Carters, Inc

Merchant, Little Planet Brand

Carters, Inc$70K — $95K *
Retail & Consumer Goods
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 4+ years of experience in merchandising or buying with a critical focus on line structure development
  • Strong experience collaborating with design, sourcing, product development, and sales teams
  • Expertise in retail metrics to analyze cross-channel results
  • Exceptional communication skills for effective cross-functional partnership
  • History of working with external partners and accounts
  • Polished presentation skills for engaging different audience levels
  • Passionate about leadership and talent development within a merchandising context
  • Bachelor’s degree required

Responsibilities

  • Lead market analysis to identify opportunities and drive product innovation
  • Analyze business trends to deliver actionable insights for growth
  • Collaborate with Consumer Insights to cater to young families' needs
  • Develop product line structures aligning with merchandising best practices
  • Coordinate cross-functional teams to implement strategies
  • Facilitate weekly meetings to share insights and uphold deadlines
  • Prepare for internal meetings and external account presentations
  • Provide product knowledge support to ensure cohesive brand messaging

Benefits

  • Career development programs including Carter’s University and mentorship
  • Opportunities for enhancing professional skills through various training
  • Supportive work environment focused on employee growth and collaboration
Full Job Description

How you’ll make an impact:

The Little Planet Merchant will lead end-to-end product strategy for one of our fastest-growing initiatives. Centered on sustainable design and a timeless aesthetic, Little Planet is a premium, differentiated brand within our portfolio. This role owns line architecture, ensuring profitable, channel-aligned assortments while partnering cross-functionally to execute the vision.

This role reports into the VP of Merchandising and is based in our Buckhead office.

60%: Strategy, Line Structure and execution: 
  • Lead marketplace “deep dives” and maintain ongoing awareness of competitive landscape to identify opportunities, generate new strategies, reinforce existing ones, and drive innovation
  • Analyze multi-channel Little Planet business trends and develop actionable takeaways to accelerate growth
  • Partner with Consumer Insights team to understand mindsets to meet the needs of today’s young families 
  • Develop line structure needed to support strategies; with awareness of merchandising best practices, good/better/best, lifecycle/product pyramid, category roles, and channel segmentation approach
  • Partner across Channels and working teams to bring strategies to life
  • Lead cross-functional team meetings weekly, communicate selling insights, drive calendar deliverables
  • Responsible for preparation for internal milestone meetings, internal channel handoffs, and external account sell-ins  
  • Support cross functional teams with product knowledge and storytelling, ensuring consistent brand communication across broad network of partners (Marketing, Retail Buying/Planning, Store and Site teams, etc)
30%: Product Execution: Costing, Pricing, Margin Management: 
  • Manage pricing strategy and margin requirements to deliver revenue goals based on financial plans
  • Partner closely with cross-functional team to build an assortment that fits within margin model and executes against product strategy
  • Support team during sample reviews with understanding of costs, garment execution, and ticket strategy;  communicate sample details to channels
10%: Style Set Up/System Management:
  • Manage large SKU count across multiple categories and SBUs in PLM system
  • Support Little Planet Assistant/Associate with systemic attributing and style set ups, be accountable for accuracy

We’d Love to hear from you if:
Must have:
  • 4+ Years of Experience in Merchandising or Buying; experience developing a line structure is critical
  • Experience working with design, sourcing, product development, sales, and other cross-functional partners; ability to communicate ideas clearly and listen with intent to learn
  • Strong knowledge of retail metrics to effectively analyze results across channels and markets
  • Strong communication skills, proven success partnering cross-functionally within a retail environment, ability to influence and drive strong outcomes
  • Experience working with external partners and accounts
  • Well-developed presentation skills and professional polish, comfort presenting to all leadership levels and external accounts
  • Passion for leadership and developing talent across Merchandising organization
  • Entrepreneurial spirit, can-do attitude and an optimistic problem-solving approach; ability to be open minded and flexible
  • Bachelor’s Degree required
Preferred skills and experience:
  • Ability to understand and translate trend for our brand
  • Ability to develop product and assess creative
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite  

Make a career at Carter’s:

Career Development: Success starts from within, and we have several paths from which you can choose to enhance your career evolution. From Carter’s University to Toastmasters to mentorship programs and more, we encourage you to utilize these tools to elevate your professional prowess.

NOTE:  This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. The duties described may be changed or reassigned at the discretion of management, and the employee may be required to perform duties that are not listed in the job description.

About Carters, Inc

Carter's, Inc. operates as a children's apparel and accessories company in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: U.S. Retail, U.S. Wholesale, and International. Its Carter's brand products include baby products, such as bodysuits, pants, dresses, knit sets, blankets, layette essentials, bibs, booties, sleep and play products, rompers, and jumpers; play clothes comprising knit and woven cotton apparel; sleepwear products consisting of pajamas in cotton, fleece, and ploy-jersey; and other products, including bedding, outerwear, swimwear, footwear, socks, diaper bags, gift sets, toys, and hair accessories. The company also provides products under the OshKosh brand name, which comprise play clothes in denim, fleece, and other fabrics for sizes newborn to 14. It sells its products through company-operated stores, department stores, and online, as well as through other retail outlets, such as specialty stores, national chains, and mass merchants. As of January 2, 2021, the company operated approximately 800 Carter's retail stores, 100 OshKosh retail stores, and its products were available in approximately 18,000 department stores and other retail outlets in the United States, Canada, and internationally. Carter's, Inc. was founded in 1865 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
Learn more about Carters, Inc
Size
15,900 employees
Market Cap
$2.8 billion
Industry
Net Income
$109.7 million
Founded
1865
5 Year Trend
+1.7%
Revenue
$3 billion
NASDAQ

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