Merchandiser & Planner

Established in 1985, Dolce & Gabbana is one of the leading international groups in the fashion and luxury goods sector. The group designs, produces and distributes high-end clothing, leather goods, footwear, accessories, beauty, eyewear, and watches. To date, the brand is present in 40 countries worldwide. In 2013, the Italian fashion house opened its first Australian boutique in Melbourne followed by a second store in the luxury precinct of Chadstone and a third in Sydney CBD.

We are currently seeking a Merchandiser & Planner based in Melbourne. The applicant should be experienced in visual merchandising, have an understanding of management, strategy, merchandising, statistics & analysis, media planning & buying and is passionate about the growth and success of Dolce & Gabbana in Australia.

Skills & Experience Required

• Strong interpersonal skills & immaculate personal presentation.
• Possessing strong organisational skills
• Leading by example
• Proactive attitude and excellent communicator.
• Demonstrating flexibility towards the demands of the stores and the changing retail landscape.
• Demonstrating a problem-solving approach
• Working collaboratively with stakeholders to achieve required results
• Having a results focus, based on goal setting and strategic implementation
• Strong ability to work remotely, autonomously and within a team.
• Be able to work with different time zones and manage scheduling.
• Be flexible with their working hours, to accommodate the needs and success of the business
• Be proficient in Adobe and  PowerPoint.

Responsible for the Regional Merchandising Planning processes collaborating with the HQ Merchandising Planning Team and the Regional Retail, Finance & Buying Teams for forecasting, merchandise financial planning, in-season management, open to buy, seasonal and core & high rotating item management.

• Develop & Manage the planning for OTB through the seasonal planning process
• Process and analyse all relevant data, monitoring the main KPI’s concerning the Region
• Run all planning and forecasting activities
• Involvement in “Core items” management
• Manage the planning for Carry Overs
• Running standard reports and building ad hoc analysis to share information and analyse the business performance within the Region
• Consolidate weekly/monthly sales/stock analysis
• Ensure support concerning the Order Review activities from a numerical standpoint during the selling campaigns
• Manage weekly stock balancing & store replenishments, and monthly consolidations between all stores.
• Monitor 3C stock levels and implement strategic plans to optimise OTB for seasonal campaigns.
• Monitor delivery schedules and drive short lead times to store, working with Logistics, Retail & VM to maintain inventory and increase sales opportunities.
• Manage client special requests and orders from HQ, including weekly bulk/disponsible replenishments and orders.
• Provide fortnightly & monthly reporting on product performance for internal & HQ stakeholders, and ad hoc as required.
• Manage buying campaigns for all Retail lines, collaborating with the Store Managers, Retail Manager & General Manager as required.
• Provide necessary and requested feedback to the HQ Merchandising Teams as required.
• Oversee the selling campaigns for Wholesale, collaborating with the Wholesale Coordinator to achieve sales forecasts and optimise strategic product positioning.
• Collate technical and story-telling information for the Trainer, as well as produce visual reports following each campaign to support and communicate the buying strategy to all necessary stakeholders.
• Collaborate with the Retail Manager & Trainer to present Seasonal Overviews and theme specific training to Store Teams.
• Develop new strategies to drive underperforming categories, as well as optimise well performing categories.
• Collaborate with internal departments to manage price adjustments, deliveries of stock to store, seasonal items, return of stock to store.
• Perform other duties as required

Additional responsibilities & requirements include, but are not limited to:
• Domestic & International Travel
• Flexible working hours to accommodate remote meetings/presentations and store product trainings with HQ.