Purchaser

BIOWORLD INTERNATIONAL; Hinckley; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A global fashion firm based in Hinckley is looking for an experienced Purchaser. You will manage the purchasing lifecycle across licensed apparel, negotiating costs and ensuring quality and efficiency. Ideal candidates will have solid experience in fashion purchasing, strong negotiation skills, and a background in garment technology. This role requires a detail-oriented individual who can thrive in a creative, fast-paced environment, contributing to the development of world-class licensed products.

Qualifications

• Experience in a similar purchasing role within apparel or accessories.
• Knowledge of garment construction and fit.
• Strong understanding of printing and application techniques.

Responsibilities

• Manage the full purchasing lifecycle across licensed apparel ranges.
• Negotiate pricing with factories to meet or exceed target margins.
• Allocate and monitor factory capacity to ensure consistent workflow.
• Work with Design and Technical teams to support new product development.

Skills

Negotiation skills

Commercial acumen

Detail-oriented

Communication skills

Planning and organization

Education

Degree-level education or equivalent

Job description

Bioworld International (BWI), based in Hinckley, Leicestershire, is part of the global Bioworld family with offices across the UK, USA, Canada, China and India. Together, our 120+ designers create world-leading licensed apparel, sleepwear, headwear, bags and accessories for the biggest entertainment brands. As an award-winning, trusted partner to global retailers, we bring innovation, industry expertise and outstanding design to every product.

We are now looking for an experienced Purchaser with a background in fashion, apparel or accessories to join our growing team.

The role

You will manage the full purchasing lifecycle across our licensed apparel ranges, ensuring quality, cost efficiency and margin delivery. Working closely with Sales, Sourcing, Production, Design and our global factory network, you will support product development, negotiate costings, manage capacity and drive operational excellence.

Key responsibilities

Costing and negotiation

• Manage all TRI and supplier costings from enquiry to order confirmation.
• Negotiate pricing with factories to meet or exceed target margins.
• Consolidate orders and fabrics, develop core product programmes and identify cost‑saving opportunities while maintaining quality.
• Build strong relationships with direct factories and suppliers.

Factory Management & Capacity

• Allocate and monitor factory capacity, ensuring consistent utilisation and workflow.
• Propose new factories by product type and manage onboarding with Sourcing and Production.
• Understand each factory’s capabilities, strengths and weaknesses.
• Lead weekly factory / supplier meetings and support offshore visits.

Operations & Critical Path

• Ensure accurate receipt of order confirmations and organise internal style handovers.
• Maintain the internal PO system, addressing errors and updates promptly.
• Manage the weekly critical path with Technical, Production and Sales.
• Track liabilities, debits and supplier issues through to closure.
• Maintain all internal documentation and admin to high standards.

Product Development

• Work with Sourcing, Design and Technical teams to support new product development.
• Build cost matrices based on factory capabilities for use by Sales and Design.
• Ensure accurate costings by securing all required product details, fabric approvals, blocks, colours and artwork ahead of time.

Lead Time reduction

• Drive continuous improvement in lead times.
• Ensure factories and fabrics are fully approved to customer and licensor standards.
• Provide detailed product information to Production to enable smooth handover and execution.

Teamwork & Leadership

• Attend and contribute to weekly cross‑functional meetings with Design, Sales, Technical and Merchandising.
• Support the review and improvement of purchasing and sourcing processes.

About you - We are looking for a candidate with solid experience in apparel purchasing within a fast‑paced, design‑led environment. You are commercially astute, organised, detail‑driven and confident negotiating with global factories.

Essential Skills and experience

• Experience in a similar purchasing role within apparel or accessories.
• Background in garment technology or product development (advantageous).
• Knowledge of licensed products.
• Strong understanding of printing and application techniques.
• Awareness of children’s wear safety requirements.
• Knowledge of garment construction and fit.
• Excellent planning, organisation and attention to detail.
• Able to work independently and collaboratively, building strong cross‑functional relationships.
• Degree‑level education or equivalent.

If you thrive in a creative, fast‑growing global business and have the expertise to support world‑class licensed products, we would love to hear from you. To apply please send in your CV.