What Does a Vendor Replenishment Planner Do? A Guide to Coles VRP and Woolworths ISP

Supplying major supermarkets requires more than producing a good product and delivering purchase orders on time.

FMCG suppliers must manage retailer forecasts, inventory levels, promotional demand, distribution-centre orders, supply constraints and changing customer demand. When these activities are not coordinated, the result can be lost sales, excess stock, delivery failures, waste and strained retailer relationships.

A Vendor Replenishment Planner, commonly referred to as a VRP, helps manage this process between the supplier and retailer.

Within the Australian grocery industry, suppliers may encounter different terminology depending on the retailer. The role is commonly associated with Coles VRP and Woolworths ISP, with ISP referring to an Integrated Supply Planner.

Although the structures and processes differ between retailers, the objective is broadly the same: improve the flow of inventory through the retailer’s supply network so that products are available when customers want to buy them.

What is Vendor Replenishment Planning?

Vendor Replenishment Planning is the day-to-day management of inventory, orders, forecasts and supply between an FMCG supplier and its retail customer.

A Vendor Replenishment Planner monitors retailer demand and inventory information, identifies future stock risks and coordinates action across the supplier and retailer.

The role sits between several business functions, including:

retailer replenishment and commercial teams
supplier demand and supply planning
customer service
manufacturing and procurement
warehousing and logistics
sales and account management

The planner’s job is not simply to process orders. An effective VRP interprets the available information, identifies what may go wrong and coordinates action before it affects product availability or service performance.

Coles itself separates its supplier guidance into areas including supply standards, ordering and replenishment, transport and logistics, and supply-chain automation, demonstrating how replenishment performance extends across multiple operational functions.

What does a Vendor Replenishment Planner do?

The responsibilities of a Vendor Replenishment Planner vary according to the retailer, product category, supply model and size of the supplier.

However, the core responsibilities generally include the following.

1. Monitor retailer inventory and orders

A VRP reviews stock across the retailer’s distribution network and monitors incoming orders, expected demand and available supply.

This helps identify risks such as:

low distribution-centre inventory
unexpected increases in demand
orders that do not reflect the latest forecast
delayed or constrained supplier inventory
excessive stock that may create waste or markdown risk

The earlier a risk is identified, the more options the supplier and retailer have to respond.

2. Align retailer forecasts with supplier plans

Retailer forecasts do not operate in isolation.

They must be compared with the supplier’s demand plan, production schedule, available inventory, lead times and known business activity.

A Vendor Replenishment Planner investigates significant differences and works with the relevant teams to align assumptions wherever possible.

Forecast alignment is particularly important when a supplier is managing:

imported products
long manufacturing lead times
capacity constraints
seasonal products
short shelf-life inventory
major promotional activity

3. Manage promotional and event demand

Promotions can create substantial changes in demand over a short period.

A Coles VRP or Woolworths ISP may review promotional forecasts, stock builds, order timing, distribution-centre inventory and inbound delivery plans before and during an event.

Promotional planning may include:

confirming expected sales uplift
reviewing store and distribution-centre stock
monitoring pre-event inventory builds
checking available supplier inventory
coordinating production and inbound deliveries
tracking performance while the promotion is running
managing stock after the event finishes

Poor promotional planning can result in missed sales when stock is unavailable or excess inventory when actual demand falls below forecast.

4. Identify stock risks before they become service failures

One of the most valuable parts of Vendor Replenishment Planning is early intervention.

A planner continually looks for issues that could affect future supply, including:

production delays
transport disruptions
warehouse constraints
incorrect forecasts
unexpected sales increases
retailer-ordering anomalies
product transitions
deleted or superseded lines
new product launches

The planner then communicates the risk, recommends actions and tracks the issue until it is resolved.

5. Coordinate supply into retailer distribution centres

Replenishment planning must account for how stock physically moves through the supply chain.

This includes understanding:

supplier lead times
warehouse dispatch capacity
transport arrangements
retailer delivery windows
distribution-centre requirements
stock already in transit
upcoming public holidays and closures

A strong plan must be operationally achievable. There is little value in increasing an order or forecast if the supplier cannot produce, pick, transport or deliver the stock in time.

6. Support new product launches and range changes

New products create uncertainty because there is limited sales history on which to base demand.

A Vendor Replenishment Planner supports launch planning by reviewing initial forecasts, stock builds, distribution timing, early sales and inventory movement.

The planner may also assist with:

product substitutions
packaging changes
range reviews
line deletions
code transitions
final stock run-downs

Careful management during these periods helps reduce the risk of unavailable stock, duplicated inventory or obsolete products.

7. Communicate with retailer and supplier teams

Vendor Replenishment Planning is a highly collaborative role.

The planner must turn data into clear actions and communicate those actions to the people responsible for production, transport, ordering, forecasting and commercial decisions.

An embedded replenishment-planning model can provide more direct access to retailer systems, stakeholders and information. sc3sixty’s current service is delivered within retailer head-office environments to support faster issue resolution, retailer alignment and inventory decision-making.

What is a Coles VRP?

A Coles VRP is a Vendor Replenishment Planner supporting a supplier’s replenishment activity within the Coles network.

The role may involve working with Coles ordering, replenishment, operations and commercial teams while representing the supplier’s inventory and supply position.

Typical Coles VRP responsibilities can include:

reviewing retailer orders and inventory
aligning supplier and retailer forecasts
supporting production and delivery planning
managing promotional stock requirements
identifying potential availability issues
communicating supply constraints
supporting new products and range changes
monitoring inbound service and stock performance

Coles describes VRPs as playing an important role in managing orders, supporting production planning and coordinating deliveries into its distribution centres.

For suppliers, a capable Coles VRP provides a dedicated operational connection between the business and the retailer.

What is a Woolworths ISP?

Within the Woolworths environment, suppliers may work with an Integrated Supply Planner, or ISP.

A Woolworths ISP performs many functions associated with Vendor Replenishment Planning, including forecast alignment, inventory management, promotional planning, order management and collaboration with retailer teams.

The exact processes, systems and working relationships are specific to Woolworths, but the ISP still acts as an important link between retailer demand and supplier capability.

Typical Woolworths ISP responsibilities may include:

monitoring inventory and replenishment performance
reviewing retailer forecasts against supplier plans
coordinating promotional and seasonal requirements
managing supply risks and constraints
supporting order and inbound-delivery execution
communicating with Woolworths planning teams
assisting with new lines and range activity
preparing reporting and recommendations for the supplier

The Woolworths ISP role should not be treated as an administrative order-processing position. It requires analysis, retailer knowledge, supply-chain understanding and the ability to influence multiple stakeholders.

Coles VRP vs Woolworths ISP: what is the difference?

Coles VRP and Woolworths ISP roles share many underlying objectives, but they operate within different retailer environments.

The major difference is not simply the job title. Each retailer has its own systems, terminology, operating rhythms, distribution network and expectations.

A planner experienced with one retailer may therefore require additional onboarding before they can perform effectively within the other.

Why is Vendor Replenishment Planning important?

Replenishment decisions affect both sales and costs.

If insufficient stock reaches the retailer, products may be unavailable when customers want to purchase them. If too much stock enters the network, the supplier and retailer may face excess inventory, poor stock rotation, markdowns or write-offs.

Effective Vendor Replenishment Planning helps balance these risks.

Potential benefits include:

Improved product availability

Better visibility and earlier action can reduce the likelihood of avoidable stock shortages.

Stronger forecast alignment

Comparing retailer demand with supplier plans helps identify mismatches before they affect production or supply.

Better promotional execution

Coordinated forecasts, stock builds and delivery plans improve readiness for promotional and seasonal demand.

Reduced excess and obsolete inventory

Ongoing monitoring can identify slower demand, over-ordering and stock run-down risks earlier.

Faster issue resolution

A dedicated planner provides clear ownership of replenishment issues and coordinates the required response.

Stronger retailer collaboration

Consistent communication helps create a more informed and productive relationship between supplier and retailer teams.

Improved internal visibility

Structured reporting gives sales, supply-chain and leadership teams a clearer view of inventory, service and demand risks.

What happens when replenishment planning is not managed properly?

Without clear replenishment ownership, problems often move between departments without being resolved.

Common warning signs include:

frequent out-of-stocks
repeated urgent production requests
unexplained order volatility
excessive inventory at supplier or retailer level
poor promotional availability
recurring delivery failures
high levels of obsolete or short-dated stock
inconsistent retailer communication
disagreement between sales and supply-chain forecasts
limited visibility of upcoming risks

These issues rarely exist independently. A forecast problem can become a production problem, which can become a delivery problem and ultimately an availability problem.

A Vendor Replenishment Planner helps connect those issues and manage them as part of one end-to-end process.

Vendor Replenishment Planning for promotions and peak periods

Peak trading periods place additional pressure on the entire supply chain.

Christmas, Easter, public holidays, catalogue events, major promotions and seasonal changes can affect forecasts, production schedules, warehouse capacity, transport availability and retailer orders.

Planning should begin well before the stock is required.

A robust peak-period plan may cover:

expected demand and promotional uplift
supplier production and purchasing requirements
inventory-build targets
distribution-centre stock requirements
transport and booking capacity
public-holiday closures
contingency stock and supply risks
reporting frequency during the event
post-event inventory management

The planner should also compare actual performance against the plan while there is still time to respond.

How data and reporting support better replenishment decisions

Retailer data is only valuable when it leads to action.

A replenishment-planning reporting process may monitor:

sales and demand trends
forecast accuracy
retailer inventory
supplier inventory
weeks of supply
inbound orders
service levels
distribution-centre stock
promotional performance
short-dated or excess inventory
product availability
unresolved supply risks

The goal is not to create more reports. It is to provide a reliable view of where attention is required.

sc3sixty combines replenishment planning with reporting across forecast variance, stock risk, inbound service and promotional performance, providing suppliers with a more connected view of retailer and internal data.