Assistant Buyer

Role Overview

• Identifying product opportunities and sharing creative ideas for future collections, demonstrating strong market awareness and a keen eye for emerging trends
• Supporting the Buyer with supplier quotations, cost negotiations and product development activities
• Working closely with the Buyer to ensure pricing calculations are accurate and target margins are achieved
• Maintaining and overseeing key buying documentation, ensuring all information is accurate, organised and completed on time
• Supporting option planning to ensure product counts and category objectives are met
• Coordinating key buying information and facilitating smooth handovers between departments throughout the product development process
• Managing product development from design concept through to launch, ensuring critical path deadlines are met
• Overseeing sample management and organisation within the product development area, ensuring products are received, reviewed and approved on schedule
• Building strong relationships with suppliers to effectively manage quality, cost, compliance and product standards
• Working collaboratively with Buying, Merchandising, Product Design and Purchasing teams to ensure products are approved for production and launched successfully
• Monitoring sales performance and competitor activity, sharing insights and recommendations with the wider team
• Identifying opportunities to improve processes and contribute to the continuous development of the Buying function
• Ensuring products meet relevant regulations and compliance requirements across multiple markets
• Supporting both B2B and B2C product requirements, helping to deliver ranges that meet the needs of our customers and partners
• Displaying excellent organisation and time management skills, ensuring all key deadlines and critical path milestones are achieved

Requirements

• Proven experience within an established Buying department
• Strong commercial awareness with a passion for product and trend analysis
• Excellent organisational skills with strong attention to detail
• Confident working within a fast-paced environment and managing multiple priorities
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills with the ability to work collaboratively across departments and with external suppliers
• Experience supporting, mentoring or developing junior team members
• A proactive and solutions-focused mindset with the confidence to take initiative
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret sales data and make commercial recommendations
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Office, particularly Excel at an intermediate level
• A positive, resilient and enthusiastic approach, with a willingness to learn and continuously improve
• Well organised, process-driven and capable of managing workload effectively against key deadlines.

Benefits

• 25 days holiday rising to 27 with length of service, plus bank holidays
• A broad benefits package including our staff favourite – a very generous staff discount across both our brands.
• Opportunities to make an impact as well as learn and develop further
• An innovative and friendly workplace with a team we're proud to be part of.