Hiring Now | Store Planner | Kuilsrivier, Cape Town, Western Cape | Full-Time Position Available

Ackermans, one of South Africa’s most established and widely loved value retail brands, is seeking a skilled and commercially driven Store Planner to join their Planning team at the Ackermans Support Centre in Kuilsrivier, Cape Town. This is a head office planning role that sits at the heart of the business — responsible for ensuring that the right stock reaches the right stores at the right time, maximising sales performance across Ackermans’ national store network. If you are passionate about store planning, energised by data, and motivated by finding smart solutions to complex distribution challenges, Ackermans offers you a high-impact platform to do exactly that within one of South Africa’s most active retail planning environments. Don’t miss this opportunity — vacancies are filling fast. Apply today.

Job Overview

Field	Detail
Job Title	Store Planner
Department	Planning
Industry	Retail – Clothing
Job Type	Full-Time, Permanent
Salary	Market Related
Location	Ackermans Support Centre, Kuilsrivier, Cape Town, Western Cape
Minimum Experience	2–3 years in store planning within a clothing retail environment
Closing Date	To Be Confirmed – Apply Immediately
Application Status	Open – Accepting Applications Now

About the Role

The Ackermans Planning team based at the Support Centre in Kuilsrivier, Cape Town, is the engine room behind stock allocation across the company’s extensive national store network. As a Store Planner, you will take ownership of the accurate and optimal distribution of both seasonal and replenishment stock, ensuring that every store in the network is positioned to maximise its sales potential. This is a role that demands both analytical precision and a genuine commercial instinct — the ability to read store performance data, identify opportunities and risks, and translate those insights into distribution decisions that drive business results.

The successful candidate will be self-motivated, solutions-oriented, and capable of sustaining high energy and focus in a fast-paced retail planning environment. You will work closely with buying, logistics, supply chain, and store operations teams, contributing to a wide range of planning functions including seasonal stock launches, replenishment profiling, new store setups, visual merchandising inputs, and stock query resolution. The breadth of this role makes it an outstanding platform for a planner who wants to deepen their expertise and grow within a nationally significant retail business.

A minimum of two to three years of sound store planning experience within a clothing retail environment is a firm requirement. Candidates who additionally bring exposure to store management, logistics, supply chain processes, or advanced planning systems such as JDA Allocation Planning, Location Planning, or Just Enough will be at a significant advantage.

Key Responsibilities

Seasonal Stock Distribution & Optimisation

• Ensure the accurate distribution of seasonal stock to all relevant stores in the network, optimising sales opportunity across every location.
• Develop and deliver seasonal replenishment profiles at the required product level, ensuring stores receive the right depth and breadth of product at the right time.
• Deliver a location plan that allows for the effective clustering of stores at the required product level, supporting targeted and commercially sound distribution decisions.
• Monitor seasonal sell-through performance and adjust distribution plans proactively to maximise recovery and minimise end-of-season risk.

Non-Seasonal & Replenishment Planning

• Ensure the optimal distribution of non-seasonal and replenishment stock to sustain sales performance between seasonal launches.
• Develop and maintain non-seasonal replenishment profiles at the required product level, ensuring continuity of supply across the store network.
• Plan and manage high-replenishment product categories effectively, applying a sound understanding of cross-dock processes to support efficient stock flow.
• Monitor replenishment stock levels across stores, identifying and addressing gaps or surpluses before they impact trading performance.

Store Performance Analysis

• Analyse store performance data regularly, providing accurate and timeous information to support business decision-making at planning and buying level.
• Identify performance trends, anomalies, and opportunities across the store network, translating data into clear, actionable insights for relevant stakeholders.
• Contribute to trading and performance reports that inform strategic planning decisions across the Ackermans business.
• Work collaboratively with the broader planning team to ensure that data-driven insights are embedded in every distribution decision.

New Store Setups & Visual Merchandising

• Ensure that new stores are stocked to plan at launch, coordinating the accurate and timely distribution of all required product categories ahead of opening.
• Supply well-considered inputs to the seasonal visual merchandising look at the required product level, supporting the brand’s in-store presentation standards across the network.
• Collaborate with relevant internal stakeholders to ensure that new store launches proceed smoothly and that initial stock positions reflect commercial and brand objectives.

Stock Query Resolution & Stakeholder Support

• Assist stores across the network in resolving queries relating to stock — including allocation discrepancies, replenishment gaps, and supply chain delays — efficiently and professionally.
• Liaise with logistics, supply chain, and store operations teams to investigate and resolve stock-related issues in a timely manner.
• Maintain clear, professional communication with internal stakeholders at all levels, from store managers to senior buying and planning leadership.
• Perform any other work-related tasks as reasonably delegated by a superior within the Planning department.

Minimum Requirements

Educational Qualifications

• Grade 12 Certificate (Matric) — essential minimum requirement
• A National Diploma or Degree in Business Management, Retail Management, Accounting, or Finance would be a beneficial addition

Experience

• A minimum of 2–3 years of sound store planning experience within a clothing retail environment — this is a firm and non-negotiable requirement
• Previous store management experience would be a valuable addition
• Prior exposure to general logistics and supply chain processes is advantageous

Technical Skills

• Experience working in planning systems such as Location Planning, JDA Allocation Planning, and/or Just Enough
• Experience in planning high-replenishment products and a sound understanding of cross-dock processes
• A working knowledge of the latest Microsoft Office packages, including Word and Excel — essential
• Experience working at an advanced level in Excel — a definite advantage

Knowledge Requirements

• Strong understanding of seasonal and non-seasonal stock distribution principles within a clothing retail environment
• Sound knowledge of store clustering, replenishment profiling, and location planning methodologies
• Familiarity with supply chain and logistics processes as they relate to retail stock flow

Skills & Competencies

• Strong analytical and numerical skills, with the ability to interpret complex data sets and translate them into commercial decisions
• Excellent planning and organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple distribution cycles simultaneously
• Sound communication and stakeholder management skills, including the ability to present data clearly to both planning colleagues and store-facing teams
• Ability to work collaboratively across departments, including buying, logistics, operations, and visual merchandising

Personal Attributes

• Self-motivated and solutions-driven — someone who identifies problems and acts on them without waiting to be directed
• High energy and commercially curious, with a genuine enthusiasm for the pace and complexity of a retail planning environment
• Detail-oriented and precise, with a zero-tolerance approach to distribution inaccuracies
• Passionate about store performance and motivated by the direct link between smart planning decisions and sales results

Advantageous / Preferred

• Advanced proficiency in Excel beyond standard working knowledge
• Experience with JDA Allocation Planning, Location Planning, or Just Enough planning systems
• Prior store management experience within a clothing or value retail environment
• Exposure to cross-dock logistics and high-velocity replenishment planning

Core Values

Analytical Excellence

Store planning at Ackermans is a discipline that lives and dies by the quality of the data behind it. The best Store Planners are those who go beyond the numbers to understand what they mean — who can identify a sell-through anomaly, trace it to a root cause, and adjust their distribution strategy accordingly before it costs the business a meaningful opportunity. Ackermans expects its planners to bring rigour, curiosity, and commercial intelligence to every dataset they touch, and to treat analysis as the foundation of every decision they make.

Commercial Instinct

Planning is ultimately in service of one goal: maximising sales. Every location plan, every replenishment profile, and every seasonal allocation decision you make has a direct and measurable impact on store performance across the national network. Ackermans values Store Planners who feel that commercial weight and are motivated by it — who understand that getting the right stock to the right store at the right time is not a logistical exercise but a competitive advantage, and who bring the urgency and judgment of a true commercial operator to their work.

Collaborative Partnership

A Store Planner at Ackermans does not work in isolation. You will be embedded in a broader ecosystem of buying, logistics, supply chain, visual merchandising, and store operations professionals, and your effectiveness depends on the quality of the relationships you build across those functions. Ackermans values planners who communicate clearly, share information generously, and approach cross-functional challenges as shared problems to be solved together — not as obstacles to be navigated around.

Solutions Orientation

The retail planning environment is dynamic, unpredictable, and occasionally chaotic — supply chain disruptions, unexpected sell-through spikes, new store launches, and stock query escalations do not wait for a convenient moment. Ackermans is looking for a Store Planner who responds to complexity with calm, structured problem-solving — someone who sees a stock challenge as an opportunity to demonstrate their capability, and who consistently leaves situations better than they found them.

Continuous Growth

The planning landscape evolves constantly — new systems, new distribution methodologies, new product categories, and new store configurations create ongoing opportunities to learn and adapt. Ackermans supports the professional development of its Planning team, and Store Planners who invest in deepening their technical skills — particularly in advanced planning systems and Excel — and who stay curious about best practice in retail planning, are the ones who grow most rapidly within the business and contribute most significantly to the team’s collective capability.

Career Growth Opportunities

Ackermans’ Planning department offers ambitious Store Planners a well-defined path to advance into senior planning and commercial leadership roles within the business. With a track record of strong performance, technical excellence, and collaborative leadership, you can progress through the following stages:

• Store Planner → Senior Store Planner
• Senior Store Planner → Planning Manager
• Planning Manager → Head of Planning
• Head of Planning → Executive: Commercial & Planning

Your career path is in your hands.

Frequently Asked Questions

What salary does Ackermans offer for the Store Planner position in Cape Town? The salary for this position is market related and will be discussed and confirmed during the interview and offer process. Ackermans benchmarks Planning team remuneration competitively within the South African clothing retail sector, and the final package will reflect your level of planning experience, technical proficiency, and systems knowledge. Candidates with advanced Excel capability and experience in planning systems such as JDA or Just Enough will typically be better positioned in the negotiation. You are encouraged to discuss your salary expectations openly during the selection process.

Is this role based at head office, and will I need to travel to stores? This position is based at the Ackermans Support Centre in Kuilsrivier, Cape Town, which serves as the company’s head office planning hub. The role is primarily office-based, though occasional interaction with store operations teams and logistics partners may require limited travel. The day-to-day focus is on planning system work, data analysis, stakeholder engagement within the Support Centre, and coordination with supply chain and logistics teams rather than on-the-ground store visits.

Is clothing retail planning experience specifically required, or will planning experience from other sectors be considered? A minimum of two to three years of store planning experience within a clothing retail environment is a firm requirement for this role. Planning experience from other retail sectors — such as grocery, homeware, or electronics — may be considered if accompanied by a demonstrable understanding of seasonal planning cycles, replenishment profiling, and location-based distribution. However, candidates who cannot demonstrate direct exposure to clothing retail planning will face a significantly higher bar, as the seasonal complexity and pace of clothing distribution is a core component of the role.

Which planning systems should I be familiar with to be competitive for this role? Experience working in planning systems such as Location Planning, JDA Allocation Planning, and/or Just Enough is listed as a strong advantage. Candidates who have worked in any of these systems in a live retail planning environment will be significantly more competitive than those without systems exposure. A working knowledge of Microsoft Excel at an advanced level is also particularly valued — including skills such as pivot tables, complex formulas, and large dataset management. If you have experience in planning systems not listed here, include this detail in your application as it may still be relevant.

When does this vacancy close, and how urgently should I apply? The closing date for this vacancy has not yet been confirmed. Given this, it is strongly recommended that you submit your complete application immediately. Ackermans reserves the right to close the listing once a suitable candidate is identified, and delaying your application carries a genuine risk of missing the opportunity entirely. Should you not be contacted or liaised with within four weeks of the closure of the advert, please consider your application unsuccessful.

Does Ackermans give preference to internal applicants for this role? In line with Ackermans’ policy for appointments and promotions, preference is given to internal applicants who meet the competencies and minimum requirements for the position. External candidates who meet all requirements and who would enhance team diversity and contribute to Employment Equity within the company are also encouraged to apply. All preference considerations are conditional on candidates first meeting the minimum requirements of the role — including the two-to-three-year clothing retail planning experience requirement, which is non-negotiable.

How to Apply

To apply for the Store Planner position at Ackermans, submit your application through the Ackermans careers portal at careers.ackermans.co.za. Ensure your application includes a current CV with contactable references, as well as certified copies of your qualifications and ID document. Clearly reference the Store Planner role and the Planning department in your application.

The closing date for this vacancy has not been confirmed. Apply immediately to avoid missing this opportunity.

Should you not be contacted or liaised with within four weeks of the closure of the advert, please consider your application unsuccessful.

Preference will be given to internal applicants and to candidates who contribute to Employment Equity and team diversity, provided all minimum requirements are met.

Apply early — this vacancy closes without confirmed notice. Submit your application today.

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