Merchandise / Demand Planning Lead. in England

MacGregor Black is partnering with a consumer retail business on the search for a Merchandise/ Demand Planning Lead.

The Merchandise Planning Lead is a newly created strategic role responsible for establishing and embedding a best-in-class merchandise planning function within a leading consumer retail business.

The role will define how planning supports buying, supply chain and performance, creating a structured, data-led approach to demand forecasting, stock management, ranging, margin optimisation and promotional planning.

Key Responsibilities:

• Build and lead the merchandise planning function, establishing the processes, structure and ways of working needed to support a growing, multi-channel business.
• Develop robust annual, seasonal and promotional planning cycles, creating greater consistency and visibility across the wider commercial function.
• Own demand forecasting and stock planning across a broad product portfolio, balancing commercial opportunity with availability, inventory and working capital.
• Develop a joined-up planning process across Buying, Operations and Finance, ensuring commercial plans are aligned with supply capability and financial objectives.
• Introduce more data-led forecasting and planning methodologies, improving forecast accuracy and providing greater forward visibility of demand.
• Establish clear frameworks around stock cover, intake, availability, stock turn and inventory health, identifying risks and opportunities across categories.
• Work closely with Buying to provide objective trading insight, supporting range decisions, product selection and commercial planning.
• Partner with suppliers and Operations to ensure demand plans reflect lead times, supply constraints and capacity, improving availability while managing inventory exposure.
• Lead a structured S&OP / business planning process, bringing together commercial, operational and financial perspectives to support better decision making.
• Provide Finance with robust planning input across budgets, forecasts and commercial performance, including scenario modelling where required.
• Develop clear KPI reporting and dashboards, giving senior stakeholders greater visibility of sales, stock, availability, forecast accuracy and key commercial risks.
• Identify opportunities to improve planning systems, data quality, reporting and automation, working with IT/Digital to develop scalable solutions.
• Build, lead and develop a high-performing planning team, establishing the capability and structure required to support future growth.
• Act as a key commercial partner to senior leadership, bringing clarity to risk, opportunity and the trade-offs between sales, stock and profitability.

What We're Looking For:

• 5+ years' experience within merchandise planning, demand planning or commercial planning, ideally within a multi-site, multi-channel retail, wholesale or buying environment.
• Strong understanding of the relationship between sales, margin, stock, availability and working capital.
• Strong analytical capability with advanced Excel skills and experience working with planning systems, reporting tools and data.
• A track record of building, improving or reshaping planning processes within a changing or growing organisation.
• Experience of leading and developing a planning team.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence across Buying, Supply Chain, Operations, Finance and senior leadership.
• Experience managing planning across a multi-category product portfolio.
• Exposure to consumer electronics, electricals, appliances or other consumer durable categories would be advantageous.
• Experience within a multi-site, franchise, wholesale or buying-group environment would be beneficial.

For more information, please contact Lewis Millican.