Buyer

Apparel Group; Dubai; On-site; AED 40,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dynamic Merchandise Planner to drive seasonal strategies and manage product assortments. This role involves collaborating with brand management to align merchandise with customer demand and market trends. You'll be responsible for negotiating with suppliers, analyzing sales performance, and implementing strategic recommendations to enhance product offerings. If you are passionate about retail and have a knack for strategic planning, this is an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Experience in planning and selecting merchandise based on customer demand.
• Strong analytical skills for sales performance and market trends.

Responsibilities

• Drive seasonal strategies and manage the buying calendar.
• Analyze sales performance and revise production flows accordingly.

Skills

Business Strategy Development

Negotiation Skills

Market Trend Analysis

Product Training

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Business or Related Field

Job description

Job Description

POSITION OBJECTIVE - Plan and select the range, type, quality, and quantity of merchandise according to customer demand, trends, store policies, and set prices and sell-through targets in conjunction with the Brand Manager/GM to ensure they are in line with the budget.

Key Responsibilities:

Business Strategy:

• Drive seasonal strategies aligned with the brand positioning to formulate the Gross Margin Plan.
• Develop a finely tuned assortment and investment plan.
• Create the sourcing development plan and execute the critical path to deliver it timely.
• Negotiate with new suppliers on product pricing, payment terms, freight costs, training provisions, and their involvement in advertising and promotions to decide on purchase orders.
• Manage OTB in tandem with the planning counterpart.

– Manage OTB in tandem with the planning counterpart.

• Deliver the seasonal business strategy by monitoring and impacting the critical path, range building, and product selection.
• Prepare and manage the buying calendar.
• Formulate seasonal product focus plans with Marketing and VM to drive key initiatives.
• Focus on maintaining current business and building new categories.
• Conduct customer focus groups and competitive shopping.

Performance and Operations:

• Analyze and report weekly sales performance at style, range, category, and business unit levels against the range plan. Take in-season actions to revise production flows and maximize sales.
• Manage TNA plans.
• Implement the buying calendar for timely seasonal analysis and range building.
• Conduct regular competitor surveys to identify product gaps and influence range plans.
• Manage range and product hierarchy and create the seasonal phasing plan.
• Oversee 'The Look' for the season, influencing product selection, in-store VM as per guidelines, and layout planning.
• Stay abreast of market trends and monitor competitor activities.
• Manage product training for staff to ensure up-to-date knowledge, including regular trend training sessions.
• Review buying feedback reports and provide strategic recommendations to the General Manager regarding buying strategies for respective brands or collections.