Buying Manager - Milady's

Mr Price Group; Durban; On-site; ZAR 480,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading fashion retailer in Durban seeks an experienced Retail Buyer. Responsibilities include managing trade activities, leading a team, and conducting thorough market analyses to optimize retail performance. Ideal candidates will have a degree in Fashion Design, extensive retail buying experience, and strong mentoring abilities. This role offers competitive compensation and supports professional growth.

Qualifications

• 5 - 7 years of Retail Buying experience with team management.
• Manufacturing experience is advantageous.
• Proficient in Mathematics with strong negotiation skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide support to buyers on current trade activities.
• Analyze sales and order impacts for guidance.
• Present performance analysis to executives.
• Coordinate assortment buying work based on timelines.

Skills

Retail Buying experience

Negotiation skills

Team Mentorship

Understanding of Merchandise Process

Education

Diploma/Degree in Fashion Design or Clothing Management

Job description

Job Description

Overview

To offer our customer mass market-led fashionable, category and item dominant assortments of the wanted items for the season, with a focus on future to be in-house design-led, driven by current trade influences.

Responsibilities

Current Trade

• Provide guidance, support and oversight to buyers with regards to their weekly management of all current trade buying activities and action plans including critical marketing deadlines and the weekly performance of items, subcategories and categories.
• As a team communicate a current trade report for the senior executives, as well as strategic overviews of the previous month’s trade required for board reports.
• Analyse the RLC monthly; monitor growth targets against strategic intent and initiate proactive interventions as needed.
• Assess sales and order impacts and provide appropriate guidance regarding action plans.
• Facilitate competitive shops and store visits and ensure that action plans incorporate appropriate trading responses.

Post-Mortem & Seasonal Strategy

• Set and drive future brand product calls and vision based on a thorough understanding of historical brand performance and future brand strategy within the bigger picture of gender and company strategy.
• Oversee as a team, the Compshop process and gather pertinent PM insights from other functional areas including Resource, Trend and support departments.
• Conduct an in-depth and relevant brand product performance analysis (including Quality and Supplier performance – if applicable) and compile a Post Mortem document and summary outlining key learnings, business implications and strategic insights.
• Present the Post Mortem to Merchant Executives and senior business leadership identifying critical gaps and opportunities for Brand growth.
• Formulate a sub-category strategy that forms the basis of the seasonal assortment framework, ensuring item dominance and clarity of offer for our customer, incorporating trend and Post Mortem learns for the foundation of this strategy.
• Formulate a seasonal Supplier strategy with your team, inclusive of the resource department that is well considered, and risk-balanced, allowing for an agile, highly reactive strategy whereby the golden rule forms the basis of the supplier partnership.
• Identify key tests and new fabric and develop samples for Strategy and establish costing with Resource including all FOB cost factors.
• Compile a Strategy Brand summary ensuring alignment and input from Trend, VM and Resource.
• Present to Executives and Business leadership providing a clear, detailed rationale which reference market conditions, Product and KPI’s.

Assortment & Review

• Coordinate and manage assortment buying work based on review timelines, key calendar dates, and turnaround timelines.
• As a team oversee and support building the assortment plan ensuring that all assortments reflect the right trend interpretation and quality standards per product and ‘talk to key’ strategic objectives and trade performance history.
• Ensure effective execution of the resource strategy to build on partnership and supplier relationships, aligned to the company values.
• Compile and present the Review including key uniforms and ranges and communicate any shifts in product and changes from the initial strategic direction.
• Prepare for the Review Presentation and present to Executives and Business leadership demonstrating clear alignment with the seasonal strategy and the in-store delivery critical path.

Leadership & Process Management

• Set goals and direction for the team in line with key brand imperatives as well as gender and company strategy.
• Ensure a focus on future brand evolution, innovation and vision as well as continuously optimizing current trade performance.
• Facilitate role clarity within the team and ensure clear accountability at a task contribution level as well as ‘ownership’ of key responsibility areas.
• Provide guidance and performance feedback at both an individual and team level -optimizing learning and development for all team members.
• Ensure accountability through effective delegation with appropriate support and oversight dependent on levels of competence and experience in the team.
• Review and streamline processes through innovation where necessary to ensure effective time management, proactive planning and team member utilization in collaboration with peers.
• Create a team culture that is disciplined in its thinking; responsive to trade; collaborative across all areas of the business and passionate about fashion retail in keeping with our company values.

Travel

• Travel locally and abroad to assess current market trends and provide detailed feedback accordingly.

Qualifications

• Diploma/Degree: Fashion Design or Clothing Management
• 5 - 7 years of Retail Buying experience with experience managing a team
• Manufacturing Experience (advantageous).
• Team Mentorship/Coaching Experience.
• Understanding of the Merchandise Process.
• Knowledge of Garment Construction, Fabrics, Fibres & Quality.
• Proficient in Mathematics.
• Negotiation & Presentation Skills.

Mr Price Group Limited is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to Employment Equity.