Buyer: Garden Products

We are looking for a creative Buyer to drive and build our garden products categories.

Growth in this area of our business has been excellent over the last 5 years and we are looking to build upon this success and improve our market share. It's an exciting opportunity to work cross functionally with our in house product designer, brand and marketing department and supply chain teams.

We are very proud that our Buying team was voted as this year’s **Best Online Buying Team at GLEE Buyers Power Winners**

As an experienced Buyer with a background in retail (home and/or garden categories) you will be very analytical and a clear communicator with an eye for trends, opportunities and beautiful products. You love to multitask and thrive in a fast-paced empowering environment. You’re methodical and understand the importance of meeting deadlines and have a keen eye for detail. You can adapt to changing priorities and as a trusted expert you have the confidence to make range, team and commercial decisions with minimum guidance.

**Responsibilities**:

- Understand customer, category and commercial requirements.
- Source, buy and develop products that deliver agreed targets.
- Deliver a product range that exceeds commercial KPIs, delights our customers and builds brand loyalty.
- Understand market data and competitor activities; compare category range performance and make recommendations to meet customer needs and maximise sales.
- Analyse consumer buying patterns and predict future trends.
- Monitor performance of products/ranges and respond accordingly, providing accurate information on new lines, price changes and promotions.
- Work with eCommerce team to ensure category exposure on the website to enhance customer experience.
- Work with planners, analysing past sales figures and current trends to anticipate future product needs and devise a merchandise plan.
- Provide support and sales strategy to Marketing and Operations teams with sales and inventory reports.
- Keep up to date with market trends and react to changes in demand and logistics.
- Work with suppliers to obtain optimum terms for products to meet commercial requirements using product knowledge, experience and relationships.
- Maintain relationships with existing suppliers and source new suppliers for future products.
- Attend trade fairs in the UK and overseas, to select and assemble a new collection of products.
- Reporting and forecasting sales and margin levels.
- Present new ranges to the leadership team.
- Train and mentor junior staff.
- Develop a high-performance team that is striving for continuous improvement. Champion a culture where success is recognised and celebrated.

**Requirements**:

- Passionate about developing a beautiful, design-driven, commercial product that delights our customers.
- Able to make it happen and push boundaries in a fast-paced, fun and dynamic environment.
- Care about doing a great job and empower others with the quality of what you do.
- A great stakeholder manager and relationship builder, who leads by example, inspiring individuals and teams to do their best.
- Proven track record of delivering results as an individual and within a team.
- An understanding of the financial levers to drive product performance.
- A background in hardgoods, home and garden categories with an extensive buying experience.
- Must be driven to excel and succeed, taking full ownership for their success.
- Must have aptitude with numbers and clear understanding of retail maths.
- Strong organisational skills with ability to manage multiple projects, prioritise and meet deadlines.
- Superior communication skills; able to communicate persuasively, influentially and responsibly across a broad spectrum of stakeholders.
- Excels in team-environments and in building and developing strong interpersonal relationships, while maintaining an individual determination to accomplish goals.

**Education and experience**:

- Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
- Must have 3-5 years of experience in eCommerce buying, planning and merchandising with a medium to large size retailer.
- Computer proficiency with advanced knowledge of Excel (pivot tables, v-lookups, etc).

INDMANAGE