Assistant Merchandise Planner 6 Month FTC

Ref #: W160263

Department: City: London

State/Province: London

Location: United Kingdom

Company Description:

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) is a global leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in five categories: apparel, accessories, home, fragrances, and hospitality. For more than 50 years, Ralph Lauren's reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The Company's brand names, which include Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps, among others, constitute one of the world's most widely recognized families of consumer brands.

At Ralph Lauren, we unite and inspire the communities within our company as well as those in which we serve by amplifying voices and perspectives to create a culture of belonging, ensuring inclusion, and fairness for all. We foster a culture of inclusion through: Talent, Education & Communication, Employee Groups and Celebration.

Position Overview

A Fixed-Term Contract of 6 months for an Assistant Merchandise Planner on the Childrenswear Polo full price team involves updating reports, actualising the department's WSSIs, and attending trade meetings. It requires commercial awareness through store visits and competitor analysis, as well as training and development for personal and peer growth. Effective communication and partnerships within cross-functional teams are crucial, along with skills in commercial and analytical abilities, time management, and proficiency in Microsoft Excel. Experience in allocation or a similar role within a Fashion Retail business is preferred.

Key Responsibilities

• Update reports on a weekly, monthly, and ad hoc basis.
• Actualise the department's WSSI weekly.
• Attend and prepare for weekly trade meetings and able to formulate and deliver a trade message independently.
• Provide accurate data to support analysis for key seasonal meetings including hindsight and sign offs.
• Update and forecast department line cards to maximise sales potential and optimise stock availability across channels.
• Systematically update seasonal recodes.
• Own department stock delivery schedule and communicate updates to the team.
• Responsible for actioning seasonal markdowns & communication to stores.
• Participate in regular store visits, collating store reports prior and assisting in creating follow-up presentations.
• Undertake competitor analysis on a regular basis and present any relevant points.

Training and Development

• Adopt a positive and proactive approach to their own training and development as well as that of their peers.
• Proactively promote improvements to working practices and systems.
• Participate in company initiatives as appropriate.

Communications & Partnerships

• Create and maintain strong working relationships within cross-functional teams: Buying, Allocations, ECOM and the retail store teams.
• Liaise with Assortment Planning and Buying partners to review and assist in the formation of the seasonal lessons learnt. Influence future Buys, using analysis and historical data to ensure commercial decisions are made.

Experience, Skills & Knowledge

Skills

• Commercial and Analytical.
• Effective communicator - able to communicate messages clearly and concisely to a variety of audiences.
• Able to work autonomously.
• Able to demonstrate logical analysis and problem-solving skills.
• Able to organize, prioritise tasks and manage time well in order to meet deadlines.
• Able to build and maintain productive relationships within a team environment.
• Show ability or aptitude in retail mathematics and able to learn technical applications quickly.
• Able to demonstrate resilience and remain positive during challenging periods.
• Desire to have fun at work and an appreciation for product.