Store Planning Analyst (Store Support Center, Lenexa, KS)

About Ace Retail Holdings

Ace Retail Holdings (ARH), the division of Ace Hardware Corporation that owns and operates the Great Lakes and Westlake Ace Hardware chains, is one of the largest hardware retailers in the United States.  ARH has been in operation for over a century and operates over 220 neighborhood stores located throughout the United States.  Great people make ARH stand out in our industry, and we are looking for individuals who strive for personal and professional growth, and who want to work with a company dedicated to serving our customers and communities.

Service, Passion, Respect, Integrity, Teamwork and Excellence

Job Title:    Store Planning Analyst
Department:    Visual Merchandising
Reports To:    Senior Manager, Floor & Space Planning
Exemption Status:    Exempt (Salaried)
                       
About Ace Retail Holdings
Ace Retail Holdings (ARH), is a division of Ace Hardware Corporation that owns and operates several Ace brands, including Westlake Ace, Great Lakes Ace, Buikema’s Ace, Outer Banks Ace, Dennis Company, and Breed & Company.  ARH is one of the largest hardware retailers in the United States and has two headquarters located in Lenexa, KS and Farmington Hills, MI.  ARH’s origins date back over a century and operates over 250 neighborhood stores located throughout the United States.  Great people make ARH stand out in our industry, and we are looking for individuals who strive for personal and professional growth, and who want to work with a company founded on (and still led by) our solid Core Values of: 

Winning, Excellence, Love, Integrity, Gratitude, Humility and Teamwork

General Job Summary
This position is responsible for providing highly analytical and detail-driven support to the New Store acquisitions and Store remodel projects, in developing and executing data-informed strategies across our retail footprint. This role will be responsible for transforming complex data into actionable insights that help optimize product placement, fixture planning, and space productivity. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Floor Plan & Remodel Support:
•    Analyze store-level and market performance data to inform category placement, fixture allocation, and footage recommendations for remodel locations.
•    Support the development and maintenance of Excel-based tools to evaluate SKU-level assortments, footage, and planogram decisions for assortment strategies.
•    Partner with the Sr. Manager to forecast opportunity categories (e.g., Apparel, Pet, Seasonal, Sporting Goods) within remodel locations.
•    Prepare data sets and reports to support collaboration with Merchandising regarding buybacks, inventory transfers, or product exits.
•    Work with the Facilities and Space Planning teams to coordinate fixture planning and merchandising execution
•    Support the Sr. Manager with the execution of store assortment updates in the system
•    Analize discontinued and obsolete inventory and support profitable exit strategies.
 Analytics & Process Optimization:
•    Build and refine reporting tools to track remodel performance, category and planogram productivity, and floor plan effectiveness.
•    Develop dashboards and performance metrics to inform decision-making at both the strategic and tactical levels.
•    Help identify AI tools that can improve decision-making and analysis of data.
•    Support exit strategy analysis, including financial implications of markdowns, transfers, and discontinued SKUs.
•    Collaborate on the refinement of key tools (e.g., Order Tool, Pending OSO, Localization Requests) to ensure efficiency and data accuracy.
•    Identify opportunities for automation and improved processes related to remodel planning, assortment execution, and reporting.

Other Essential Requirements
Ability to exhibit and incorporate our Core Values into daily decisions and interactions with others:
o    WINNING – In business, money is the score. To win, we must perform, compete, and have fun. At Ace, we win through people- our strength is being helpful.
o    EXCELLENCE – Excellence honors God and inspires people. We aspire to be the best, to continuously improve and to inspire others by giving the team our very best.
o    LOVE – Love the people, love the work and love the results.
o    INTEGRITY – For Ace to win, we need to be able to trust each other. And trust will require us to be honest, reliable, caring, of high character and of unquestioned ethics.
o    GRATITUDE – We recognize that we are blessed to be in the business of serving others.
o    HUMILITY – We strive for greatness with a humble, modest and respectful attitude.
o    TEAMWORK – We will fight the natural tendency for control and credit in favor of collaboration and mutual success, recognizing that…Together, we are Ace. 

Minimum Skills, Requirements and Qualifications
•    BS/BA Degree preferred, or equivalent combination of education and experience.  
•    2+ years of experience in retail merchandising, planning, space/floor planning, or data analytics.
•    Highly proficient with advanced MS Excel functions
•    Experience with SQL queries and Power BI is a plus
•    Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills with the ability to manage large data sets and draw actionable insights.
•    Experience working cross-functionally with merchandising, operations, and planning teams.
•    Ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic business environment. 
•    Demonstrated organizational skills and attention to detail. 
•    Ability to work independently, be highly self-motivated. 
•    Travel is less than 10%.
 

Compensation Details

$60000 to $80000 per year

For a full list of benefits and open positions, please visit us at: https://acehardware.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Westlake_External

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Equal Opportunity Employer
Westlake Ace Hardware is committed to a policy of promoting equal employment opportunities. The company recognizes the importance of diversity and leveraging the skills and talents of all people to the mutual advantage of each individual and the organization. The company is committed to the prevention of employment discrimination related to race, religion, color, sex (including sexual harassment), gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, disability and military discharge, or any other action covered by federal or state laws.