Fast Retailing Careers

Entry
Return
Marketing and Business Management

Product Planning (Budget Planning and Performance Management) Leader Candidate

Entry
Brand GUGU
Location Ariake Headquarters: UNIQLO CITY, 1-6-7 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo
Location may be changed to a location determined by the company, including overseas.

Update Aug, 20 2025

Job Description

Background of Recruitment
Fast Retailing Group is transforming itself to create a "new industry" based on the concept of "LifeWear" that goes beyond the boundaries of conventional industries. GU's brand message is "YOUR FREEDOM". g.u. operates its business under the brand message of "YOUR FREEDOM" with the aim of energizing people everywhere through the power of fashion. By offering global must-haves in Japanese quality at low prices, the brand is now gaining acceptance as a brand that is loved around the world, and is aiming to accelerate its global growth by opening a store in New York in October 2022. Under the theme of "GO GLOBAL," GU is aiming to become a full-fledged global fashion brand, and we are looking for someone who can promote business growth as a leader candidate in the product planning area, which will play a key role in the foundation of the brand.

Outline of the department
The Product Planning Department is responsible for the planning of how many products to make, how to sell them, and how to sell them out, which is the foundation of business. The mission of the Merchandise Planning Department, to which you will be assigned, is to "satisfy customers and the field, and to improve the company's profitability, all at the same time, in a healthy way. From product budgeting to product sell-out, we analyze past performance and future prospects from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives, and formulate and implement countermeasures.
At the time of joining the company, you will be assigned to either of the two businesses as a product planner.

Job Description
The Merchandise Planner will be responsible for the entire business plan for GU products (women's, men's, kids', goods, innerwear, etc.), including the formulation of sales budgets and sales plans (by season and month), production plans, and demand forecasts (by week).

Specific duties include the following
1. Analyze the market environment and formulate strategies/tactics to achieve the goals. Formulate KPIs on product management (product number, pricing) to manage the execution of strategies/tactics.
2, Merchandise budget development: monthly/seasonal/divisional/sales/gross profit/cost ratio/discount ratio portfolio development.
3、Product plan scrutiny: Improve the quality of the product plan by using a quantitative/logical approach based on actual results to scrutinize the product plan developed by the MD (Merchandiser).
4、Establishment of demand forecast/sales plan: Based on the product plan described in (3) above, the demand forecast for each product is established/verified, and revisions are proposed to the merchandiser. Based on the verified demand forecast, formulate measures to address the issues in cooperation with related departments (Corporate Planning/MD/Marketing/IMD/Inventory Control/Sales) and formulate a sales plan.
5、Share tactics with stores based on the sales plan, and based on actual results, manage progress and revise the plan to achieve business targets (sales, gross profit, gross profit margin, and inventory at the end of the period).
6、Run PDCA cycle from 1 to 5 above and accumulate knowledge.

Since GU handles fashion apparel, products change seasonally, and each product is produced and sold in units of tens to hundreds of thousands, so it is necessary to control a very large amount of business with a sense of speed. While planning and forecasting are highly challenging, it is rewarding to dynamically promote business through numerical control, which leads to customer satisfaction and results.

Job Descriptions are subject to change within the scope of work related to each department of the headquarters as a result of departmental transfers and organizational changes.

Career Path
The Product Planning Manager will be able to practice a wide range of operations from upstream to downstream of GU's value chain and develop a basic understanding and practical skills of Fast Retailing's core competencies in product management (planning based on principles, revising plans in response to recent business conditions, and planning and implementing sales measures). (planning based on principles, revising plans according to recent business, and planning and executing sales measures). You will have the opportunity to further develop your expertise within the Product Planning Department (in charge of Japan and overseas), as well as enhance your career potential in MD, SCM, Marketing, IMD, Corporate Planning, Overseas Business, Group Business, Overseas COO, and other career opportunities.

Qualifications

Required Experience, Skills and Abilities
Experience in analyzing issues quantitatively and fact-based, identifying issues, and logically considering and implementing measures at a business company, trading company, consulting firm, etc.
Experience in taking a leadership role, collaborating with internal and external parties, and strongly promoting projects.
Highly interested in making clothes, or highly interested in GU's business model and culture

■Welcome experience, skills and abilities
Experience or skills in business planning, marketing (brand management), MD, or management accounting
Business English (e-mail, reading and writing documents, internal and external meetings, external transactions, etc.)

Work Condition

Company Name
GU Corporation

Employment Type
Full-time employee (no fixed term, probationary period (3 months))

■Annual Income
Annual salary range: 5.28-8.64 million yen (monthly salary: 330,000-540,000 yen)
Commuting allowance, overtime allowance, etc. (*All in accordance with our company's regulations)
Bonuses: Semiannual bonus twice a year, year-end bonus (whether or not to be paid and the amount will be decided according to the company's performance and personnel evaluation)
Promotion: Twice a year (determined according to personnel evaluation)
(Not limited to the above, but will be determined based on our company's rules and regulations in consideration of annual salary and experience in previous jobs.

Working hours
Flextime system or management supervisor
Flextime system
Standard working hours per day ... 8 hours, break ... 1 hour
Core time ... 9:00 - 14:00
Flexible hours ... 6:00-9:00 and 14:00-20:00 with overtime
Supervisors
Based on the working hours of the department to which the employee belongs, and left to the employee's decision

Vacations and Vacations
2 days off per week (Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays correspond to working days) Annual paid vacations, special/ congratulatory/condolence leave, childcare/nursing care leave system, etc.
In addition to paid vacations, special leave is granted in the first and second terms (the number of days granted varies depending on the employment status and the company to which the employee belongs).

Insurance
Social insurance (health insurance, employee pension, unemployment insurance, workers' accident compensation insurance, and nursing care insurance)

Benefits
Employee stock ownership system, Mutual aid association system, Affiliated welfare programs, Employee discount system, Cafeteria, Exclusive shuttle bus (for commuting to Ariake office), Defined contribution pension system

Others
We are actively recruiting mid-career workers for our group companies (Fast Retailing, UNIQLO, GU, etc.). We hope you will consider applying for this position after reviewing the following
-You may apply to multiple companies within the Fast Retailing Group at the same time. However, please note that even if you are selected for multiple companies, you will only be able to advance to the final round for one position at a time.
-We will consider your resume, interview evaluation, and other factors in the selection process and may offer you a position in another Fast Retailing Group company.

Smoking is not permitted on the premises or indoors, and there are no smoking rooms or other smoking areas. (Smoking is prohibited during working hours, including breaks.)

Location

Ariake Headquarters: UNIQLO CITY, 1-6-7 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo
Location may be changed to other locations as determined by the company, including overseas.

OPEN MID-CAREER POSITIONS