Apparel Buyer

Job Title: Buyer

Reports To:  Merchandise Manager

 

Position Summary: Responsible for achieving sales, margin $, margin %, and turnover plans for assigned departments. Interfaces with and provides merchandising strategies and details to planning and allocation to assure timely deliveries of the desired product mix.  Works closely with marketing and the department merchandiser to create and implement proper in-store presentation and promotion.

 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

 

· Responsible for the development of a vendor matrix containing the correct mix of our best performing vendors and new innovative fashion vendors.

· Travels to market as necessary to buy current season, fashionable merchandise within acceptable price, quality, and target customer guidelines.

· Works closely with planner to develop and implement both dollar and unit plans.

· Develops proper store allocation strategies with allocation analyst

· Negotiates best prices, deliveries and terms while maintaining solid relationships with vendors.

· Stays within open-to-buy dollar limits when purchasing merchandise.

· Does proper purchase order maintenance in conjunction with allocation analyst as a follow-up procedure to changes in prices, terms, deliveries, etc., and for the purposes of maintaining integrity of merchandise reports and eliminating unnecessary work.

· Closely monitors and analyzes selling and inventory reports to achieve proper assortments as directed by management.

· Achieves mark-up plan to help profitability of each classification.

· Works closely with vendors and GMM to resolve changes and problems.

· Stays alert to market trends, competitor strategies, activities, and vendor activities

· Develops floor plan and display strategies with department merchandiser and monitors store implementation.

· Travels to stores weekly as directed by management for exposure to customer and store location attributes and to shop competition.

· Develops marketing event strategies for assigned department within guidelines and schedule set by GMM and marketing manager.

· Prepares merchandise presentations for scheduled meetings

· Adheres to assigned work schedule to assure proper time management.

· Stores and maintains file of bi-weekly coordinate and style reports to establish item history files.

· Monitors and evaluates buying practices and recommends changes necessary to improve efficiency of department  operations.

§  Solid planning skills with experience managing an Open-To-Buy.

  Exhibit market awareness through knowledge of fashion trends

· Negotiate price, delivery, and terms to support business objectives

· Communicate clearly, concisely, timely and professionally

· Listen to others; be a team player and a healthy competitor

· Keep individual and total company goals in mind when making decisions

· Be decisive and support decisions with facts and analysis

· Negotiate price, delivery, and terms to support business objectives

· Communicate clearly, concisely, timely and professionally

· Listen to others; be a team player and a healthy competitor

· Keep individual and total company goals in mind when making decisions

· Be decisive and support decisions with facts and analysis

. Entrepreneurial in spirit:  Thinks and acts like an owner.

Clear communicator with the ability to present and support a point of view.

 Exhibit market awareness through knowledge of fashion trends

 



Education Requirement:  Four year degree in Fashion or Business preferred

Experience Requirement:5+ years of progressive women’s accessories or apparel buying experience with a retailer

Travel: Domestic travel required

Must be willing to relocate to San Antonio, Texas.



Solid analytical background with computer literacy.