The Range Plan or Merchandise Plan as they are equally well known, form the basis for the developmen

Range planning, from setting the concept, purpose and direction through to selecting countertop display cases the products and finalising the price, distribution and sales forecast, is a truly iterative process that typically involves buying and merchandising working hand in hand, often with somewhat opposing objectives…
The ultimate aim is for the final range selected to meet and exceed the customers’ expectations. Additionally buyers will want the range to be innovative and to really shout the brand values whilst countertop display cases merchandisers will want it to achieve countertop display cases high rates of sale and deliver excellent margin. countertop display cases Of course, any range should be constructed such that it can be delivered to the consumers’ countertop display cases baskets in the most reliable and profitable manner… Retail planning is complex – buyers and merchandisers have much to consider when developing and planning the range
Buyers and merchandisers have a lot of questions to consider when developing and planning the range, such as how to provide the customer countertop display cases with: the right depth and width of range – ensuring sufficient choice and range completeness the right price architecture – guiding the customer through the options available the right quality and value – ensuring the brand and product propositions fit your business great on shelf availability (with minimal stock investment) – ensuring you maximise your sales potential off the lowest possible cost base
And countertop display cases all whilst delivering: a flexible, responsive, agile supply base – to ensure you can follow consumer trends quickly a better return per square foot than the last range – to mitigate the ever increasing cost of property a better shopping experience for the customer – to secure their loyalty, repeat business and increased basket size…
Most world-class retail businesses have some form of range planning / merchandise planning process at the centre of all their commercial planning activities. Merchandise or range plans articulate the financial targets in terms of how the range should be built up, what proportion of the total business mix a range should take, associated store and DC space allocations, etc. Moving along the time line closer to the time of range launch, merchandise / range plans become a key document for buyers and merchandisers, a living countertop display cases document, that captures all key information as products are developed and data is gathered that ultimately influence buying price, countertop display cases selling price, store distribution countertop display cases and store position, promotion planning, markdown budget, supply chain flow, sourcing strategy, rate of sales etc. Effective Range Performance Measurement – Plan vs. Actual
The Range Plan or Merchandise Plan as they are equally well known, form the basis for the development of the store / store cluster level assortment plan and in a fully integrated planning process are the trigger for both the demand planning and visual merchandising processes. A good range plan also allows the buyer and merchandiser countertop display cases to measure the effectiveness of their ranges against countertop display cases the original budgets and against plan. It allows for hard and soft constraints to be applied in operations, such as Open To Buy (OTB), management countertop display cases of intake, delivered margins, promotional activity and markdown / residuals planning to be undertaken via use of a WSSI.
With such criticality to the business and a dependency on such a wide set of data a quality merchandise plan / range plan with adequate roll up and drill down capability can really only be delivered from a quality tool, supported by quality business processes and well trained teams.
About Retail countertop display cases Acumen Clare Rayner is one of the most well-known and respected retail consultants in the UK. A child born into a family of retailers and entrepreneurs, she is passionate about retail and business: it is in her blood. Clare started out as a fast-track graduate store management trainee for McDonalds and went on to work with leading retailers such as M&S, Dixons and Argos. She moved swiftly into management roles before being headhunted into senior consulting roles with global countertop display cases software giant SAP, and international management consulting brand, Accenture. Known as The Retail Champion, Clare is engaged by clients as a consultant, professional speaker and business mentor, countertop display cases and is regularly called upon by BBC News (TV and Radio) and trade press to comment as a retail expert. Her retail business book will be available in July 2012. In addition to providing 1-2-1 support to business owners and professional speaking services through The Retail Champion, Clare is founder and managing director of specialist retail analysis / retail consulting brand Retail Acumen and The Retail Conference. Founded in 2006, Retail Acumen deliver countertop display cases deep, detailed analysis and insights into business performance for retail multiples. The specialist team leverage their love of detailed data analytics, combined with a deep understanding of the retail se