Associate Buyer

who we are lululemon is an innovative performance apparel company for yoga, running, training, and other athletic pursuits. Setting the bar in technical fabrics and functional design, we create transformational products and experiences that support people in moving, growing, connecting, and being well. We owe our success to our innovative product, emphasis on stores, commitment to our people, and the incredible connections we make in every community we're in. As a company, we focus on creating positive change to build a healthier, thriving future. In particular, that includes creating an equitable, inclusive and growth-focused environment for our people. about this team The EMEA product team translates global product strategies into regionally relevant execution, we ensure we have the right assortment in the right place at the right time. Our aim is to fulfill our guests’ unmet needs, grow our brand and deliver on our long-term enterprise goals. We possess deep awareness and intuition of our regional guest needs and use this knowledge to identify opportunities to expand guest demand. We monitor the business on a daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly basis, understanding changes in trend and reacting to the business to maximize sales and mitigate risk. Teamwork and clear communication are essential. You are an essential part of the cross functional team collaborating with planning, store operations, VM and marketing. **a day in the life**: what you’ll do The Associate Merchant is responsible for supporting the team with strategic assortment planning, determining locally relevant assortments and being a competitive market expert for the EMEA region. This person will lead effective partnerships with Planning, Allocations, Visual Merchandising, Digital and Retail Operations to deliver "right product, right stores, right time". - You work with the Merchant to formulate and execute local pricing strategies - You act as the primary point of contact for product feedback from your region’s product category - Prior to and in season, identify changes to targeted in-store date and recommend options to maximize flow - You proactively gather, analyse and drive insight from local market knowledge and competitive landscape across all channels - Using the preliminary Global Assortment to support your merchant, create a compelling, locally relevant product assortment for the region’s store clusters - You are a "market expert" in your product category and region for all channels and can effectively communicate key data points with your merchant, including merchandising strategies, athletic and fashion trends, pricing and competition that inform the global product strategy - You contribute to the financial success of the region by meeting and exceeding sales, gross margin and inventory productivity goals through all channels (stores, ecommerce, strategic sales, & showrooms) through the effective partnership with Planning and In Season Country teams. - Throughout each buy cycle partner with VM, Digital and Store Planning to inform and execute against initiatives and regional strategies. - You support the quarterly product reviews ("meltdown") for your product category, delivering on timely, measureable, and actionable feedback qualifications, skills & experience - Min. 2-4 years’ experience in retail in an assistant buyer, merchant or buying role is required. - Bachelor’s degree qualified (Business, commerce preferred) - Vertical retail and omni-channel experience highly desirable - Mastery of retail mathematics and Open to Buy - Strong analytical skills, including the ability to interpret multiple data points across numerous channels and market segments - Ability to balance analytical and creative tasks - Proven ability to work with a cross functional team - Excellent sense of style and color trends; athletically minded - Excellent communication skills - interpersonal, written and verbal - Entrepreneurship - an ability to make decisions and take calculated risks - Focus on creating an extraordinary guest experience, organizational and time management skills - Strong knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel and Outlook) - Self-awareness, with a desire for constant self-improvement (goal-oriented) - Acute eye for product and colour trends - Strong communication skills both written and verbal and demonstrative ability to present to Senior leadership - Willingness to travel (domestic and international) and work on the retail floor must haves - Acknowledge the presence of choice in every moment and take personal responsibility. - Possess an entrepreneurial spirit and continuously innovate to achieve great results. - Communicate with honesty and kindness and create the space for others to do the same. - Lead with courage, knowing the possibility of greatness is bigger than the fear of failure. - Foster connection by putting people first and building trusting relationships. - Integrate fun and joy as a way of being and