strong quantitative and analytical skills with exceptional reporting capabilities and attention to detail
- Commercial awareness to maximise sales and profit opportunities
- Knowledge of supply chain processes, particularly replenishment systems
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels
