Intern-Merchandise Planning

MP&A Intern (Hybrid)

The MP&A Intern will support Merchandise Planning:

The Merchandise Planning Intern supports the planning team in driving data-informed decisions across financial planning, inventory management, and assortment architecture. This role blends traditional merchandise planning responsibilities with analytical support, helping optimize product assortments, improve forecasting accuracy, and enhance overall category performance.

Key Responsibilities:

Merchandise Planning Support

• Assist in the development and maintenance of weekly/monthly sales, inventory, and margin plans for Key Items
• Analyze business performance against plan (sales, inventory turn, GM$, sell-through)
• Support demand forecasting and replenishment strategies

Assortment Architecture & Analytics

• Support assortment strategy development by analyzing SKU productivity, attributes, and choice counts
• Help evaluate breadth vs. depth strategies across categories and channels
• Build and maintain tools/models to assess assortment performance and optimization opportunities

Data & Analytical Work

• Extract, clean, and analyze large datasets (sales, inventory, product attributes)
• Identify trends, patterns, and actionable insights to inform planning decisions
• Internships will begin Summer 2022 (Mid to late May) and last for 12 weeks.
• All interns are full-time, paid positions based in Columbus, OH (hybrid - onsite & remote or fully remote)
• All interns must be able to pay for their own housing and transportation while in Columbus
• Only the candidates who meet the internship requirements will be contacted for interviews
• All interns will be required to complete a project at the end of the internship program
• This opportunity is only open to Sophomore, Junior, and Senior candidates
• Relocation and housing expenses will not be covered by Designer Brands

Common Tools:

MS Excel, MS One Note, MS Outlook, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MicroStrategy

Qualifications and Education Requirements:

Knowledge of the retail industry

Finance, Accounting, Marketing, Statistics, Economics Helpful