Merchandise and Planning Analyst

As the Planning + Buying Analyst at Jac + Jack, you will play a central role in driving sales performance and profitability across our retail, wholesale, and e-commerce channels. Reporting directly to the Commercial Director, this hybrid role combines merchandise planning, sales analysis, and strategic buying. You will own the seasonal open-to-buy (OTB) planning, option planning, seasonal sales reviews, and in-season trading activities to maximise sellthrough and margin. Your analytical mindset, commercial awareness, and collaborative approach will be critical to ensuring our product strategy delivers both brand vision and financial results. Key Responsibilities: 1. Planning & Strategy: Develop and manage seasonal open-to-buy (OTB) plans to align stock investment with sales and gross profit targets. Create and maintain seasonal option plans, ensuring balanced assortments across retail, e-commerce, and wholesale. Lead seasonal sales reviews to identify opportunities and inform future buying strategies. Drive in-season trading decisions, including promotions and markdowns, to maximise sellthrough and margin. 2. Sales Analysis & Reporting: Analyse sales, stock, and sellthrough data across all channels to identify trends, risks, and opportunities. Provide actionable insights and regular reporting to the Commercial Director and General Manager to inform trading and range decisions. Track sellthrough targets and monitor in-season performance against plan. 3. Buying & Range Development: Partner with design and product teams to curate commercially focused seasonal ranges. Use historical performance, market trends, and customer insights to guide buy depth and style selection. Ensure buys are aligned with OTB and option plans, balancing newness with core continuity. 4. Cross-functional Collaboration: Work closely with retail operations, e-commerce, marketing, and finance teams to align trading and promotional strategies. Contribute to budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning processes. Foster a collaborative approach to deliver on shared sales and margin targets. About You: Proven experience in merchandise planning, buying, or a similar commercial role within the fashion or retail industry. Strong analytical and data interpretation skills, with the ability to translate insights into actionable plans. Solid understanding of OTB planning, seasonal buying, and in-season trading. Commercial mindset with the ability to balance creative vision and financial objectives. Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills. Advanced Excel skills and familiarity with retail planning and reporting tools. Bachelors degree in business, fashion merchandising, or a related field is highly regarded.

Created: 2025-09-15