Junior Buyer/ Associate Buyer, A&F - EMEA

Company Description: Buying is the central function setting the course for our brands’ product; the hub of the wheel that ensures all teams are moving in the right direction to deliver a beautiful, compelling and profitable assortment. Working hand-in-hand with our design, planning and product development teams, buyers are the bridge between the strategy and creative direction of their line. Our merchandising & buying teams possess a blend of analytical ability and creative thinking, drawing from historical data and market trends to craft an assortment that stays true to our brands and excites our customer. This position is a part of our A&F Brand Team. This job is located at our Home Office in London, UK.

What Will You Be Doing?

• Act as owner for a full merchandise division within a brand/gender for A&F.
• Create the high-level strategies for your division, ensuring they are consistent with overall brand/gender strategy and identity.
• Following each season, execute a detailed hindsight / strategic line review process at the department level to inform future strategy and identify line list needs for design.
• Create product architecture to execute key strategies: Buy from global line, supplementing with volume-driving, regionally relevant ideas. EMEA-exclusive product assortment is expected to play a key role in sales growth.
• Lead and execute merchandise buys and distortions for a merchandise division, leveraging regional customer preferences and advancing regional business strategy while preserving brand identity and priorities.
• Be the expert in current selling analysis and historical selling knowledge for the region.
• Present weekly selling / business updates as part of a regular Monday review process, evaluating performance, proposing tactical improvements, and consolidating results into a summary to be shared with the Home Office.
• Leverage financial and strategic capabilities to influence promotions, pricing, product placement, etc. as well as product development and assortments.
• Intimately understand regional customers’ preferences and interests by observing shopping patterns, regularly shopping competitors, aspirational brands / runway and monitoring media platforms.
• Participate in central assortment reviews on a seasonal basis, contributing ideas, identifying top items, and preparing for seasonal buys.
• Participate in monthly Chase / Buy / Cut reviews to provide a regional perspective on key products and fine-tune assortments.
• Connect remotely and in-person with Home Office Visual Merchandising teams to coordinate floorsets.
• Partner directly with sourcing teams to ensure EMEA-exclusive assortment is on track throughout the product development process, carrying out consistent updates and communicating effectively both remotely and in-person.

What Do You Need To Bring?

• Bachelor’s Degree or related experience.
• Merchandising or Buying experience, preferably in apparel.
• Proven leadership experience and ability to thrive in team-based settings.
• Passion for the buying role, fashion retail, customer research, and the Hollister brand.
• Desire to take ownership for a portion of a multi-billion-dollar business.
• An acute eye for product and trend.
• A deep understanding of sales analysis and financial metrics that relate to your business.
• Strong presentation skills and the ability to communicate confidently to leadership.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as needed by the department.
• A high comfort-level with analytical sales tools and proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
• A collaborative approach to working with cross-functional partners to achieve the vision of the brand.

Our Company: Abercrombie & Fitch Co. is a global, digitally led omnichannel specialty retailer of apparel and accessories catering to kids through millennials with assortments curated for their specific lifestyle needs. The company operates a family of brands, including Abercrombie & Fitch, YPB, abercrombie kids, Hollister and Gilly Hicks, each sharing a commitment to offer products of enduring quality and exceptional comfort that support global customers on their journey to being and becoming who they are.

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. operates over 750 stores under these brands across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, as well as the e-commerce sites. At Abercrombie & Fitch Co., we lead with purpose and always put our people first. We’re proud to offer equitable compensation and benefits, including flexibility and competitive Paid Time Off, as well as education and engagement events, including various Associate Resource Groups, volunteer opportunities and additional time off to give back to our global communities.

As an Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (A&F Co.) associate, you’ll be eligible to participate in a variety of benefit programs designed to fit you and your lifestyle. A&F Co. is committed to providing competitive and comprehensive benefits that align with our company’s culture and values, but most importantly – with you! We also provide competitive incentives to reward the commitment our associates have for moving our global business forward:

• Medical, dental and vision insurance.
• Life and disability insurance.
• Associate assistance program.
• Paid parental and adoption leave.
• Access to fertility and adoption benefits through Carrot.
• Access to mental health and wellness app, Headspace.
• Paid time off and one paid volunteer day per year, allowing you to give back to your community.
• Work from anywhere (Mondays and Fridays are “work from anywhere” days for most roles and six work from anywhere weeks per year).
• Seven associate wellness half days per year.
• Merchandise discount on all of our brands.
• Opportunities for career advancement, we believe in promoting from within.
• Access to multiple Associate Resource Groups.
• Global team of people who will celebrate you for being YOU!

Additional Information: ABERCROMBIE & FITCH CO. IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.