Assistant Buyer

Ann Summers; Tandridge; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading women's fashion brand is seeking an Assistant Buyer to join their team. This role involves developing relationships with suppliers, negotiating prices, and contributing to a collection that resonates with customers. Candidates should have prior experience in buying, particularly within lingerie or women's fashion, and possess strong commercial awareness. This position offers a competitive benefits package including flexible hours, and a supportive workplace culture that emphasizes diversity and inclusivity.

Benefits

29 days of holiday including Bank Holidays

Paid day off for your Birthday

Workplace pension

Company perks scheme

Retail Trust wellbeing programme

Qualifications

• Previous experience as an Assistant Buyer or Senior BAA, ideally in lingerie or women's fashion.
• Strong knowledge of customer and market dynamics.
• Organised with a focus on achieving results.

Responsibilities

• Building relationships with suppliers and managing the supply base.
• Negotiating to maximize margins and understand supplier strengths.
• Contributing to product range development based on customer trends.

Skills

Attention to detail

Commercial awareness

Team leadership

Job description

Based at our Head Office in Whyteleafe 2‑3 days a week - just 15 minutes outside of Croydon and easily commutable from London. We also offer flexi core hours as an extra bonus!

We have benefits worth getting excited about… from our 50% staff discount and colleague social events to a paid day off for your Birthday, and that's just to name a few!

We’re on the hunt for an ambitious and dedicated Assistant Buyer to join our Buying team, working on one of our largest and highest profile categories! You’ll play a pivotal role in shaping our gorgeous collections, and will be making a substantial commercial impact. We'll be looking for someone who is confident in their capability, an amazing communicator who can juggle multiple priorities, and able to manage relationships effortlessly (internally and externally).

But most importantly you will be passionate about the Ann Summers brand and our mission - female empowerment!

We’re a unique brand that strives to EMPOWER, lives to PUSH BOUNDARIES, gets kicks off MAKING IT HAPPEN and is ALWAYS INCLUSIVE!

About the Role

• Building strong and beneficial relationships with suppliers, creating an effective and balanced supply base.
• Working with key suppliers to obtain costings, negotiating creatively to maximise margin, understand key supplier strengths and weaknesses.
• Contributing to the development and review of the critical path ensuring the BAA keeps it up to date and issues are highlighted.
• Working to build the range with the team to deliver products that our customers will love and will buy!
• Leading, developing and motivating a BAA – giving them the guidance and tools to thrive in their role, and confidently providing feedback where needed to help them improve.
• Evaluating customer lifestyle and choices and be aware of current trends, whilst delivering a strong and engaging customer experience, taking feedback and seeking to improve.
• Showing commercial awareness, reacting to the competition, and identifying further opportunities for the department and brand.

Qualifications

• Has previous experience as an Assistant Buyer or Senior BAA, ideally working with lingerie, swimwear, loungewear or women's fashion.
• Is commercial – knows their customer, the market and what it takes to build a profitable collection!
• Has great attention to detail, is organised and results focused.
• Is able to coach and mentor junior team members.
• Has a 'hands on' and dynamic approach, to achieving results.
• Loves our brand, and has a genuine affinity with our values.

At Ann Summers we are proud to continue embracing inclusion, diversity, and equality in our everyday, supporting our people to be themselves. We are committed to building teams with a variety of backgrounds, skills, and views.

Benefits

• 29 days Holidays including Bank Holidays, with an additional day's holiday for every year you are part of AS.
• Your Birthday off.
• Workplace pension.
• Company perks scheme.
• Holiday purchase scheme.
• Retail Trust – wellbeing programme.
• Colleague social activities.
• Access to our internal L&D platform – Thrive.
• Free onsite car park at HO.
• Season ticket loan.

We regret that due to high volumes we are unable to acknowledge every application. All successful candidates will be contacted as soon as possible to discuss the role and their experience further.

Ann Summers complies with all GDPR policies and, by responding to this ad, your details will be kept on record for a total of 6 months unless expressed otherwise.