Junior Buyer

Are you looking for the next step in your buying **career**?
- Are you looking to join an **exciting** business that is **passionate** to support independent retailers in the UK?
- Would you like to be part of a **supportive** and **friendly** team who are motivated to provide the best service to our stores and suppliers?
- Are you looking for a **hybrid** role with the **flexibility** to work onsite and from home?
- If so then we would love to hear from you

Here at **AIS**, we have an exciting opportunity available for a **Junior Category Manager** to join our **Home &** **Furniture** team based in **Solihull. **You will join us on a **full-time, permanent basis,** and in return, you will receive a competitive salary depending on experience.

The AIS buying group is the UK and Irelands leading buying group for independent retail with a membership of 300 independent department stores and specialist retailers. The business is now entering an exciting time of change and a transformational agenda to bring a more commercial and customer-focused approach to this well-established and successful membership organisation.

As our **Junior Category Manager **you will work to the AIS and divisional product strategy to achieve a leading edge, commercial, sustainable, and profitable product offer. Working collaboratively living the company values, working as one team.

**Key responsibilities as our Junior Category Manager**:

- Work closely with the Category Manager and take ownership of designated product areas.
- Contribute and work cross functionally to the overall division strategy by participating in product, brand and sales reviews with the senior team Propose and execute plans to drive sales and Cenpac revenue across the membership, focussing on initiatives that drive the best return
- Demonstrate commercial awareness and product expertise through sourcing new products, brands and suppliers. Utilise industry resources (shows, industry news etc) to ensure we are leading edge in industry developments and trends.
- Work with the Category Manager to contribution to the management of the P & L’s, have a general awareness of its principles and make decisions to maximise sales and minimise costs.
- Develop commercial, seasonal Own Brand, Brand and exclusive ranges. Using trade and trend insight, create optimum good, better and best range construction to deliver commercial and profitable ranges, working to category budgets, commercial margins and critical path. Communicate the product proposition positively to the members.
- Make informed decisions, trend, market data, member feedback, industry press and trade shows, sales data, competitor landscape. Share insights within the internal product teams and to the member audience where applicable.
- In conjunction with the Category Manager provide a high standard of customer service by making regular Member calls or visits to build relationships, ensuring clear objectives are in place, understand target customer, review turnover, discuss rebate targets, store presentation, and recommend new brands and ranges.
- Visit Member stores in line with the travel budget and in liaison with other divisions. Setting clear objectives and reporting on actions and findings.
- Work collaboratively with our Events and Marketing team to ensure we have the best line up of exhibitors at our INDX shows. Positively contributing to the overall show experience, drive show revenue and visitor attendance.

**What we’re looking for in our Junior Category Manager**:

- Exceptional commercial eye for product
- Strong commercial awareness of Home and/or Furniture product category and the overall market.
- Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate verbally and in writing at all levels
- Creative thinker, with the ability to think outside the box.
- Fresh thinker and generates ideas with a ‘can do’ attitude
- Exceptional negotiator and has strong influencing skills
- Computer literacy including competence in Excel, PowerPoint and Word
- Able to consistently produce accurate work to a high standard

**Why join AIS?**

We strive to be the most member-focused, innovative, and agile buying and services group in the UK and Ireland. As members of Diversity in Retail we are committed to driving a strong culture of Diversity and Inclusion in our own business and across our membership of independent retailers. We believe in creating a collaborative culture and bringing together a broad range of viewpoints, beliefs, and attitudes.

Rewards, Benefits & Wellbeing:

- 25 days holiday + bank holidays (in a full leave year) (Pro rata for part time employees)
- Opportunity to buy additional annual leave (up to 5 days per leave year)
- Birthday leave - No one should work on their birthday so have the day off on us
- Company pension scheme
- Employee Wellbeing Scheme & Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
- Cycle to work scheme
- Charity / Volunteering Leave
- Free employee parking
- Onsite cat