Store Planner

The Guitar Center Company•Westlake Village, CA

12h

About The Position

The Store Planner at Guitar Center is responsible for managing the flow of products to stores, aligning with assortment strategies, and ensuring optimal in-stock positions for active assortments. This role involves developing regional, district, and store stocking strategies to facilitate strategic product allocation and drive sales. The Store Planner collaborates with merchandise planners to communicate store needs and prevent shortages, and monitors Distribution Center (DC) activity and reserves to track stock movement from DC to stores. Guitar Center is the world's largest retailer of guitars, amplifiers, drums, keyboards, recording, live sound, DJ, and lighting equipment, operating over 290 stores across the United States. The company also includes e-commerce brands like Musician's Friend and WWBW, and the Music & Arts division specializing in band & orchestral instruments. The mission of The Guitar Center Company is to develop and nurture lifelong musicians and enable people to experience the joy of creating music, emphasizing customer focus, respect, integrity, and passion.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree preferably in Business, Merchandising/ Supply Chain (or 4 years of relevant work experience)
2 years of relevant work experience (in addition to degree or years of previous experience)
Strong analytical, data manipulation to gain insight into the business
Strong knowledge of planning systems
Excel intermediate to advanced
Comprehensive knowledge of the retail industry, omnichannel, supply chain and logistics

Nice To Haves

Merchandising experience

Responsibilities

Initiate model stock quantities for new product launches in alignment with merchant team strategies, ensuring optimal distribution to the right stores based on historical sales, store tiering, customer demographics, and localized market nuances.
Monitor sales velocity and inventory health to ensure top-selling items and seasonal gear are consistently in-stock across high-performing stores.
Customize allocations to reflect regional preferences (e.g., demand for DJ gear in urban locations vs. acoustic instruments in suburban markets).
Track item-level performance across categories and adjust distribution based on sales trends, product popularity, and market response.
Identify underperforming or overstocked items and adjust allocation or initiate transfers to maximize turns and minimize markdowns.
Anticipate allocation needs around key events (e.g., holiday promotions, NAMM launches, BTS season) and exclusive drops.
Partner with merchandise planners to execute strategies aligned with financial targets and open-to-buy (OTB) plans.
Communicate store-level trends, product feedback, and regional anomalies to help inform future buys and assortments.
Work closely with DCs and logistics teams to ensure accurate and timely delivery of products to stores.
Execute allocation strategies for new openings, remodels, or relocated stores based on projected sales potential and community needs.
Support exit strategies for discontinued SKUs and aged inventory by reallocating to high-performing clearance locations.
Leverage tools like Relex, SO99, JDA, and internal platforms to execute order proposals, automated replenishment, and inventory optimization.
Analyze sales and inventory data using Omni, EDW, Excel, or Power BI to generate actionable insights and influence allocation decisions.
Support special requests as needed, such as providing detailed analysis of inventory and sales performance at the store level for senior leadership.