Merchandise Planner - Retail

About the role

ACOM International is partnering with Six Degrees Executive to appoint a Merchandise Planner in Melbourne, working across Barbecues Galore, Bush Tracks and Ossa. The role owns forecasting, replenishment and inventory planning for a growing portfolio of brands operating in wholesale and direct-to-consumer channels. It suits someone who combines analytical capability with commercial judgement to improve availability, manage inventory investment and support better purchasing decisions.

Key responsibilities

• Demand planning and forecasting using sales history, seasonality, promotions, product performance and commercial input.
• Translate forecasts into purchasing recommendations so the right products are available at the right time and quantity.
• Identify stockouts and excess inventory early and take a proactive approach to replenishment and stock cover.
• Coordinate inventory across wholesale and D2C channels, balancing competing requirements.
• Provide visibility of upcoming purchasing requirements and monthly stock spend to support working capital management.
• Develop planning processes, reporting and performance measures as the business grows.
• Work with buyers, marketing, warehouse and leadership to align purchasing with demand, promotions and new products.
• Challenge assumptions and improve forecasting accuracy.

Required profile

• Experience in merchandise planning, demand planning, forecasting or inventory planning in a retail, wholesale or multi-channel environment.
• Ideal candidate has experience in forecasting, replenishment and inventory management across a varied product range.
• Comfortable interpreting data, challenging assumptions and turning analysis into commercially sound recommendations.
• Ability to balance stock availability with working capital and excess stock risk, and confidence influencing purchasing decisions with buyers and commercial stakeholders.
• Proactive problem solver and flexible in a growing business where systems and processes are still developing.