- Address
- 60 Bloor Street W, Toronto, ON View map
- Employment
- Contract
- Seniority
- Mid-Level
- Compensation
- $70,000–80,000/year
- Department
- Merchandising, Buying & Planning
- Industry
- Selective Retailing & Department Stores
- Posted
- Oct 13, 2026
About Holt Renfrew
Founded in Quebec City in 1837, Holt Renfrew is one of Canada’s leading luxury retailers, bringing together distinguished international fashion, accessories and beauty brands. Its heritage combines an enduring appreciation of craftsmanship with a contemporary approach to retail and personalised service. As an employer, Holt Renfrew offers career paths across client-facing roles, personal shopping, merchandising, digital commerce and corporate functions. Its retail environment calls for product expertise, commercial awareness and the ability to cultivate lasting client relationships. For professionals drawn to luxury, it provides a setting where Canadian retail heritage meets the evolving expectations of a discerning, internationally minded clientele.
The Merchandise Planner partners with buying teams to develop plans, forecasts and analysis that inform assortment decisions, vendor negotiations, inventory and markdown management. The role is a 14-month contract and pays CAD 70,000–80,000 per year as a starting range, with offers varying by experience, qualifications, performance and local market conditions.
Role & Responsibilities
- Prepare and own merchandise plans aligned with corporate strategy to maximise full-price sales and profit.
- Partner with merchant and buying counterparts on planning decisions and opportunities.
- Produce and interpret end-of-season analysis to optimise planning and buying decisions.
- Maintain plan integrity across relevant merchandise, store and seasonal hierarchies.
- Maintain plans across sales, markdown, margin, receipts and other inventory metrics.
- Manage in-season performance through reforecasting to improve inventory productivity and profit.
- Maintain forecasts across relevant metrics and hierarchies to clarify opportunities and risks.
- Produce and interpret in-season analysis to inform inventory recommendations and decisions.
- Collaborate with merchant and buying counterparts to mitigate risk and drive sales, full-price sell-through and profit.
- Work with Assistant Planners and Allocation Analysts to manage inventory levels and maximise opportunities across the network.
- Where relevant, maintain accurate Demand Forecasts and Auto-Replenishment models and manage open-to-buy accordingly.
- Manage markdown inventory and price-reduction proposals to drive profitable sell-through.
- Identify slow-moving items with merchant and buying counterparts and propose markdowns.
- Review markdown performance and liaise with stores and supply chain to drive opportunities.
- Calculate and propose further price reductions and actions to balance margin and off-price sell-through.
- Work with buyers to develop recode proposals that optimise inventory performance.
- Forecast and follow up on promotional, marketing and other event performance.
- Recommend event activity based on inventory performance analysis.
- Predict sales and profit impacts and identify relevant inventory alignment and actions.
- Analyse event results and interpret future opportunities.
- Participate in and champion projects.
- Develop the knowledge and skills of Assistant Planners and Allocation Analysts.
- Collaborate with planning peers to ensure consistent, best-practice processes, systems and reporting.
- Prepare performance presentation data when requested.
- Present findings and results to cross-functional audiences as required.
- Build effective partnerships with internal contacts, including buyers, stores, supply chain, finance and marketing.
- Develop processes, systems and reports.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
- Post-secondary degree in a related field or equivalent experience.
- At least 2 years of successful experience in a merchandise planning business unit.
- Excellent financial acumen and strong analytical skills.
- Demonstrated influencing skills and the ability to get things done.
- Excellent interpersonal skills.
- Confident and effective written and verbal communication.
- Adaptable and comfortable with ambiguity and change.
- Highly proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), ERP systems and Merchandise Planning systems.
- Passion for fashion and luxury retail.
Skills
Experience
At least 2 years of successful experience in a merchandise planning business unit.
Education
Post-secondary degree in a related field or equivalent experience.
Workplace
The successful candidate will be located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Explore jobs in Ontario or in Canada.
Compensation
The base compensation for this position ranges from CAD 70,000 to CAD 80,000 per annum.
Benefits
Comprehensive benefits package, perks, pension matching, incentives and employee discount.
Culture
Holt Renfrew’s workplace culture blends its Canadian luxury retail heritage with a strong focus on personalized service, fashion expertise and lasting client relationships. Across its stores and corporate teams, collaboration, attention to detail and a shared passion for exceptional brands shape a client-focused working environment.
About Cerulean
Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.
Frequently Asked Questions
The luxury industry is characterised by a diverse and nuanced nomenclature. Esteemed houses frequently employ proprietary terminology, and even within a single organisation like Holt Renfrew, titles may vary across global markets to reflect local conventions. To ensure absolute clarity, Cerulean assigns a standardised, industry-coherent canonical title to every listing. However, it is worth noting that this role is functionally synonymous with «Retail Planner», «Merchandise Planning Analyst», «Retail Merchandise Planner», «Inventory Planner», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.