Senior Category Buyer/Merchandising Specialist
Lifesports Inc.
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
Lifesports Inc. is seeking a Senior Buyer & Planner to drive profitability through strategic buying, assortment planning, and inventory management for the Philippine retail market.
You will manage supplier relationships, analyze trends, and ensure timely product availability across stores and online platforms, leveraging ERP tools and Excel for data-driven decisions.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a related field.
- Minimum 5 years in buying, merchandising, or related retail roles.
- Experience with local and international suppliers and end-to-end buying.
Responsibilities
- Own assigned product categories and develop category buying strategies aligned to sales and profitability.
- Plan end-to-end buying cycle from product selection to replenishment and sell-through.
- Monitor performance, pricing, margins, and inventory turnover to optimize assortment.
Skills
Education
Tools
Job description
Lifesports Inc. was established with a clear purpose: to promote sports, wellness, and a healthy lifestyle. We aim to elevate the standard of sporting goods products in the industry while delivering world-class customer service.
With over 70 years of experience, Lifesports Inc. has become one of the leading names in bringing sporting goods brands to the country. We're constantly adapting to the market by leveraging new technologies for our products and finding ways to reach more people across geographies.
Working with Lifesports Inc. means getting to know the company's number one driving force: our people. We love to unlock our employees' potential, never settling for what you already know. If you share the same "can-do" attitude, respect for others, dedication, and passion for excellence, this opportunity could be a great fit for you!
The Senior Buyer & Planner is responsible for driving profitability through strategic buying, product assortment, merchandising, and inventory management. The role analyzes retail performance and market trends, manages supplier relationships, and ensures the right products are available at the right time, quantity, and price.
Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Merchandising, Marketing, or a related field.
At least 5 years of solid experience in buying, merchandising, retail planning, procurement, or a related commercial function, preferably within the retail, sporting goods, fashion, consumer goods, or multi-brand environment.
Proven experience in end-to-end buying, including product selection, assortment planning, purchasing, pricing, inventory management, and supplier coordination.
Strong understanding of retail merchandising principles, consumer trends, product lifecycle, sell-through, margins, and inventory turnover.
Experience managing local and international suppliers, including product negotiations, purchase orders, lead times, importation, and delivery coordination.
Strong commercial and analytical skills, with the ability to translate sales and market data into effective buying and merchandising decisions.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including pivot tables, lookups, advanced formulas, and data analysis.
Experience using ERP systems; Odoo experience is an advantage.
Excellent written and verbal English communication skills.
Highly organized, detail-oriented, commercially driven, and capable of managing multiple product categories and priorities.
Demonstrated ability to work independently and make sound business decisions in a senior-level capacity.
Take ownership of assigned product categories and develop category buying strategies aligned with company sales and profitability objectives.
Plan and manage the end-to-end buying cycle, from product selection and assortment planning to purchase orders, delivery, sell-through, and replenishment.
Evaluate existing and potential products based on sales performance, market demand, consumer trends, pricing, margins, competition, and brand positioning.
Build and maintain an optimal product assortment by identifying core, seasonal, new, and opportunity products.
Review product performance and make recommendations on product additions, assortment changes, replenishment, markdowns, and discontinuations.
Work closely with brand principals and suppliers to develop product assortments appropriate for the Philippine retail market.
Conduct regular SKU and category reviews to identify growth opportunities, underperforming products, and assortment gaps.
Develop merchandising plans that maximize sales, profitability, inventory productivity, and customer demand across retail channels.
Analyze category performance, sell-through, stock cover, gross margin, inventory turnover, and other key retail metrics.
Monitor retail trends, competitor activity, consumer behavior, and market developments to identify new product and category opportunities.
Partner with Sales, Marketing, E-Commerce, and Retail teams to align product assortment, promotions, launches, and inventory availability.
Support seasonal and promotional planning, ensuring appropriate inventory levels and product availability.
Recommend pricing, promotional, markdown, and clearance strategies based on product performance and inventory position.
Ensure product assortment remains commercially relevant and competitive across stores and online channels.
Develop and maintain sales forecasts and demand plans for assigned categories using historical sales, trends, seasonality, promotions, and market insights.
Maintain a 3-6 month forward view of inventory requirements and purchasing needs.
Determine appropriate reorder points, order quantities, safety stock, and replenishment requirements based on demand and supplier lead times.
Monitor inventory levels and identify overstock, slow-moving, aging, obsolete, and out-of-stock items, recommending appropriate action plans.
Balance product availability with inventory investment to maintain healthy stock turns and working capital.
Regularly review forecast accuracy and demand variances and implement corrective actions.
Manage relationships with local and international suppliers and act as a key point of contact for assigned categories.
Negotiate pricing, payment terms, MOQ, lead times, product availability, and other commercial terms to achieve favorable business outcomes.
Plan and monitor purchase orders to ensure timely replenishment and alignment with sales and inventory plans.
Coordinate with international suppliers, freight forwarders, customs brokers, and internal teams to ensure smooth importation and delivery of products.
Review and track supplier performance, delivery timelines, product availability, and order fulfillment.
Proactively resolve supplier, purchasing, product, and delivery issues that may impact business operations.
Prepare and present regular category performance reports and business reviews for management.
Track and analyze key performance indicators such as: Sales and sales growth, Gross margin, Sell-through, Inventory turnover, Stock cover, Forecast accuracy, Stock aging, Out-of-stock rate, Purchase performance.
Provide actionable recommendations based on data and market insights.
Identify opportunities to improve category profitability, inventory productivity, and overall retail performance.
Maintain accurate SKU, assortment, purchasing, and inventory planning reports.
SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG
5 Sick Leave and 5 Vacation Leave per year
Up to ₱5,000
Up to 30% off
Available after 1 year of service
Subject to approval
Monday - Friday: 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM (Compressed work schedule)
Alternating Saturdays: Twice a month (9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
2nd floor, 3270-D Armstrong Ave., Merville Access Rd. Brgy. 201, Pasay City (blue building)
PIN Location: World Class Concept Corp. or Lifesports Incorporated
Lifesports Inc. was established with a clear purpose in mind: to promote sports, wellness, and a healthy lifestyle. We aim to elevate the standard of sporting good products in the industry while delivering world class customer service.
With over 70 years of experience, Lifesports Inc. has emerged to be one of the big names in bringing in sporting goods brands in the country. We're constantly adapting to the market by leveraging new technologies for our products and finding ways to reach more people across geographies.
Working with Lifesports Inc. means getting to know the company's number one driving force: our people. We love to unlock our employees' potentials, never settling for what you already know. If you're someone who shares the same "can-do" attitude, respect for others, dedication, and passion for excellence, this opportunity could be a great fit for you!
Lifesports Inc. was established with a clear purpose in mind: to promote sports, wellness, and a healthy lifestyle. We aim to elevate the standard of sporting good products in the industry while delivering world class customer service.
With over 70 years of experience, Lifesports Inc. has emerged to be one of the big names in bringing in sporting goods brands in the country. We're constantly adapting to the market by leveraging new technologies for our products and finding ways to reach more people across geographies.
Working with Lifesports Inc. means getting to know the company's number one driving force: our people. We love to unlock our employees' potentials, never settling for what you already know. If you're someone who shares the same "can-do" attitude, respect for others, dedication, and passion for excellence, this opportunity could be a great fit for you!
SCM (Supply Chain Management) - Procurement of Goods and Services
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