Urban Outfitters Associate Buyer - Home

URBN (Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie Group, Free People & Nuuly); Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

Paid Time Off (PTO)

Employee discounts

Retirement savings

Job summary

URBN is seeking an experienced Buyer/Associate Buyer to drive product selection and planning across Urban Outfitters brands. You will analyze weekly sales, manage OTB, and collaborate with design, planning and vendors to optimize assortment and margins.

The role requires a bachelor’s degree in fashion or business and 3 years in retail or a direct buying office, with strong Excel, Word, and Outlook skills. A fast-paced, collaborative environment with growth opportunities awaits.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Fashion, Business, or a related field.
• 3 years in retail or a direct buying office in an Associate Buyer or Senior Assistant role.

Responsibilities

• Demonstrate understanding of the UO target customer and select products/trends accordingly.
• Recognize new fashion trends and translate ideas with design teams.
• Manage an Open-To-Buy (OTB) and apply retail math to drive bottom-line results.
• Maintain professional communication and strong organizational skills with urgency.
• Prioritize tasks to balance immediate and long-term business needs.
• Use Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook) and learn new systems quickly.
• Merchandise Analysis: analyze weekly/monthly sales, stock, and on-order to optimize sales and reduce markdowns.
• Merchandise Planning: revise plans with Buyers/Planners to optimize sales and margins by class.
• OTB Management: manage financial elements (OTB, IMU, MDs) for assigned classes.
• Manage Styleouts to balance assortment and optimize inventory positioning.
• E-Commerce: assist in selecting new products for online growth.
• Product Development: coordinate with designers to manage timelines and fittings.
• Vendor Relations: build relationships and monitor performance for profitability.

Skills

Trend analysis

Open-To-Buy management

Merchandise analysis

Merchandise planning

Vendor relations

Communication

Education

Bachelor's in Fashion or related field

Tools

Excel

Word

Outlook

Job description

Role Responsibilities

• Demonstrate an understanding of the UO target customer and the ability to select the appropriate product/trend that will appeal to the customer and meet their expectations.


• The ability to recognize a new fashion trend. Work with design to translate appropriate new ideas from blogs, street and aspirational sources.


• The analytic ability to manage an Open-To-Buy (OTB). Exhibit retail math skills that allow the individual to achieve bottom line performance.


• Exhibit a professional communication style (both verbal and written) as shown through strong presentation skills, excellent organizational skills and I high sense of urgency.


• The ability to prioritize tasks in order to balance the immediate and long term needs of the business.


• Experience with Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook) and the ability to learn new computer systems quickly and retain the information.


• Merchandise Analysis
  
  
  
  • Analyze weekly and monthly sales, stock and on-order with the goal of optimizing sales and minimizing markdowns.
  
  
  • Recognize and react quickly to all trends, both major and minor, in the business, whether they be product related or store related.
  
  
  
  


• Merchandise Planning
  
  
  
  • Work with the Buyer and Planner on revising plans to ensure that sales and margin are optimized by class.
  
  
  • Ensure that buying direction is on target based on partnering with Buyer and comprehensive analysis of the business, e.g., last year results, current trends, attribute selling, etc.
  
  
  
  


• OTB (Open-To-Buy) Management
  
  
  
  • Manage the financial elements of the business, e.g., OTB, IMU, MD’s, etc. for assigned classes.
  
  
  • Ensure that the receipt plan is tightly managed and that orders are placed on a timely basis (neither too late or too soon) and that receipts flow correctly throughout the month.
  
  
  
  


• Manage Styleouts
  
  
  
  • Manage styleouts to achieve, to the greatest possible degree, that each item is a winner and that the assortment is properly balanced and invested by ensuring there is an appropriate balance of looks, silhouettes, fabrics, patterns, color, price points, etc., and that we are taking the correct inventory position with key items and fringe and/or new items.
  
  
  
  


• E-Commerce
  
  
  
  • Assist in selecting new products for e-commerce division from retail’s assortment. Suggest category extensions / web exclusives to further growth.
  
  
  
  


• Product Development
  
  
  
  • Work with designers, Market, and Design to manage the timeline on all product development.
  
  
  • Attend all fittings to ensure that sizing is standardized throughout the assortment.
  
  
  
  


• Vendor Relations
  
  
  
  • Develop effective and beneficial relationships with key vendors.
  
  
  • Manage vendor performance through effective negotiation and communication to maximize profitability, achieve financial objectives and ensure optimal supply chain operations.
  
  
  
  


• Communication
  
  
  
  • Ensure that all communication (listening and directing) is conducted appropriately with the stores.
  
  
  • Develop collaborative relationships with internal colleagues including: production, planning, creative, catalog, DC and retail teams.
  
  
  • Gain understanding of all roles and responsibilities within the organization and be flexible and cooperative in working with teams to achieve a common goal.
    
  
  
  
  

Role Qualifications

Education Requirement: Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion, Business, or a related field

Experience Requirement: 3 years in retail or direct buying office having served as an Associate Buyer or Senior Level Assistant buyer.

The Perks

URBN offers comprehensive Perks & Benefits to employees. Availability and eligibility to specific benefits may be subject to your location and employment status. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, PTO, generous employee discounts, retirement savings and much more! For additional information visit www.urbn.com/work-with-us/benefits

EEO Statement

URBN celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We are proud to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex (including gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression), religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, national origin or ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship, service in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic as established by law. We believe strongly in fostering a safe, fair and respectful work environment. To ensure compliance with our non-discrimination and anti-harassment policies, we offer anti-harassment training to managers and employees.