Associate Buyer

Kibbi; Toronto; On-site; CAD 70,000 - 72,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee discount

Pension matching

Tuition assistance

Health & dental benefits

Continuous learning & development

Job summary

Holt Renfrew is seeking an Associate, Buyer to drive sourcing of products and manage buy plans in a luxury retail environment. You will partner with Buyers and planners to meet sales and margin goals while maintaining vendor relationships and market awareness.

You will contribute to financial planning, forecast recaps, and assortment strategies, ensuring timely delivery and optimal inventory. The role emphasizes collaboration with internal partners and external vendors, with a focus on

Qualifications

• 2 years proven associate buying &/or planning experience, preferably in luxury retail.
• Ability to clearly articulate and demonstrate how to evaluate a merchandise assortment.
• Highly collaborative and hands on approach to managing portfolio; make strategic recommendations to continuously assess portfolio performance and raise the bar.
• Strong communication and presentation skills; ability to speak to portfolio performance at regular review meetings.
• Proven ability to handle strategic negotiations and build strong working relationships with internal and external partners.

Responsibilities

• Develop financial plans in partnership with Buyer and planner
• Achieve planned sales and margin goals and drive all aspects of merchandising
• Support Buyer in preparing and presenting monthly forecast recaps on the business
• Plan and align the buy strategy to optimize local store needs/demands
• Select reliable and quality vendors to source the best available products at best terms

Skills

Luxury retail

Buying experience

Forecasting

Vendor negotiation

Job description

Holt Renfrew offers you an inspiring, fashion-driven environment with opportunities to learn and grow. From our incredible partnerships with iconic luxury brands, to our commitments to corporate social responsibility, you will be inspired every day.

A job at Holt Renfrew offers a competitive total compensation, a generous employee discount, pension, and health & dental benefits, tuition assistance, and continuous learning and development.

To define the luxury lifestyle shopping experience through building lasting relationships with our people, customers and partners, the Associate, Buyer drives the timely sourcing of best available products, drive efficiencies to achieve and exceed sales and margin goals under the guidance of seasoned colleagues.

Specific responsibilities include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Develop financial plans in partnership with Buyer and planner
• Achieve planned sales and margin goals and drive all aspects of merchandising
• Support Buyer in preparing and presenting monthly forecast recaps on the business, buy recaps post market and adhoc assessments on performance by brand or by department or commodity level
• Plan and align the ‘buy’ strategy to optimize local store needs/demands. Responsible for managing purchase orders according to plan and forecast and liaising with stores to ensure demands captured
• Select reliable and quality vendors to source the best available products at the best possible terms.
• Continuously evaluate vendors and procedures within Buying office and provide/action recommendations for more effective business practices.
• May attend market as required to select and assemble collections and product assortments based on analysis of customer buying patterns, assessment of competitors, and predictions of future trends. Select the range, type, quantity, colour, size, price, etc. and negotiate competitive bids to purchase within budgets and to drive profit.
• Ensure timely delivery of merchandise, initiate cancellations or negotiate discounts on late deliveries as appropriate.
• In partnership with Buyer and Planning, manage open-to-buy to maximize business opportunities and inventory control; make timely profitability decisions, review existing inventory performance indicators and react quickly to change in demand, logistics and trends.
• Drive communication and relationships with store partners; proactively seek customer feedback through store partners on responds to choices made and to market needs.
• Ensure product information and PK sessions are available to store teams.
• Enable strong working relationships with internal partners (ie. Planning, Marketing, Visual, Merchandising, Stores, etc.) to collaboratively maintain integrity of the brand and buying strategy.

The ideal candidate:

• 2 years proven associate buying &/or planning experience, preferably in luxury retail
• Ability to clearly articulate and demonstrate how to evaluate a merchandise assortment.
• Highly collaborative and hands on approach to managing portfolio; make strategic recommendations to continuously assess portfolio performance and raise the bar
• Strong communication and presentation skills; ability to speak to portfolio performance at regular review meetings
• Proven ability to handle strategic negotiations and build strong working relationships with internal and external partners

Holt Renfrew is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Our future success depends on the perspectives and contributions of all our employees -- their diverse backgrounds, abilities and experiences make our business stronger. If you are contacted for a job opportunity and require accommodation, please email [e-mail] and let us know so we can ensure you have an accessible candidate experience throughout the recruitment process. All requests are confidential and used only to meet candidate needs.

Hiring Range: $70,000.00 - $72,000.00

Final compensation for this position will be determined based on the candidate's unique skills, expertise, individual qualifications, and assessed contributions to the role following the completion of the interview process. The range stated is the starting range for this position. Offers may vary with experience, qualifications, performance, and local market conditions. We strive to offer competitive compensation that aligns with a candidate's contributions to our team, along with a comprehensive benefits package, enticing perks, pension matching, incentives, and our coveted employee discount.