Contemporary Buyer

Position Summary: Responsible for achieving sales, margin $, margin %, and turnover plans for assigned departments. Interfaces with and provides merchandising strategies and details to planning and allocation to assure timely deliveries of the desired product mix. Works closely with marketing and the department merchandiser to create and implement proper in-store presentation and promotion.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

·        Responsible for the development of a vendor matrix containing the correct mix of our best performing vendors and new innovative fashion vendors.

·        Travels to market as necessary to buy current season, fashionable merchandise within acceptable price, quality, and target customer guidelines.

·        Works closely with planner to develop and implement both dollar and unit plans.

·        Develops proper store allocation strategies with allocation analyst

·        Negotiates best prices, deliveries and terms while maintaining solid relationships with vendors.

·        Stays within open-to-buy dollar limits when purchasing merchandise.

·        Does proper purchase order maintenance in conjunction with allocation analyst as a follow-up procedure to changes in prices, terms, deliveries, etc., and for the purposes of maintaining integrity of merchandise reports and eliminating unnecessary work.

·        Closely monitors and analyzes selling and inventory reports to achieve proper assortments as directed by management.

·        Achieves mark-up plan to help profitability of each classification.

·        Works closely with vendors and GMM to resolve changes and problems.

·        Stays alert to market trends, competitor strategies, activities, and vendor activities

·        Develops floor plan and display strategies with department merchandiser and monitors store implementation.

·        Travels to stores weekly as directed by management for exposure to customer and store location attributes and to shop competition.

·        Develops marketing event strategies for assigned department within guidelines and schedule set by GMM and marketing manager.

·        Prepares merchandise presentations for scheduled meetings

··        Monitors and evaluates buying practices and recommends changes necessary to improve efficiency of department operations.

Qualifications

·        At least three years buyer experience in relevant merchandise categories with dual emphasis on fashion and price.

·        Good eye for fashions and knows how to develop and maximize a trend.

·        Strong negotiating skills and the ability to also maintain good vendor relations.

·        Self-confident, highly motivated and maintains a high level of personal organization and development.

·        Proactive, self-starter who is forward thinking and a team player.

·        Strong verbal and written communication skills, a solid entrepreneurial spirit and drive, and the passionate ability to thrive and succeed in a fast-paced, high-energy environment.

·        Strong analytical skills and problems solving ability.

Education: Four-year college degree in a related field is preferred.  P.C. literacy required with excel spreadsheet and word experience very important.