Take a look at the current 4-5-4 calendar for fiscal 2022, 2023, and 2024. This is my favorite organization of the 4-5-4 calendar; one that shows last year, the current year, and the next year. In the fashion industry, we always look at the past to help with forecasts while tracking the present, and planning for future seasons. Thus, all three years are needed as a reference.
After reviewing the calendar for years 2022-2023-2024, explain how the yearly change in dates to holidays might affect different apparel, accessories, or soft home product categories when planning for Fiscal 2024. Choose a holiday, a month, or the time between two holidays for your example. Identify the product category and how the fiscal calendar changes would impact the planning of the monthly sales, stocks (inventory), and markdowns.
For instance, think about when Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday; this certainly would cause a women’s Jewelry Store or Lingerie Department to plan for bigger weekly sales to occur in the week where the holiday falls rather than if it fell on a Wednesday. Address all three areas (planned sales, stocks, and markdowns) in your initial post with concrete examples.