Emirati National Planner | Retail | Marks & Spencer | UAE

Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim Group today is one of the most diversified and progressive, privately held regional businesses headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Structured into five operating divisions; automotive, financial services, real estate, retail and healthcare; employing more than 35,000 employees across more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, Al-Futtaim Group partners with over 200 of the world's most admired and innovative brands. Al-Futtaim Group’s entrepreneurship and relentless customer focus enables the organisation to continue to grow and expand; responding to the changing needs of our customers within the societies in which we operate.

By upholding our values of respect, excellence, collaboration and integrity; Al-Futtaim Group continues to enrich the lives and aspirations of our customers each and every day.

Overview of the role

Planner is responsible for Sales Planning by Market, BU by Month and ensure all the Key Business KPI’s of Sales, Cash Margin, Markdown Cost and Closing Stock are achieved. He/she controls Space and OTB Planning by BU for the entire MENA business.

What you will do:

Description of Accountability:

BUSINESS PLAN AND DELIVERY OF KEY KPI’s

• Responsible for Planning Annual Business Plan by Market and BU
• Deliver Weekly WSSI for C&H, Food and Total Business
• Control the OTB for Business, C&H and Food
• Support on Space Planning
• Support Senior Merchandiser in Markdown Management

SALES and OTB PLANNING

• Work closely with Finance and Operation team to Plan accurate Annual Sales Budgeting by Month and Market
• Work closely with Buying Team to Plan accurate sales by Week and BU
• Forecast Sales by Day for the Total Business
• Control OTB Spend for C&H and Food by Season
• Deliver Weekly WSSI by Forecasting accurate Sales, Markdown and Intake based on the Seasonal OTB Spend and UK Delivery Schedule (EDI Track)

SPACE MANAGEMENT

• Plan appropriate Space by BU and Store for every Season
• Work closely with Buying Team and Operation team for Accurate Densities & MCO by Categories
• Propose actions based on Sales and Space Productivity by Category and store
• Plan Ideal stock by season, store and Department

SALE/PROMOTION MANAGEMENT

• Deliver End to End Process on Markdown Strategy
• Decide Right Discount by Market based on Sell through
• Ensure Municipality Permission list submitted on time as per market requirements for Sale and Promotion application
• Ensure system Prices are updated on all sale and Promotion products

TRADE

• Ensure Weekly Trade Reports are delivered on time
• Ensure Weekly Seasonal Fulfilment/Availability is tracked and highlighted for any concern or delays with UK
• Attend weekly team meeting and suggest actions to drive business
• Analyse Shop floor stock by Dept and Store vs Ideal and highlight to team for appropriate action

Required Skills to be successful:

• Good command of English Language.
• Good command of Arabic Language.
• Focus on continuous improvement of existing operations.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.

What equips you for the role:

• Bachelors Degree with Minimum 5 Years’ Experience in Planning
• Able to handle Complexity
• Excellent Planning and Organizing Skills
• Attention to Detail
• Highly Numerate
• Works at Pace with an Impatience to get things Done
• Graduate or Graduate Calibre
• Good working knowledge of Excel
• Knowledge of SAP an additional advantage