Buyer | Joburg| Apparel Retail Brand

Recruit for Africa; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 200 000 - 300 000; Full time

Job summary

A well-known Apparel Retail Brand is seeking an experienced Buyer based in Joburg. The role involves sourcing and maintaining suppliers, developing growth strategies, and managing supplier relationships. Candidates should hold a Bachelor’s degree and have a minimum of 5 years' experience in retail buying. This position offers a competitive salary of R30,000 CTC and requires strong analytical, negotiation, and communication skills.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years experience in retail buying.
• Strong business acumen and merchant thinking.
• Proven decision-making ability.

Responsibilities

• Develop a strategy to drive growth across the department.
• Source and prioritize new brands and suppliers.
• Manage and develop supplier relationships.

Skills

Critical thinking skills

Excellent communication skills

Good organizational skills

Strong analytical ability

Negotiation skills

Education

Bachelor's degree (Business Science / B.Com / B.Sc)

Job description

Well-known Apparel Retail Brand is seeking an experienced Buyer, specialized in Apparel Retail, to join their team in Joburg. The purpose of the role is to be accountable for sourcing and maintaining suppliers for various portfolios within a category, based on profitability targets.

Duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Develop a comprehensive strategy and plan to drive growth across the department in sales, brands, suppliers, and new product listings.
• Source and prioritize new brands and suppliers according to this growth plan and in line with market trends and consumer demand.
• Deliver against key financial and service level performance indicators within the department (sales, intake, sales margin, listings availability, sell-throughs, stock cover, etc.).
• Manage and develop supplier relationships, negotiate favorable prices, improve trading terms, and manage intakes and suppliers according to strict SLAs.
• Develop promotional programs, source great deals, and manage site merchandising for the department.
• Support the operations team in delivering a world-class customer experience, monitor department returns, support the customer service team on product queries, and resolve any customer complaints.
• Manage stock and availability, including replenishment orders and stock cover.
• Manage OTB (Open-to-Buy) and intakes.
• Support performance improvement initiatives for the Retail team as a whole.

Skills and Experience required:

• Bachelor's degree (Business Science / B.Com / B.Sc).
• Minimum of 5 years experience in retail buying.
• Ability to think on his/her feet.
• Critical thinking skills.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Good organizational and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to manage competing priorities.
• Proven decision-making ability.
• Resilient, dedicated, and self-motivated.
• Strong business acumen and merchant thinking.
• Strong analytical ability; uses data to inform decisions, identify root causes, and resolve problems.
• Strong willingness to learn.
• Proven track record of negotiation and stakeholder management.
• Entrepreneurial and commercial mindset with solutions-oriented, can-do attitude; self-motivated.
• Ability to manage self and an assistant according to clear prioritization and structured planning.
• Ability to build lasting supplier relationships and manage according to SLAs (existing industry networks are a significant plus).
• Understanding of key business drivers within online retail.

Salary: R30,000 CTC

Start ASAP

To apply for the Buyer position in Joburg at this Apparel Retail Brand, please send your CV in a Word document. ONLY SHORTLISTED CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED.