Allocator - FR

About Our Company

Lids Sports Group is the largest licensed sports retailer in North America, selling fan and fashion-oriented headwear and apparel across the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Australia. Operating out of Indianapolis, IN, our retail stores offer officially licensed headwear and apparel from collegiate and professional sports teams, plus top brands like Nike, New Era, Adidas, and Mitchell & Ness.

We currently operate 1,200+ locations domestically and 50+ internationally, including specialty concept stores for the NBA, NHL, Paris Saint-Germain, and numerous MLB teams. In recent years, Lids has built partnerships with iconic global brands including Marvel, Playboy, and the Harlem Globetrotters, and gained ambassadors like Justin Jefferson, Quavo, and Josephine Skriver – creating a community for both sports fans and fashion lovers.

The company is currently expanding with the goal of becoming the largest licensed brick-and-mortar sports retailer across the globe.

General Position Summary

This position will work to cultivate a solid knowledge of replenishment practices, alignment with merchandising strategies and analytical skill sets to ensure that the right product is at the right stores at the right time. Develop and implement store distribution strategies to support sales and inventory objectives and to ensure department financial goals are met. Partner with buying and planning teams in executing item/program/category strategies to support financial plans.

Principle Duties and Responsibilities

• Build, develop, execute, and maintain allocation strategies to ensure maximum sell through and profitability on product while minimizing markdowns.
• Analyze sales trends to ensure stores are in stock on core items, promotional product, new programs, and seasonal merchandise.
• Identify and rectify stock imbalances in individual stores through the allocation of new receipts and replenishment inventory to maximize the ability of each store to generate sales and margin.
• Analyze SKU and program productivity to ensure store turn and weeks of supply goals are met; create and develop tiered assortment strategies.
• Review and analyze distribution center stock position and decide upon action as needed.
• Ensure all stores have appropriate inventory levels to support presentation and sales while collaborating with cross functional team.

Additional Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop optimal store ranking to ensure proper distribution of merchandise
• Develop knowledge of geographic and store-attribute performance and trends through analysis and drive results by transferring knowledge into allocation strategies
• Work with the buying and 3pl teams to coordinate the routing of goods from vendors to the distribution centers.
• Analyze merchandise performance at the department, team, vendor, item and location level; including analyzing store performance and stock-to-sales ratios on a weekly basis to identify location-specific opportunities and bottlenecks.
• Communicate / make recommendations regarding store needs, distribution concerns, sizing, team and new store opportunities.
• Ensure new stores have appropriate inventory levels to support presentation and sales.
• Other duties as assigned.

Job Required Knowledge & Skills

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Finance, Marketing, Fashion Merchandising or a related field.
• 1-5 years merchandising, planning, buying, or equivalent experience preferred.
• Strong understanding of retail math and measure used in financial reporting.
• Proven ability to perform independently with minimal supervision.
• Ability to operate a computer and maneuver relative software programs.
• Analytic Skills:  Ability to think objectively and interpret meaningful themes from quantitative and qualitative data
• Financial and Business Acumen:  Ability to evaluate financial and business indicators and translate data into actionable information to drive results.
• Problem Solving & Decision Quality:  Able to use rigorous logic and methods to solve problems with effective solutions

Preferred Job Required Knowledge & Skills

• Relationship Management:  Able to build constructive and effective relationships with a broad and diverse group of business partners, both internally & externally.
• Dealing with Paradox: Ability to balance conflicting & competing priorities.  Delivering a set of options, detailing impacts for each while driving to a single recommendation.
• Presentation Skills:  Effective in a variety of presentation settings including one-on-one, small and large groups, and with peers and Executives
• Influencing and Negotiation:  Can present ideas and directions that lead others to action
• Planning and Priority Setting:  Demonstrate an ability to set objectives and goals and organize work appropriately to meet and exceed goals
• Process Management:  Can identify and articulate the processes necessary to get things down efficiently and align resources effectively complete activities
• Systems and Tools Acumen:  Advanced capabilities in Microsoft Excel, Proficiency in Microsoft Access, Powerpoint and Word. Must also have aptitude to learn technical applications quickly
• Risk Management:  Anticipate risks and identifies contingency plans and processes to prevent disruptions when risks occur

Reports To

Sr. Buyer

#LI-TC2