Senior Retail Merchandise Planner

Fanatics Commerce is the global leader in licensed sports merchandise, operating a vertically integrated platform that designs, manufactures, and delivers officially licensed apparel, jerseys, headwear, and collectibles for major leagues, teams, and events worldwide. With more than 900 e-commerce sites and a global omnichannel presence across digital, in-venue, and retail, Fanatics Commerce reaches fans in over 180 countries and powers official fan experiences for many of the world's most iconic sports properties.

At Fanatics, we bring our BOLD Leadership Principles to life every day - building championship teams, obsessing over fans, acting with entrepreneurial speed, and delivering with a determined and relentless mindset.

As we continue to scale our global platform, the Senior Retail Merchandise Planner will play a critical role in building the Retail Merchandise Planning function from scratch across retail stores and international locations.

ROLE OVERVIEW

This is a newly created role that offers the opportunity to build the Retail Merchandise Planning function from scratch, setting strategy and ownership structures across retail stores in the UK with scope to expand across additional international locations. The successful candidate will evolve and streamline the existing critical path — currently spread across multiple teams — into a cohesive approach to range planning, space planning, and allocation strategy, establishing clear processes across commercial functions. The Senior Retail Merchandise Planner delivers business and fan impact through BOLD leadership and execution excellence, leveraging data, automation, and AI-enabled insights.

HOW WILL YOU DRIVE IMPACT

Success is measured by the ability to deliver results through BOLD capabilities and measurable outcomes.

Team & Leadership Impact (Build Championship Teams)

• Build strong working relationships and collaborate cross-functionally with Retail, Buying & Merchandising, Logistics, and Finance teams to ensure alignment and delivery against commercial objectives.
• Partner with supply chain and logistics to forecast short-term retail dispatch and DC volumes, and to determine the best delivery day, method, and frequency for each store.
• Gain buy-in at Senior Management level through excellent communication and influencing skills, presenting data-backed strategies and recommendations with confidence and clarity.
• Define the ownership structure and clear processes across the commercial functions as the branch merchandising function is built out from the ground up.

Fan & Customer Impact (Obsessed with Fans)

• Deliver an optimised, balanced range for retail that meets and exceeds sales and margin targets, ensuring fans in every store have access to the right product at the right time.
• Conduct regular store visits to gather market intelligence and competitor analysis, translating insights into actionable range and space recommendations that elevate the in-store fan experience
• Partner with Heads of Retail and Area Managers to identify existing and new commercial opportunities that drive availability and satisfaction across all store grades.
• Feedback market intelligence and analysis to Buying & Merchandising teams to inform future ranging decisions and strengthen the end-to-end fan offer.

Innovation & Problem Solving (Limitless Entrepreneurial Spirit)

• Trial and propose new ideas to move the business forward, including evolving allocation and replenishment systems for greater efficiency and accuracy.
• Manage specific projects end-to-end — documenting and analysing information, formulating conclusions, and presenting recommendations to senior stakeholders.
• Potentialise sales and profit opportunities by store grade, using commercial analysis and data to unlock performance improvements across the estate.
• Develop and implement best practice distribution methods in partnership with merchandising and supply chain teams, optimising delivery frequency and stock flow.

Ownership & Execution (Determined & Relentless Mindset)

• Set commercial initial allocations by category aligned with planned store turnover, space, and cover, and implement and manage the seasonal allocation and replenishment strategy by department and category.
• Analyse and review weekly, monthly, and seasonal trade by store and grade versus budget and prior year, proposing short, medium, and longer-term corrective actions with pace and precision.
• Manage store openings, modernisations, closures, and space changes in close collaboration with Buying & Merchandising teams to deliver successful launches on time and on brief.
• Oversee the smooth flow of stock across stores, maximising potential through initial allocation, re-assortments, and end-of-season stock removal to Outlet.

AI & DIGITAL CAPABILITY

We are building a future-ready organization. This role is expected to:

• Apply AI and technology to improve efficiency, quality, and outcomes
• Use data and digital tools to inform decisions and enhance performance
• Demonstrate curiosity and adaptability in adopting new technologies and ways of working
• Contribute to a culture of innovation and continuous improvement

CAPABILITIES & EXPERIENCE YOU BRING

Required Qualifications:

• Proven experience in a fast-paced Retail Merchandising or Space Planning role, ideally within a multi-site High Street or omnichannel retail environment.
• Strong commercial acumen with a deep understanding of store grading, range optimisation, space planning, and allocation and replenishment strategy.
• Excellent numerical and analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex trading data and translate it into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and communicate effectively at all levels, including gaining buy-in from Senior Management on strategic decisions.
• Experience managing store openings, closures, or estate changes in collaboration with buying, merchandising, and logistics functions.
• A collaborative, cross-functional working style with the ability to build effective relationships across retail, B&M, logistics, and finance teams.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a solutions-focused mindset, with the ability to manage multiple priorities under pressure and deliver to deadlines.

WORK LOCATION

Hybrid: The primary place of performance of this role is the Company's office located in Manchester, subject to the Company's current hybrid work policy. This role currently requires in-office presence 3 days per week.

At Fanatics, we operate with a BOLD mindset - We Build Championship Teams, we’re Obsessed with Fans, we embrace a Limitless Entrepreneurial Spirit, and we approach every challenge with a Determined and Relentless Mindset. If you’re ready to contribute to a dynamic, fast-paced environment that thrives on collaboration and growth, we want you to be part of our team.

ABOUT US
Fanatics is building a leading global digital sports platform. We ignite the passions of global sports fans and maximize the presence and reach for our hundreds of sports partners globally by offering products and services across Fanatics Commerce, Fanatics Collectibles, and Fanatics Betting & Gaming, allowing sports fans to Buy, Collect, and Bet. Through the Fanatics platform, sports fans can buy licensed fan gear, jerseys, lifestyle and streetwear products, headwear, and hardgoods; collect physical and digital trading cards, sports memorabilia, and other digital assets; and bet as the company builds its Sportsbook and iGaming platform. Fanatics has an established database of over 100 million global sports fans; a global partner network with approximately 900 sports properties, including major national and international professional sports leagues, players associations, teams, colleges, college conferences and retail partners, 2,500 athletes and celebrities, and 200 exclusive athletes; and over 2,000 retail locations, including its Lids retail stores. Our more than 22,000 employees are committed to relentlessly enhancing the fan experience and delighting sports fans globally.

ABOUT THE TEAM
Fanatics Commerce is a leading designer, manufacturer, and seller of licensed fan gear, jerseys, lifestyle and streetwear products, headwear, and hardgoods. It operates a vertically-integrated platform of digital and physical capabilities for leading sports leagues, teams, colleges, and associations globally – as well as its flagship site, www.fanatics.com.

Fanatics Commerce has a broad range of online, sports venue, and vertical apparel partnerships worldwide, including comprehensive partnerships with leading leagues, teams, colleges, and sports organizations across the world—including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, Formula 1, and Australian Football League (AFL); the Dallas Cowboys, Golden State Warriors, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea FC, and Tokyo Giants; the University of Notre Dame, University of Alabama, and University of Texas; the International Olympic Committee (IOC), England Rugby, and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).

At Fanatics Commerce, we infuse our BOLD Leadership Principles in everything we do:
· Build Championship Teams
· Obsessed with Fans
· Limitless Entrepreneurial Spirit
· Determined and Relentless Mindset

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