Buyer (Fresh Food)

WHSmith North America

• $85K — $95K *
Retail & Consumer Goods
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 3+ years of logo, private label, or fashion buying experience in multi-unit retail
  • 1+ years of supervisory experience in retail or field environment
  • Experience in product development and assortment planning
  • Bachelor's degree required
  • Strong understanding of merchandising and retail math including Open-to-Buy (OTB) management
  • Proven ability to adapt, multi-task, and problem-solve in dynamic environments
  • Advanced skills in Microsoft Office and merchandising software

Responsibilities

  • Develop and execute merchandise strategies to achieve financial targets
  • Manage product development aligned with brand and department concepts
  • Collaborate with Planner to adhere to Open-to-Buy budget
  • Resolve purchase order discrepancies and compliance issues with vendors
  • Analyze business performance across multiple levels including store, department, and division
  • Communicate effectively with planners and store teams
  • Negotiate vendor terms for optimal margin results
  • Participate in merchandising meetings to review performance and strategies
  • Conduct seasonal trend presentations and workshops for the field
  • Evaluate in-store assortments and market trends through store visits
  • Carry out tasks related to new store openings including planogram meetings
  • Manage product lifecycle and allocation in collaboration with Planner
  • Attend industry tradeshows for vendor sourcing and trend identification
  • Oversee hiring, training, and performance management of departmental staff

Benefits

  • Employee Discount
  • Employer-Paid Life Insurance
  • Flex Time Off
  • Disability Insurance
  • Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
  • Paid Parental Leave
  • 401(k) with company match
Full Job Description
Job Title

Buyer (Fresh Food)

Location

Support Center - Las Vegas, NV 89119 US (Primary)

Job Type

Full-time

Category

Buying / Merchandising

Education

Job Description

As the Buyer (Fresh Food) you will be responsible for procuring, developing, and managing effective merchandise assortments to achieve the sales, margin, and turnover targets for his/her respective buying areas. In partnership with their DVP and respective Planner, the Buyer will create the appropriate merchandise mix and develop category and supplier strategies based on emerging market trends, seasonality, and customer demographics.

Location: Support Center, 6600 S Bermuda Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89119

Schedule: Monday - Friday, Weekends as needed, 40-50 hours per week

Pay: $85,000 - $95,000 annually

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits
  • Employee Discount
  • Employer-Paid Life Insurance
  • Flex Time Off
  • Disability Insurance
  • Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
  • Paid Parental Leave
  • 401(k) with company match

Job Responsibilities
  • Develop and execute merchandise assortment strategies to meet or exceed the financial goals
  • Product development as needed in accordance with the respective brands, departments, and concepts.
  • Partner with Planner to manage and adhere to Open-to-Buy (OTB) budget.
  • Work with vendors to resolve purchase order discrepancies and compliance issues.
  • Analyze business at division, department, class, subclass, attribute, and store level.
  • Create and maintain open lines of communication with Planner, Store Managers, Regional Managers and other co-workers.
  • Negotiate with vendors to secure the best terms for maximum margin results, including supplier income, and best pricing as well as markdown and/or RTV agreements.
  • Prepare for and participate in regular Merchandising meetings such as Weekly Performance Meetings, Month End Review / OTB meetings, Collaboration meetings, New Store Review meetings, etc.
  • Develop seasonal trend presentations and participate in seasonal workshops to educate the field organization (applicable by merchandise category).
  • Visit our stores (including visits on location as requested) to evaluate assortments, presentations, stock levels, marketing, customers, and obtain feedback from store personnel. Visit competitors to evaluate pricing, assortments, and market trends for possible opportunities.
  • Carry out tasks related to new stores, including research into new markets (including visits on location as requested), participating in Planogram meetings, developing new assortments for new concepts or stores, etc.
  • Work closely with Planner to manage allocation, reorder flow, and product lifecycle including promos, markdowns, transfers and RTVs.
  • Regularly attend industry tradeshows to source new vendors, meet with existing vendor partners, and identify emerging trends.
  • Supervisory duties; hiring, terminations, performance management, training and coaching of departmental staff.


Job Requirements

Qualifications:
  • 3+ years of experience in logo, private label, or fashion buying experience with a multi-unit retail organization.
  • 1+ years of supervisory experience in field or retail home office.
  • Product development and assortment planning experience required.
  • Bachelor's degree required.
  • Strong command of merchandising and retail math, including Open-to-Buy (OTB) management.
  • Ability to adapt, multi-task and problem solve in a fast-paced and changing environment.
  • Advanced computer skills, including Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and experience with a merchandising software platform.

Additional Requirements
  • Frequent sitting
  • Limited standing, walking, climbing, crouching, bending, pushing, or pulling
  • Limited travel or overnight
  • Occasional travel or overnight
  • Frequent travel or overnight; including international
  • Normal or corrected vision and hearing
  • Can distinguish varying or specific colors, patterns, or materials
  • Fluency in English is required for training, customer interactions, and ensuring compliance with company policies and procedures
  • Typically, indoors
  • Typically, in a consistent temperature
  • Lift 0-25 lbs.
  • Use of fine motor hand functions

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