I. BUSINESS CONTEXT
Business Context and Operational Challenges
Japan’s Travel Retail market serves a diverse customer base with varying nationalities, travel purposes, and purchasing behaviors, and is significantly influenced by external factors such as fluctuations in passenger traffic, foreign exchange rates, international developments, airline routes and airport operating conditions, and duty-free regulations.
In this highly uncertain environment, Travel Retail Demand Planning serves as a core function by accurately capturing shifts in demand and translating market developments into robust demand forecasts and business plans. By providing a shared demand outlook, it enables timely cross-functional decision-making, supports reliable product supply, maximizes sales opportunities, and contributes to sustainable business growth.
Working in close collaboration with the Travel Retail team, Marketing, Finance, Logistics, and the Global Travel Retail team, this position is responsible for developing and updating demand plans, optimizing inventory, reducing stock-out risks, and conducting cross-functional analysis and reporting required by the Demand Planning team.
The key KPIs are as follows:
Forecast Accuracy
Forecast Bias
Service Level
Stock-out Rate
Net Sales Achievement
II. EXISTING AND FUTURE STAKES
Areas of Transformation for the Future
Amid the evolving Travel Retail market environment, the Demand Planning function is expected to deliver more accurate demand forecasts and stronger business insights.
The key areas of transformation are as follows:
Demand Planning Excellence
Enhance forecast accuracy through cross-functional data analysis aligned with the local market and the use of market insights, including analysis and application of customer- and store-level trends.
Advance and streamline analysis and forecasting through AI and digital tools, including the development and continuous improvement of forecasting logic.
Strengthen the early detection of, and response to, demand fluctuations, inventory risks, and supply constraints.
S&OP Maturity Enhancement
Enhance the S&OP process to reflect the unique demand characteristics of Travel Retail.
Strengthen decision-making processes with global and local teams.
Drive scenario planning and risk management.
Supply Chain Agility
Provide rapid, priority-based coordination support and strengthen response capabilities for risks such as supply constraints, lead-time volatility, and sudden demand surges.
Reduce lost sales opportunities and excess inventory risk while maintaining healthy inventory levels.
· Strengthen collaboration with the global supply chain.
Business Partnership
Support management decision-making by providing data-driven demand and supply insights.
Identify and propose business growth opportunities by category, channel, customer, and store.
Provide Travel Retail management with business performance updates, outlooks, and actionable insights.
III. RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES
Demand Forecasting & Business Planning
Develop, update, and manage demand forecasts for the overall Travel Retail business.
Develop demand forecasts incorporating sales performance, passenger trends, market and competitor insights, promotional plans, and new product plans.
Prepare monthly forecasts and ensure alignment with the business plan.
Continuously analyze Forecast Accuracy and Forecast Bias and drive improvement initiatives.
S&OP Support
Establish the monthly S&OP process for Travel Retail and support the consolidation of demand outlooks and underlying assumptions.
Improve alignment of the demand plan through collaboration with Sales, Marketing, Finance, Logistics, and global teams.
Consolidate risks, opportunities, and assumptions to support decision-making.
Conduct scenario analyses as needed to support visibility into risks and opportunities.
Supply Coordination
When supply constraints arise, collaborate with relevant functions and support coordination based on the demand…