Overview:The Corporate Merchandise Category Planning Assistant supports the Corporate Retail Planning Team with setting up meetings, communication with partners including park teams, pulling data and creating reports for analytics and decision making, developing presentation material, creating and maintaining product inventory records, entering and transmitting purchase orders, and monitoring sku’s performance and other support needed by the Planning and Allocation team as it relates to the product logistics.Responsibilities:
Export sales and inventory reports and prepare for review by Planner for demand forecasting.
Assist with initial demand forecasting and calculating order volumes.
Using the assortments created by Product Development, prepare Assortment Plans for review and approval by Planner for distribution to parks.
Prepare weekly sales reports including top sellers, event results, and category performance.
Create and maintain item records in inventory control system using Merchandise hierarchy and naming conventions. Assign applicable attributes for reporting and link necessary UPCs and supplier item numbers. Input and maintain costs, retails, and inventory item status.
Coordinate the purchase order process including entering purchase orders into the inventory control system, submitting orders for approval, and exporting PO’s for Product Developers to transmit to suppliers.
Use supplier B2B systems to enter orders and track relevant account data.
Enter product markdowns into the inventory system and communicate markdowns to internal stakeholders.
Review inventory levels for inventory balancing opportunities and make appropriate recommendations for review and approval by Planner. Communicate transfer requests to both the shipping and receiving parks and provide necessary follow-up to ensure completion.
Prepare supplier scorecards for review and approval by Planner with supplier sales performance, top sellers, and other KPIs.
Works closely with Merchandise Assistant on cross-functional projects.
Contribute analysis of current and previous events and enterprise-wide retail initiatives for strategy decks.
Assist with other duties as assigned by Category Planners, Category Planning Managers, and the Director of Planning & Ancillary Revenue.
Qualifications:MINIMIUM REQUIREMENTS: Associate Arts degree or similar. 2+ years of relevant experience or equivalent combination of education and experience Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Excel, Word and Power Point. Good verbal and written communication skills.PREFERED REQUIREMENTS: Bachelor’s degree in Merchandising, Planning & Allocation, Business Administration, Supply Chain or similar discipline desired.Cedar Fair Entertainment Company is an equal opportunity employer. A work permit may be required for associates under the age of 18. Applicants must be legally eligible for employment in the United States and in accordance with state laws. Cedar Fair also conducts background checks on all applicants 18 years of age and older.