Liwa Trading Enterprises is looking for an experienced Merchandise Planner to join the Dwell team.
This is a hands-on commercial planning role responsible for managing forward commitments, purchase orders, promotional availability, open-to-buy planning, and inventory performance. You will work closely with Buying, Supply Chain, Logistics, Finance, Retail, E-commerce, and suppliers to balance availability, stock cover, freight costs, and inventory risk.
Experience in furniture, homeware, bulky goods, or another category involving complex shipping and container planning would be a strong advantage.
Key Responsibilities:
- Manage the purchase order book against the critical path, including supplier confirmations, work-in-progress updates, ex-factory dates, shipping timelines, and landed dates.
- Monitor forward commitments and business activity to optimize stock availability across stores and sales channels.
- Plan promotional activity and ensure stock availability supports expected demand.
- Build and manage open-to-buy plans, stock roll-forwards, sales forecasts, intake plans, and inventory projections.
- Develop Excel-based planning models from scratch to support commercial decision-making.
- Identify potential stock shortages, excess inventory, delayed orders, and availability risks.
- Work closely with suppliers and internal stakeholders to address delays and protect delivery timelines.
- Consider cube, container utilization, freight as a percentage of landed cost, and minimum-order quantities when reviewing purchase plans.
- Own aged and terminal stock reduction plans, setting measurable targets and monitoring delivery against agreed timelines.
- Review purchase orders against demand forecasts, current stock, stock cover, open orders, and future business requirements.
- Constructively challenge purchase orders that may create excess stock or unacceptable stock cover.
- Escalate commercial risks appropriately and recommend practical, data-led alternatives.
- Present planning insights, risks, and recommendations clearly to key stakeholders.
Qualifications and Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in Merchandising, Business, Finance, Supply Chain, Retail Management, or a related field.
- Relevant experience in merchandise planning, inventory planning, demand planning, or a similar commercial planning role.
- Strong understanding of open-to-buy planning, stock roll-forward logic, forecasting, intake planning, and stock cover.
- Experience in furniture, homeware, bulky goods, or similarly complex product categories is preferred.
- Strong stakeholder management, communication, and influencing skills.
