Planner

Job description / Role

Company Overview

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

The Planner role at Watsons is pivotal to managing Open-To-Buy (OTB), stock, sales, and margin at a detailed level. The purpose is to maximize sales and minimize inventory levels through strategic planning and forecasting. Success in this role involves accurate sales and margin forecasting, effective promotional and markdown management, and maintaining optimal inventory levels within multiple market segments. The Planner collaborates closely with various departments, including buying, financial planning, operations, and marketing, to ensure the product offerings align with market demands and promotional strategies. The role also includes maintaining SAP efficiency and delivering reliable reports for strategic decision-making.

What you will do

Top line performance and profitability
Set overall guidelines for margin by product area and ensure processes are established to analyze margin deviation.
Forecast weekly sales and margin by store and region, highlighting risks and opportunities.
Manage markdown and promotional strategies to ensure margin is maintained to achieve bottom line results.
Drive the business planning process for the brand to meet budgeted sales and margin targets.
Evaluate performance against sales and margin achieved versus BP and LE benchmarks.
Ensure forecast accuracy within a +/- 10% range.

Stock management and OTB
Oversee full OTB process, sell through, and markdown policy to manage sales, inventory, and margin effectively.
Provide accurate OTB plans for each category to maximize sell-through.
Forecast intakes to provide an accurate picture of weekly stockholding by brand.
Manage store clustering and distribution of stock to stores effectively.
Maintain MSSI/WSSI reports and manage monthly intake and deliveries according to brand and market needs.
Ensure markets maintain optimum inventory levels and reduce aged inventory.

Team collaboration
Work with the buying team to develop an effective, profitable assortment range.
Collaborate with the financial planner to forecast budgets and estimates by region and store.
Manage range plans together with buying to ensure OTB control.
Engage with marketing, operations, and brand teams to confirm the commercial calendar for all brands.
Support and develop allocators/admin assistants towards future managerial roles.
Maintain regular meetings with stakeholders to ensure effective relationships and alignment.

SAP inventory management & reporting
Ensure SAP is maintained and operating effectively from an inventory standpoint.
Develop and publish reliable reports to facilitate management decision-making.
Understand gaps in the existing inventory control process and address them proactively.
Assist in developing and enforcing robust inventory/stock procedures to ensure efficient SAP replenishment.

Required skills to be successful

• Strategic planning and analytical abilities.
• Proficiency in all Microsoft Office programs.
• Knowledge of retail systems and SAP.
• Strong communication and leadership skills.

What qualifies you for the role

• College or university level graduate.
• Experience in retail and fashion preferred.
• Proficient strategic planning, analytical skills, and knowledge of Microsoft Office and retail systems.
• Strong communication skills, leadership, influencing others, managing complexity, and strategic thinking.

We’re here to provide excellent service but a little help from you can ensure a five-star candidate experience from start to finish.

Before you click “apply”: Please read the job description carefully to ensure you can confidently demonstrate why this opportunity is right for you and take the time to put together a well-crafted and personalised CV to further boost your visibility. Our global Talent Acquisition team members are all assigned to specific businesses to ensure that we make the best matches between talent and opportunities. We not only consider the requisite compatibility of skills and behaviours, but also how candidates align with our values of respect, integrity, collaboration, and excellence.

As part of our candidate experience promise, we also want to make ourselves available to you throughout the application process. We make every effort to review and respond to every application.

About the Company

Established in the 1930's, the Al-Futtaim Group initially operated as a trading enterprise. Rapid development throughout the 1940's and 50's saw it establish itself regionally as an integrated commercial, industrial and services organisation, positioning itself one of the leading business houses in the lower Gulf region. Today, it operates collectively over 40 companies bearing the Al-Futtaim name, dominates many market segments in the UAE, and has expanded its sphere of operation to include Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Egypt.

The Group comprises a diverse range of strategically positioned operating subsidiaries and associate companies, structured to give the Al-Futtaim Group the flexibility and versatility to keep ahead of local competition while keeping pace with the ever-evolving global business scenario. The Groups continued investment in world-class systems technology is clear evidence of its commitment to maintain leading edge performance and service delivery.

The success of the Al-Futtaim Group can be attributed to a business approach that combines the ability to change with the traditional values of integrity, service and social responsibility that define its core business philosophy. This, linked with the Groups belief in decentralisation, gives the heads of the operating companies a high degree of functional autonomy and authority, providing the Group with essential flexibility, and individual employees a clearly defined work culture and sense of responsibility.