Reprise: Planners and Allocators

Hello again from Olson-Ng Retail Consulting Group!

Thank you, very much, for all the responses to our recent article It is the Day of the Merchandise Planner, which highlighted the critical role of Merchandise Planners in managing the single largest investment of retailers – the inventory – during the time of the re-opening of brick-and-mortar locations during the COVID-19 pandemic. We were excited and humbled to receive the number of “likes”, comments, “shares”, and emails on this article that we did. 

Apparently the article resonated with many in the retail industry and we hope that they and their contacts are able to find continuing value and benefit in our work. Our focus in this article was on the collision of new Fall deliveries into unsold Spring and Summer product which certainly is resulting in unique and difficult challenges now, challenges that skilled Merchandise Planning teams are more than equipped to manage.

Much of the recent communication to us centered on the role of the Merchandise Planner and their responsibility for managing inventory. In 2017, we published an article entitled Planners and Allocators. Given the interest expressed in further understanding the role of the Planner as a pillar member of the Merchant-Planner-Allocator triumvirate by serving as the Investment Analyst for this team, we thought we should publish Planners and Allocators a second time for all who looking for an expanded understanding of this role. The link is attached: Planners and Allocators Again, we hope that you find value and benefit in this work.

We look forward to hearing from you! Hope to see you too, on Linked In!

Thank you again!

With appreciation,

Rod Olson – Kim Ng

Olson-Ng Retail Consulting Group

330 East 38th Street, Suite 42b

New York, New York 10016

212-679-6552