Buyer - Categories (Maternity Cover) Full-time

Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS); City Of London; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading retail organization is seeking a Buyer to oversee a specific buying area. You will negotiate with suppliers, manage categories' performance, and work collaboratively with internal teams to drive sales and maximize profitability. The ideal candidate has strong analytical skills, excellent relationship-building abilities, and a deep understanding of product and market dynamics. This full-time position offers a dynamic work environment where flexibility is key.

Qualifications

• Highly knowledgeable about product and market trends.
• Effective in building relationships with stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and strategic commercial skills.
• Excellent communicator with influencing skills.
• Customer focused with good taste and instincts.
• Numerate with a commercial approach.

Responsibilities

• Oversee specific buying categories and manage their performance.
• Negotiate terms with suppliers to maximize profitability.
• Collaborate with internal teams for effective brand onboarding.
• Analyze performance to manage existing brands effectively.
• Support Buying Director on pop-up activations and brand launches.

Skills

Product/market understanding

Relationship building

Analytical skills

Influencing skills

Commercial acumen

Excel proficiency

Job description

Buyer – Categories (Maternity Cover) Full-time

Job Introduction

As a Buyer, you will be responsible for a specific buying area for the business. You will negotiate the best terms for Selfridges, manage existing brands and work with marketing to drive sales and maximise profitability of your area

As Buyer you will

• Be responsible for overseeing your category
• Manage the performance of your category through regular meetings with the concession partners and through analysis of their performance, making recommendations to the Director of Buying
• Negotiate the best possible terms with suppliers i.e. margin, minimum guarantees, marketing budgets and exclusivity
• Liaise and work closely with internal teams including but not limited to Digital, Marketing, Retail Operations, Personal Shopping, Legal, Property and Security to ensure effective brand onboarding and execution of projects
• Forge meaningful partnerships with our concession businesses through regular meetings
• Work with concession partners to exploit new opportunities across the regional stores
• Manage existing brands through analysis of performance, taking action when necessary and making decision to keep or discontinue within the business
• Support the Buying Director on key pop‑up activations and brand launches

A bit about you

• Highly knowledgeable. You will have a well‑developed understanding of the product/market
• Collaborative. Building relationships is one of your strengths, both with internal stakeholders as well as our brand partners
• Strategic and operational. With strong analytical skills and experience driving long‑term and profitable commercial strategies, you'll be able to successfully manage projects through to completion.
• Engaging. Able to influence your stakeholders, retail and brands, you know how to use both data and market trends to drive commercial opportunities
• A great communicator. You have excellent influencing skills, building professional, lasting relationships at all levels, both internally and externally
• Customer focused. Combined with exceptional taste and instinct, you are able to push the boundaries to offer new and exciting produce
• All over the numbers. You are numerate with a highly commercial approach, as well as proficient in excel
• Collaborative. Working flexibly as part of the wider Buying team you will support in projects and cross‑functional meetings as appropriate
• An example of our values, a trusted and respected colleague

This guide represents a summary of the role, however all team members are expected to be flexible in the work they undertake, which may change from time to time, according to the needs of the business.

Selfridges