Assistant Buyer - Menswear
Full-time
South-West London (Hybrid)
At Crew Clothing, we believe clothes are about so much more than “just clothes”. Designed with the spirit of the south coast in every stitch, our crossed oars are a mark of timeless British style. These are clothes for life’s best moments.
We believe in collaboration, kindness and creativity, in celebrating our successes and championing our customer at every step of the way. From ’93 to now, people have been at the heart of everything we do. It’s in our name – Crew.
Purpose of the role:
The Assistant Buyer supports the Buyer in the smooth and commercial delivery of the Crew product range to drive profitable sales growth. This role supports the management of the process to ensure that the collections, once designed, are appropriately priced and that they are effectively produced to the quality expectations of the Crew customer and in line with department and business expectations.
Responsibilities:
Accountable for:
1. Assisting Buyer in all aspects of the product development process
2. Buying and developing ranges in line with agreed range and business strategy
3. Contracting orders to suppliers for all departments to Critical Path (delegating to BAA, if necessary)
4. Overseeing buying information on the range plan to ensure 100% accuracy and timely entry
5. Sample Management
6. Critical path management
Range Development:
1. Developing ranges to agreed plan and margin, ensuring alignment with agreed supply partners
2. Placing orders and managing to 95% availability
3. Maximizing sales through trading and OTB strategy (within agreed parameters)
4. Managing critical path and owning all approval stages
5. Liaising with suppliers and sourcing to manage opportunities
6. Liaising with merchandiser to produce lessons learned for future ranges
7. Producing monthly market and competitor reports to inform strategies for future ranges
8. Presenting ranges for sign-off
9. Being aware of sales and performance
10. Understanding cost price/margin/quantity requirements
Critical path and fit process:
1. Updating and managing the critical path weekly
2. Reporting exceptions to all channel launch dates to the buyer on a weekly basis
3. Liaising weekly with direct team, merchandising, and technical through garment approval stages and updating critical path
4. Delegating or approving fabrics, colors, and garment trims for delivery
5. Attending fit sessions and approving through the quickest technical staging
6. Reporting to Buyer on QC issues and solutions
7. Raising and following through debit notes for late deliveries and ensuring they are listed on logistics report
Samples:
1. Ensuring timely delivery of SMS and photo shoot samples according to critical path
2. Managing SMS tracker and liaising with channels on handover
3. Managing invoicing and courier charges for SMS samples (according to budget)
4. Working with technical to manage fit sessions and sample organization
5. Arranging samples for sign-off, taking notes, and liaising on amendments to range plans
6. Managing sample storage and delegating department tidiness to BAA, if necessary
People:
1. Managing workload of Admin Assistant
2. Working cross-functionally on proof approvals for product collateral and inputting buying information into product database
Key Skills and Experience:
Essential:
1. Experience in a similar role
2. Excellent communication and organizational skills
3. Excellent computer literacy in Excel/Outlook/Word
4. Ability to prioritize and manage a work schedule while working to tight deadlines
5. Ability to initiate and build strong relationships with suppliers and other department members
6. Teamwork but motivated and able to work independently
7. Understanding of the buying function and critical path processes
8. Skilled in management of others
9. Able to work with pace and energy
Desirable:
1. Desire to learn about garment construction and production processes
2. Passion for product and eagerness to learn
3. Positive and solutions-oriented
4. Keen to progress within the role
What we can offer you:
* Staff Discount
* Uniform allowance
* Pension scheme
* Refer a Friend scheme
* Training and career development
* Supportive and rewarding culture
Compensation: Competitive salary #J-18808-Ljbffr