Buyer - Retail Fashion and Apparel

Job in Brief:

To be responsible for managing vendor partnerships, driving category profitability, and ensuring efficient stock flow.

To work with Merchandiser to balance assortment planning, sales performance, and inventory control.

Roles & Responsibilities:

Buying Plan

• Plan for buying based on emerging trends, customer needs, and competitor activity (in discussion with Merchandizer / GM).
• Finalize assortment mix by category, ensuring balance between core, seasonal, and new products.
• Approve and oversee buying budgets, aligned with Open-to-Buy (OTB).

Vendor Management

• Source, evaluate, and onboard suppliers/brands for the retail chain.
• Negotiate pricing, margins, credit terms, and promotional support.
• Maintain strong supplier relationships to secure best-in-class deals.
• Resolve supply chain and quality issues quickly.

Stock Management

• Monitor inventory levels, sell-through, and stock turns across all stores.
• Drive actions to reduce aged inventory (>90 / 120 / 180 days) with markdowns, promotions, and bundle strategies.
• Ensure healthy GMROI and category profitability.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work with Store Managers & Operations team on Visual Merchandising (VM) and product displays.
• Inventory (collaborate with Ware House In-charge) & Order Management in minimising overstocking or stockouts.
• Analyse sales data, market trends, and seasonal demand to forecast product needs accurately (with the support of Merchandizer);
• Collaborate with the marketing team to plan product launches and promotions and preparing regular reports on key performance indicators (KPIs) such as inventory turnover, sales performance, vendor performance, and purchasing costs.

Review Reports

• Report category-wise sales, margin, and GMROI targets.
• Review weekly/monthly sales performance by store & category in relation to buying plan.
• Share insights on customer buying behaviour, market trends, and vendor performance.

Requirements:

• Minimum Qualification Graduate / Diploma in relevant field.
• 3-5 years of buying/procurement experience in retail (multi-brand or category retail preferred).
• Strong vendor negotiation and relationship management skills.
• Deep knowledge of assortment planning, stock ageing, and margin optimisation.
• Proven ability to balance creativity (trend spotting) with numbers (financial planning).
• Hands-on with MS Excel/Google Sheets; familiarity with retail ERP a plus.
• Strong leadership skills to guide planners and coordinate across functions.
• Entrepreneurial mindset; ability to thrive in a fast-paced startup environment.