Buyer

Role Overview

The Buyer will own the selection and planning of an attractive, commercially strong apparel range for Shoppers Stop. The role combines trend-led product curation with vendor negotiation, inventory control, quality oversight, and promotional planning. It is central to delivering both revenue growth and profitability.

Core Responsibilities

• Build the product range by selecting apparel assortments that reflect market trends, customer demand, and seasonal requirements.
• Use sales performance and customer feedback to guide assortment choices and strengthen best-seller management.
• Track competitor assortment, pricing, and market positioning to identify opportunities and stay ahead of the competition.
• Develop and preserve strong working relationships with vendors and suppliers.
• Negotiate pricing, quality terms, and delivery timelines to secure favourable commercial outcomes.
• Ensure vendors follow company policies, quality expectations, and agreed delivery commitments.
• Finalise costs to protect margins while maintaining product standards.
• Monitor shipment and delivery progress, resolving delays, shortages, or mismatches as they arise.
• Maintain accurate buysheets covering orders, costs, schedules, and product details for analysis and reporting.
• Oversee pre-production and fit approvals so that products meet design intent and quality benchmarks.
• Work with design, production, and quality teams to resolve issues and make required corrections.
• Manage stock levels to keep inventory healthy, support sales, and reduce ageing or obsolete stock.
• Plan markdowns and promotional actions to improve inventory movement and profitability.
• Partner with Marketing and Design to create visual merchandising promotions aligned with themes and launch plans.
• Coordinate store presentation, display strategy, and layout execution to highlight key products and campaigns.
• Work closely with planning and operations teams on trade strategies and sales-driving activities.
• Review sales and inventory performance regularly and adjust buying decisions accordingly.
• Support achievement of top-line sales and bottom-line profit targets through disciplined buying and trade management.
• Prepare and present reports on sales, stock, and market trends for senior leadership.

Qualifications

Graduate or diploma holder in design, apparel merchandising, or a related field. Accepted backgrounds include NIFT (GMT, FD, Textile, KDT, D&D) and Pearl Academy (IFTP).

Key Competencies

• Strong understanding of market trends and customer preferences.
• Ability to think strategically and translate insights into buying decisions.
• Good vendor management and stakeholder relationship skills.
• Effective problem-solving and issue-resolution ability.
• Commercial and financial awareness with a focus on margins and budgets.
• High attention to product quality and process compliance.
• Capability to plan and manage markdowns and promotions.
• Comfort working with visual merchandising concepts and store presentation.