Associate Merchandise Planner
About Our Company
Lids Sports Group is the largest licensed sports retailer in North America, selling fan and fashion-oriented headwear and apparel across the US and abroad. Operating out of Indianapolis, IN, our retail stores offer officially licensed headwear and apparel from collegiate and professional sports teams, plus top brands like Nike, New Era, Lululemon, and Mitchell & Ness. In addition to our wide assortment, we are the industry leader in on demand customization.
We currently operate 1,300+ brick and mortar locations, including specialty concept stores for the NBA, NHL, Paris Saint-Germain, and the two largest MLB franchises, via our Yankees & Dodgers Clubhouse stores. Lids has built partnerships and collaborations with iconic global brands, creating a community where fans, fashion, and culture collide.
Position Summary
The Associate Merchandise Planner is responsible for building financial sales, gross margin, and inventory plans across both pre-season and in-season time periods. This role partners closely with Buying & Merchandising teams to create and deliver local assortment strategies that maximize sales and profitability. The Associate Merchandise Planner supports the successful development, execution, and communication of financial and inventory plans while providing analytics and insights to the Merchandising organization and executive stakeholders on business performance.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities
- Coordinate the development of annual, seasonal, monthly, weekly, and daily merchandise plans.
- Construct merchandise purchase schedules, including initial product deliveries and in-season merchandise flow.
- Manage monthly department-level Open-to-Buy (OTB) activities.
- Provide analysis on trends and recommendations to influence cancellations, future purchases, and assortment strategies.
- Analyze historical performance to identify areas of opportunity and risk.
- Prepare preseason promotional and markdown strategies in partnership with Buying and Merchandising teams.
- Develop, maintain, and update tools and reports to support business needs.
- Establish processes and tools to review product assortments; provide data and analysis to support decision-making.
- Maintain business processes and serve as a subject matter resource for process improvements.
Additional Principal Duties and Responsibilities
- Partner with Allocation and Supply Chain teams to implement consistent and profitable in-season replenishment strategies and practices.
- Develop enterprise-wide risk mitigation plans and execute as appropriate.
- Test multiple business strategies simultaneously, quantifying and communicating business impacts.
- Manage SKU-intensive businesses and location-intensive assortments.
- Deliver local, regionally relevant assortments and business solutions.
- Support multiple channels and banners operated by Lids Sports Group.
- Communicate effectively, and at times persuasively, with employees at all levels of the organization.
- Support and adhere to all company policies, procedures, and guidelines.
Job Required Knowledge and Skills
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Marketing, Fashion Merchandising, or a related field.
- 0-3 years of experience in merchandising, planning, buying, or equivalent experience preferred.
- Strong understanding of retail math and measurement used in financial reporting.
- Proven ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
- Ability to operate a computer and use relevant software programs.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret quantitative and qualitative data to identify meaningful insights.
- Financial and business acumen with the ability to evaluate performance indicators and translate data into actionable recommendations.
- Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills, using rigorous logic and methods to develop effective solutions.
Preferred Job Required Knowledge and Skills
- Experience working in a retail planning or merchandising environment supporting multiple channels.
- Advanced proficiency in Excel (pivot tables, lookups, and modeling).
- Experience using planning or reporting tools and data visualization platforms (preferred).
- Strong communication skills with the ability to present insights to cross-functional partners.
Physical and Travel Requirements
- Primarily sedentary work performed in a corporate office environment.
- Ability to sit for extended periods while working on a computer.
- Occasional standing, walking, and light lifting (up to 15 pounds).
- Minimal travel may be required.