Planning Manager - Retail Commercial

Type: Full-time

Role Context

The Planning Manager - Retail Commercial will sit at the center of financial planning, sales forecasting, merchandise planning, markdown optimization, and inventory performance. This role ensures that retail trading decisions are backed by accurate data, strong commercial judgment, and clear collaboration between Merchandising, Buying, Allocation, Supply Chain, Retail Operations, and E-Commerce teams. The position has direct impact on sales achievement, gross profit, cash margin, markdown cost, aging stock, closing inventory, and full-price sell-through across multiple markets and business units.

Key Responsibilities

* Plan the annual business plan by market and business unit, ensuring financial targets are practical, measurable, and aligned with retail growth priorities.
* Deliver weekly WSSI planning for Clothing and Home, Food, and total business performance.
* Lead accurate forecasting of sales, gross profit, gross margin, markdown, inventory movement, and closing stock across all retail channels.
* Build sales plans by market, store, category, season, month, week, and day to support trading visibility and operational execution.
* Monitor forecast versus actual performance, identify variances, and recommend corrective action to protect commercial results.
* Own markdown planning across regions and channels, including markdown phasing, price reduction strategy, and sell-through optimization.
* Analyze the financial impact of markdowns, promotional activity, aging stock, and stock clearance decisions.
* Partner with Merchandising, Buying, and Allocation teams to align seasonal plans, new product strategies, launches, and promotional priorities.
* Work with Retail and E-Commerce teams to ensure markdowns are implemented accurately, on time, and in line with business requirements.
* Ensure Municipality Permission lists and market-specific markdown requirements are submitted on time where applicable.
* Prepare weekly sales, stock, and inventory reports by business unit, channel, region, store, and category.
* Report on core KPIs including sales, gross profit, gross margin, markdown cost, aging stock, closing stock, and cash margin.
* Provide senior leadership with clear insight on risks, opportunities, performance gaps, trading actions, and forecast changes.
* Work with Supply Chain and Allocation teams to ensure stock flow supports sales targets, product availability, and inventory efficiency.
* Maintain and improve planning tools, dashboards, reporting templates, and performance tracking processes.
* Identify opportunities to improve forecast accuracy, automate reporting, standardize planning processes, and increase planning efficiency.
* Present financial performance, inventory movement, forecast updates, and commercial recommendations to senior stakeholders.

Ideal Profile

* Bachelor\'s degree in Business, Finance, Merchandising, Retail Management, or a related field.
* Master\'s degree or advanced qualification is preferred.
* Minimum 5-8 years of experience in retail planning, financial planning, merchandise planning, or commercial planning.
* Experience in fashion retail, food retail, multi-channel retail, regional retail planning, or large-format retail operations is highly preferred.
* Strong expertise in forecasting sales, gross profit, gross margin, markdown, aging stock, and closing inventory.
* Good understanding of WSSI planning, business unit sales planning, markdown management, seasonal planning, and stock optimization.
* Strong commercial acumen with the ability to connect sales plans, margin targets, product availability, and inventory performance.
* Confident user of planning systems, BI tools, and reporting platforms such as Excel, Power BI, Tableau, SAP, Oracle, JDA, or similar tools.
* Advanced analytical ability with strong attention to accuracy, data quality, and performance interpretation.
* Able to collaborate effectively with Merchandising, Buying, Allocation, Supply Chain, Retail, E-Commerce, Finance, and Operations teams.
* Strong influencing skills with the ability to challenge assumptions and support decision-making with clear evidence.
* Well organized, deadline-focused, and able to manage multiple business units, categories, channels, and reporting cycles.
* Comfortable presenting plans, commercial results, risks, opportunities, and recommendations to senior leadership.

Skills Set

* Retail planning
* Merchandise planning
* Financial planning
* Sales forecasting
* WSSI planning
* Markdown planning
* Markdown optimization
* Inventory management
* Gross margin analysis
* Gross profit forecasting
* Cash margin tracking
* Aging stock analysis
* Closing stock management
* Category planning
* Business unit planning
* Seasonal planning
* Sales performance reporting
* Commercial analysis
* KPI tracking
* Retail analytics
* E-Commerce planning
* Store planning
* Allocation coordination
* Supply chain coordination
* Promotional planning
* Business planning
* Excel
* Power BI
* Tableau
* SAP
* Oracle
* JDA

Why Join Us

This role offers the opportunity to influence commercial planning inside a leading Dubai-headquartered retail group with a wide regional footprint and a strong brand portfolio. The Planning Manager will work across multiple channels, categories, and markets, gaining exposure to high-value retail decisions that affect sales performance, margin delivery, stock productivity, markdown efficiency, and customer availability. It is a strong fit for a retail planning professional who wants a commercially visible role with broad stakeholder impact and long-term growth potential.

About the Company

Al-Futtaim is a diversified business headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with established operations across retail, automotive, financial services, real estate, and healthcare. Its retail division represents leading international brands across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, combining strong store networks, digital commerce, customer-focused trading, and market-responsive brand partnerships to support continued regional growth.