Assistant Buyer, Hollister - EMEA

Abercrombie and Fitch Co.; Greater London; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A global specialty retailer is looking for a Merchandising Analyst in London to bridge strategy and creative direction. Responsibilities include proposing high-level strategies for a division, executing merchandise buys, and analyzing sales performance. Candidates should have a Bachelor's Degree and strong analytical skills. This role offers competitive benefits including medical insurance, a flexible work environment, and opportunities for career advancement.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Paid parental and adoption leave

Merchandise discount

Qualifications

• Passion for fashion retail and the Abercrombie & Fitch Co. brands.
• Desire to manage a portion of a global multi-billion-dollar business.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as needed.

Responsibilities

• Act as owner of your departments/division within Hollister Co.
• Propose high-level strategies ensuring consistency with brand strategy.
• Present weekly selling updates for performance evaluation.

Skills

Analytical skills

Presentation skills

Collaboration

Sales analysis

Trend awareness

Education

Bachelor’s Degree or related experience

Tools

Microsoft Office

Analytical sales tools

Job description

Buying is the central function setting the course for our brands’ product; the hub of the wheel that ensures all teams are moving in the right direction to deliver a beautiful, compelling and profitable assortment. Working hand-in-hand with our design, planning and product development teams, buyers are the bridge between the strategy and creative direction of their line. Our merchandising & buying teams possess a blend of analytical ability and creative thinking, drawing from historical data and market trends to craft an assortment that stays true to our brands and excites our customer. This position is a part of our Hollister Brand Team.

This job is located at our EMEA Home Office London, England.

What Will You Be Doing?

• Within a single gender, act as owner of your departments/division within a brand/gender forHollister Co.
• Propose high-level strategies for your division to your gender lead, ensuring they are consistent with overall brand/gender strategy and identity
  • Following each season, support in executing a detailed hindsight / strategic line review process at the department level to inform future strategy and identify line list needs for design
  • Propose product architecture to execute key strategies: Buy from global line, supplementing with volume-driving, regionally relevant ideas. EMEA-exclusive product assortment is expected to play a key role in sales growth
  • Execute merchandise buys and distortions for a merchandise division, leveraging regional customer preferences and advancing regional business strategy while preserving brand identity and priorities
• Present weekly selling / business updates as part of a regular internal Monday review process, evaluating performance and consolidating results into a summary to be shared with the Home Office
• Stay curious on changes promotions, pricing, product placement, etc. and evaluate their impact on the business
• Intimately understand regional customers’ preferences and interests by observing shopping patterns, regularly shopping competitors, aspirational brands / runway and monitoring media platforms
• Participate in central assortment reviews on a seasonal basis, contributing ideas, identifying top items, and preparing for seasonal buys
• Participate in monthly Chase / Buy / Cut reviews to provide a regional perspective on key products and fine-tune assortments
• Connect remotely and in-person with Home Office Visual Merchandising teams to coordinate floorsets
• Partner directly with sourcing teams to ensure EMEA-exclusive assortment is on track throughout the product development process, carrying out consistent updates and communicating effectively both remotely and in-person

What Do You Need To Bring?

• Bachelor’s Degree or related experience
• Passion for the merchant role, fashion retail, customer research, and the Abercrombie & Fitch Co. brands
• Desire to take ownership for a portion of a global multi-billion-dollar business
• An acute eye for product and trend
• A deep understanding of sales analysis and financial metrics that relate to your business
• Strong presentation skills and the ability to communicate confidently to leadership
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as needed by the department
• A high comfort-level with analytical sales tools and proficiency in Microsoft Office applications
• A collaborative approach to working with cross-functional partners to achieve the vision of the brand.

Our Company

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. is a global, digitally led omnichannel specialty retailer of apparel and accessories catering to kids through millennials with assortments curated for their specific lifestyle needs.

The company operates a family of brands, including Abercrombie & Fitch, YPB, abercrombie kids, Hollister and Gilly Hicks, each sharing a commitment to offer products of enduring quality and exceptional comfort that support global customers on their journey to being and becoming who they are. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. operates over 750 stores under these brands across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, as well as the e-commerce sites abercrombie.com, abercrombiekids.com, and hollisterco.com.

At Abercrombie & Fitch Co., we lead with purpose and always put our people first. We’re proud to offer equitable compensation and benefits, including flexibility and competitive Paid Time Off, as well as education and engagement events, including various Associate Resource Groups, volunteer opportunities and additional time off to give back to our global communities.

As an Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (A&F Co.) associate, you’ll be eligible to participate in a variety of benefit programs designed to fit you and your lifestyle. A&F Co. is committed to providing competitive and comprehensive benefits that align with our company’s culture and values, but most importantly – with you! We also provide competitive incentives to reward the commitment our associates have for moving our global business forward:

• Medical, dental and vision insurance
• Life and disability insurance
• Associate assistance program
• Paid parental and adoption leave
• Access to fertility and adoption benefits through Carrot
• Access to mental health and wellness app, Headspace
• Paid time off and one paid volunteer day per year, allowing you to give back to your community
• Work from anywhere (Mondays and Fridays are “work from anywhere” days for most roles and six work from anywhere weeks per year)
• Seven associate wellness half days per year
• Merchandise discount on all of our brands
• Opportunities for career advancement, we believe in promoting from within
• Access to multiple Associate Resource Groups
• Global team of people who will celebrate you for being YOU!

Additional Information

ABERCROMBIE & FITCH CO. IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER