who we are and where we are today

Merchandise Planning & Allocation includes planning, testing, reporting and allocation. The team is responsible for developing accurate financial, sales, inventory and line plans, analyzing current style performance plans, as well as understanding marketplace competition, target customers and brand-specific fashion trends.

MP&A exists in two parts:

• Brand Planning and Allocation - Each brand has an integrated, in-house staff that focuses on execution of the business's product from merchant vision to in-store sales results.
• Center Planning and Allocation - The Center provides leadership and strategic direction by concentrating on enterprise-wide talent development and process standardization.

MP&A is a very fast-paced, constantly changing business integration point for many functions within the family of brands, including finance, sourcing and logistics. Increasingly, MP&A is a key part of each brand's effort to improve its bottom line through efficiency and execute to the Enterprise Growth Strategy.

where we are going

Integrated planning and allocation ensures profitable growth for the enterprise - early integration in the concept-to-shelf process, and precise trend analysis and strategic decision-making are the keys. MP&A is responsible for getting the right product in the right place at the right time at the right price with minimal inventory investment.

The work of INSIGHT will ensure MP&A's ability to connect financial, sourcing and logistical information to most efficiently get product from concept to shelf. Standardizing processes across the enterprise also will improve operations by making it easier to transfer talent between brands. MP&A associates will need only to learn the specifics of the brand, while the process will remain common among businesses.

• At Limited Brands, planning and allocation professionals can have exposure to a number of different businesses within the same organization and can gain experience in apparel, intimate apparel and personal care products.
• No other retailer can provide such a broad spectrum of experience in planning and allocation within one organization and for such noteworthy brands.
• The opportunities are endless - Limited Brands is committed to improving its planning and allocation operation by upgrading its systems through INSIGHT, standardizing processes across brands to ensure portability of talent and investing in talent to ensure the best team in retail.