Assistant Buyer

Shoppers Stop; Maharashtra; On-site; INR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

Shoppers Stop is seeking an Assistant Buyer – Soft Furnishing to support the Buyer in range planning, product development, sourcing, vendor management, market research, costing, and commercial performance. The role collaborates with cross-functional teams to ensure the right product assortment, quality, pricing, and timely delivery.

The candidate should have minimum 2 years of buying experience and be adept at coordinating with vendors to optimize margins and ensure on-time delivery.

Qualifications

• Minimum 2 years buying experience.
• Experience in product development and range planning.
• Strong vendor management and cost negotiation.
• Cross-functional collaboration with marketing, design and stores.

Responsibilities

• Support Buyers in product development, presentations, packaging, and promotions.
• Assist in range planning and assortment building per seasonal strategies.
• Track samples and ensure timely development milestones with vendors.
• Coordinate with QA/QC to maintain quality standards.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Design, Visual Merchandising and Merchandising teams.
• Monitor stock, promotions, and margins; support corrective actions.

Skills

Buyer's experience

Vendor management

Market research

Costing and margins

Cross-functional collaboration

Sample tracking

Product development

Range planning

Negotiation

Tools

Vendor onboarding

Job description

Experience - Minimum 2 Years for Buying experience.

Role Overview

The Assistant Buyer – Soft Furnishing will support the Buyer in range planning, product development, sourcing, vendor management, market research, costing, and commercial performance. The role will work closely with cross-functional teams and vendors to ensure the right product assortment, quality, pricing, and timely delivery.

Key Responsibilities:

• Product Development & Range Planning
• Assist the Buyer in product development, product presentations, packaging, and promotional planning.
• Support range planning and assortment building in line with seasonal and category strategies.
• Review and adjust seasonal and weekly plans based on business performance, market trends, and requirements.
• Support the Buyer in achieving budget, sales, and margin targets.
• Market & Competitor Research
• Conduct regular market and competitor research to track emerging trends, pricing, MRP, quality benchmarks, product innovations, and new product opportunities.
• Identify market gaps and opportunities to strengthen the soft furnishing range.
• Identify, evaluate, and develop new vendors and sourcing opportunities.
• Support the vendor onboarding process and maintain strong vendor relationships.
• Support negotiations with vendors to achieve competitive costs and healthy margins.
• Assist in tracking and recovering vendor-related financial claims, including performance penalties, markdowns, and promotional contributions.
• Sample & Product Development Tracking
• Coordinate with vendors to ensure samples are developed and delivered within agreed timelines.
• Track sample status and follow up with vendors to ensure timely completion of product development milestones.
• Quality Management
• Work closely with QA/QC teams to establish and maintain quality standards for merchandise.
• Coordinate with vendors to address quality issues and ensure products meet defined standards.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Work closely with Marketing, Product Design, Visual Merchandising, Merchandising, and other relevant teams to align product development and promotions with seasonal themes and product launches.
• Ensure timely communication of product information, features, and key benefits to the front-end/store teams.
• Stock & Commercial Performance
• Work closely with the Merchandising team on stock management, style options, quantities, promotions, and markdowns.
• Monitor product performance and support corrective actions to optimize sales, stock, and margins.
• Costing & Commercial Management
• Support negotiations with vendors to achieve competitive costs and healthy margins.
• Assist in tracking and recovering vendor-related financial claims, including performance penalties, markdowns, and promotional contributions.
• Top KPI’s (Ideally Measurable) for this role are
• Design and coordinates understating.
• Strong understanding of soft furnishing products, sourcing, and retail trends
• Market and competitor analysis
• Product development and range planning
• Vendor management and sample tracking.
• Good understanding of costing, margins, MRP, and inventory
• Strong coordination and follow-up skills
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Good communication and presentation skills