Job Description

About the job

Become a vital member of the Buying team at South Africas leading international fashion retailer. If you thrive in the dynamic world of fashion retail and crave innovation, this opportunity is tailor-made for you. We are seeking a Senior Buyer with unparalleled technical merchandising prowess and a demonstrated knack for trend interpretation. Your role will involve conceptualizing products, integrating individual fashion elements like colour, fabric, and silhouette into a cohesive strategy, and ultimately delivering tangible results at the retail level. Your infectious energy, inventive mindset, and deep-seated passion for product will set you apart in this high-octane environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Achieve or surpass planned sales by dynamically responding to current trade through agility.
• Develop proactive action plans to address product performance issues in collaboration with the planner and report to management accordingly.
• Communicate changes in current trade that impact other departments, such as resource, marketing, and visual merchandising.
• Monitor and manage sales by style, pre-production timelines, orders, and performance milestones to ensure delivery performance through rapid response to current trade.
• Manage supplier relationships and resolve delivery issues with suppliers.
• Conduct relevant competitor analysis and store visits, sharing findings with the greater team.
• Present a post-mortem on trade reports to senior business leaders, including competitor analysis, supplier performance, actual product execution, marketing, and trend feedback.
• Formulate a sub-category strategy as the foundation of the seasonal assortment framework, incorporating trend and post-mortem learnings.
• Develop a seasonal supplier strategy with the team and the resource department, ensuring a well-considered, risk-balanced approach.
• Compile and present a seasonal strategy, including sub-categories, to senior business leaders.
• Confirm trends, source samples, and present the range based on strategy calls.
• Confirm supplier roll-up with the resource department.
• Be responsible for assortment building, presenting back to seniors if applicable.
• Collaborate with the team in preparing for review, ensuring the range aligns with seasonal strategic objectives.
• Prepare the range, verifying that all KPIs, width & depth, PMO, and sales targets are aligned.
• Align the booking process with production timelines and in-store deliveries in collaboration with the planner and resource.
• Travel locally and abroad to assess current market trends and provide detailed feedback.
• Contribute proactively in all team meetings and working sessions.
• Provide direction and coaching to juniors.

Education:

Diploma/Degree: Fashion Design or Clothing Management.

Experience:

• 3 - 4 Years Buying Experience.

Knowledge/ Skills required:

• Entrepreneurial Mentality.
• Negotiation & Presentation Skills.
• Product Knowledge.
• Understanding of Merchandise Process.
• Advanced Excel skills
• Analytical
• Knowledge on Shopify advantageous
• Consumer Science Retail Management

Keystone